John Coltrane (tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums). From the album Ballads (1963).
“What’s New?” is a popular song with an instrumental melody initially titled “I’m Free”. The song was conceive with only a trumpet and was recorded the same day it was composed. Later on, the lyrics were written, which tells de history of the meeting between ancient lovers. The title was then changed using the first sentence: “What’s New?”, and was recorded again in 1939. Catherine O’Brien wrote a new lyric for the song in the 1990s keeping its original title “I’m Free”.
Tyner introduces the theme to a medium-fast tempo and lengthens his presentation. Then Coltrane comes in counting the chance encounter with an ancient love. He says: “Hello, What’s new? How is your life going? You haven’t changed a bit, you look as pretty as ever. How did you recover from that affair? We haven’t seen each other since then, but it's nice to see you again.” And he keeps saying: “I'm probably boring you, but it's great to talk to you and I thank you for offering me your hand. I understand, goodbye. I’m sorry if I bothered you. I want you to know that I haven’t changed and that I still love you.” Tyner ends with a nostalgic phrase.
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