John Coltrane
Tenor Sax Solo on
Lush Life

About

John Coltrane's tenor sax solo opens the improvised portion of this recording, followed by Red Garland on piano. Spanning one chorus of the 26-bar AA' form at a ballad tempo of 58 BPM in D♭, the solo runs approximately 1:50. Coltrane's single-chorus tenor saxophone solo navigates the song's unusual 26-bar AA' form with a combination of harmonic daring and lyrical sensitivity, his broad tone lending gravitas to Strayhorn's intricate harmonic landscape. "Lush Life" is a performance of Billy Strayhorn's celebrated art song from the 1958 sessions included on John Coltrane's album of the same name. John Coltrane was 31 to 32 years old at the time of this 1958 recording.

John Coltrane was 31 to 32 years old at the time.