Coltrane as Ballad Master: "My One and Only Love"

You may have noticed the many articles and features assessing and celebrating the art of John Coltrane on the centennial of the birth. ‘Trane is one of the key figures in the ultimate pantheon of jazz. I’d place him as a “top five”-type figure. Like Michael Jordan is to basketball. In terms of influence on the playing style of those who followed him I would say that only Charlie Parker is his equal. Whole generations of tenor players have internalized ‘Trane’s searching, maximalist, out-there style as perhaps the only “real” way that a tenor should sound. In other words, unless they consciously try to not sound like Coltrane, they will by default. It is this fiery, exploratory side of ‘Trane that most writers focused on in their centennial tributes. After all, this was the aesthetic he introduced that was truly revolutionary. His forays into Interstellar Space, as the title of one of his seminal records phrased it, and other realms of consciousness, truly brought the avant-garde into deep conversation with mainstream post-bop jazz.

But there is another side of Coltrane, a sensitive side if you will, that reveals him as one of the greatest ballad players of all time. His tone, as you can hear in the performance of “My One and Only Love,” has a lovely, lilting quality that conveys a sense of floating. Yet this floating sensation is grounded in deep emotion, a contrast that elevates his playing to high art. And it is healing, I should add. I had a health crisis some thirty years ago, during which my entire immune and nervous system collapsed. I simply couldn’t take in any sensory information that was at all agitated. Now, I’m a voracious music lover, but just about the only music I could listen to then was a compilation of Coltrane’s ballad playing, called The Gentle Side of John Coltrane. I don’t care if this set was a commercial endeavor that ignored huge swathes of his artistry, it’s what I wanted here.

“My One and Only Love” is a key track from Coltrane’s classic LP, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, in which he is joined by vocalist Hartman for a serene set of standards. It is considered a core title in any respectable jazz collection, so it is a bit surprising that it didn’t get more play in the celebratory essays. But I’m here to rectify that! Maybe the signature cut from the record is their version of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” But “My One and Only Love,” composed by Guy Wood and Robert Mellon, is my pick. This is one of my very favorite melodies, with the rising phase that opens it transmitting a yearning quality that is like a dart to the heart (to borrow Bruce Cockburn’s phrase). In fact, the opening is very similar to Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” which ‘Trane performed on the record he made with Duke. That performance is also exquisite. Here, ‘Trane is paired with the baritone Johnny Hartman, whose rich, dignified vocal style is a little “old fashioned,” harkening back to the golden age of the big bands. The project was actually initiated by Coltrane, who reached out to Hartman to join him for the record. Hartman was initially dubious, thinking Trane might be too “progressive” for them to be a good match. But after going to hear Coltrane perform at the club Birdland, Hartman became convinced that Coltrane really did know his way around a beautiful melody. He did indeed, and “My One and Only Love” is the proof.