Central Park West is a jazz standard by American saxophonist John Coltrane. It first appeared on his 1964 studio album Coltrane's Sound.
Contents
Background
Central Park West was included in Coltrane's Sound, a studio album recorded at Atlantic Studios during the sessions for My Favorite Things. The album was assembled after Coltrane had stopped recording for the label and was under contract to Impulse! Records. Like Prestige and Blue Note Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s, Atlantic used unissued recordings and released them without either Coltrane's input or approval.
Composition
The song is a 10-bar form in B major that is played like a ballad.
Central Park West employs Coltrane changes. In the song, Coltrane divides the octave into four, producing an ascending cycle of minor thirds: B – D – F – Ab – B. He slightly alters the cycle’s order, so that it becomes B – D – Ab – F – B, which alternates the modulation between minor thirds and tritones.
Notable recordings
Pharoah Sanders in "Rejoice (1981)"
David Becker Tribune "Siberian Express"(1988)
Tommy Flanagan and J.R. Monterose in "...And a Little Pleasure (1989)"
Joe Lovano in "From The Soul (1992)"
Jimmy Bruno in "Burnin' (1994)'"
Everette Harp in "First Love (2009)"
Avishai Cohen in "Duende (2013)"
Glenn Zaleski in "Fellowship (2017)"
José James in "The Dreamer (10th Anniversary Edition) (2018)"
Tommy Flanagan in "Giant Steps (2018)"
Lakecia Benjamin and Jazzmeia Horn in "Pursuance : The Coltranes (2020)"
Jack DeJohnette in "Special Edition" on ECM Records (1980)