John Coltrane (tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Steve Davis (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums). From the album Coltrane’s Sound (1964).
Body and soul, the two things a human being needs to live. The body covers our physical needs and allows us to interact with the world. The soul provides us with spiritual nourishment. We can offer our body and soul to another person, but if he or she leaves us, we have a difficult vacuum to fill. “Body and Soul” is a well-known popular song, but it has also become a jazz standard. They have made it countless versions of it and have been sung by many artists.
This is not a conventional “Body and Soul”. Tyner makes an unusual introduction and Coltrane attacks the theme in a slightly distorted way. The double bass gives them a good sound support. Coltrane also plays the bridge of the theme in a particular way. Tyner begins his solo with the covert tune, but in his own way. Sometimes it gets totally out of the theme and gives to the bridge his personal touch. Then, Coltrane returns with his personal way of approaching the song. Suddenly they reduce the tempo and add their own arrangement to finish.
© Atlantic Records