John Coltrane
Tenor Sax Solo on
Satellite

About

John Coltrane's tenor sax solo is the sole improvisation on this recording. Spanning six choruses of the 32-bar ABAC form at a bright 251 BPM with a swing feel in G, the solo runs approximately 3:23. The composition is a contrafact based on the chord changes of "How High The Moon." This contrafact technique, in which a new melody is composed over the chord structure of an existing tune, was a practice with deep roots in bebop, but Coltrane took the approach to new levels of complexity. John Coltrane was 33 to 34 years old at the time of this 1960 recording.

John Coltrane was 33 to 34 years old at the time.