Naima

{{Other uses}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Naima

| type = composition

| artist = John Coltrane

| album = Giant Steps

| released = {{Start date|1960}}

| recorded = May 1959

| studio =

| genre = Jazz

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=21}}

| label = Atlantic

| composer = John Coltrane

| producer = Nesuhi Ertegün

}}

"Naima" ({{IPAc-en|n|aɪ|'|iː|m|ə}} {{respell|ny|EE|mə}}) is a jazz ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. Coltrane first recorded it for his 1959 album Giant Steps, and it became one of his first well-known works.

History

Coltrane recorded "Naima" many times. It appears on The Complete Copenhagen Concert (1961), Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (1966), Afro Blue Impressions (1977), The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (1997), and Blue World (2019). "Naima" has since become a jazz standard.

Structure

According to Coltrane, "The tune is built {{nowrap| ... }} on suspended chords over an E{{Music|flat}} pedal tone on the outside. On the inside – the channel – the chords are suspended over a B{{Music|flat}} pedal tone." The composition, on that recording, is a slow, restrained melody, with a brief piano solo by Wynton Kelly.

=Chord changes=

Chord changes for "Naima":{{cite book|last=Aebersold|first=Jamey|title=Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long - Volume 27 - John Coltrane|year=1995|publisher=Jamey Aebersold Jazz Inc}}

‖: B{{music|b}}–7/E{{music|b}}{{spaces|4}}‖ E{{music|b}}–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E{{music|b}} Gmaj7+5/E{{music|b}} ‖ A{{music|b}}maj7/E{{music|b}}{{space|1}}:‖

‖ Bmaj7/B{{music|b}}{{space|3}}‖ B{{music|b}}7{{music|b}}9 ‖ Bmaj7/B{{music|b}} ‖ B{{music|b}}7{{music|b}}9{{space|6}}‖

‖ B-maj7/B{{music|b}}{{space|2}}‖ Bmaj7/B{{music|b}} ‖ A{{music|b}}maj7/B{{music|b}} ‖ Emaj7{{music|#}}11{{space|3}}‖

‖ B{{music|b}}–7/E{{music|b}}{{space|4}}‖ E{{music|b}}–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E{{music|b}} Gmaj7+5/E{{music|b}} ‖ A{{music|b}}maj7/E{{music|b}}{{space|2}}‖

Scale associations:{{cite book|last=Zisman|first=Michael|title=The Real Easy Book|date=2005-06-01|publisher=Sher Music Co|page=238}}

‖: E{{music|b}} Mixolydian | E{{music|b}} Dorian | F{{music|#}} Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor | A{{music|b}} Lydian :‖

‖ B{{music|b}} Phrygian | B{{music|b}} Dim. Scale (H-W) | B{{music|b}} Phrygian | B{{music|b}} Dim. Scale |

‖ B{{music|b}} Alt. (B Mel. Minor) | B{{music|b}} Phrygian | B{{music|b}} Mixolydian | E Lydian ‖

‖ E{{music|b}} Mixolydian | E{{music|b}} Dorian | F{{music|#}} Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor | A{{music|b}} Lydian ‖

Cultural references

  • "Naima" is featured in a scene in the 2013 Polish movie Ida, in which the title character is intrigued by the jazz and its player.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/soundtrack|title=Ida (2013) {{!}} Soundtracks|website=IMDb}}{{cite web|url=https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-ida-pawel-pawlikowski/|title=Review: Ida|first=Graham|last=Fuller|date=May–June 2014|website= Film at Lincoln Center|access-date=March 4, 2021}}
  • Kamau Brathwaite's poem "Naima for John Coltrane" was included in the Poems on the Underground project.{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/poems-on-the-underground|title=Poems on the Underground|website=Transport for London|access-date=March 4, 2021}}

References

{{Portal|Algeria}}

{{reflist|100em|refs=

{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=Bill |author-link1=Bill Cole (musician) |date=1976 |chapter= |chapter-url= |title=John Coltrane |url=https://archive.org/details/johncoltrane00cole/page/n3/mode/2up |url-access= |language=en-US |publisher=Schirmer Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing |access-date=April 12, 2021 |via=Internet Archive |postscript= }}{{space|1}}{{LCCN|7614289}}, {{ISBN|978-0-3068-1062-6}}, {{ISBN|0-0287-0660-9}} (hardback), {{ISBN|0-0287-0500-9}} (paperback), {{OCLC|680351269|show=all}}.

}}

{{John Coltrane}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1959 compositions

Category:1950s jazz standards

Category:Compositions by John Coltrane

Category:1950s ballads

Category:Jazz compositions in B-flat minor

Category:Real Book Song