"Equinox" is a minor blues

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

by American jazz saxophone player and composer

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

. It was originally released on ''

Coltrane's Sound ''Coltrane's Sound'' is an album of music by the jazz musician and composer John Coltrane. It was released in 1964 through Atlantic Records. It was recorded at Atlantic Studios in 1960 during the sessions for '' My Favorite Things'', and was assem ...

'' played in C^# minor with a slow swing feel. However, it is usually played in C minor.

Name

Coltrane's wife Naima named the song "Equinox". Porter, Lewis liner notes, Heavyweight Champion, p. 184 The

equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...

occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun. Coltrane was born September 23, 1926, that year's autumn equinox. The release of "Equinox" was delayed until 1964, when Atlantic issued ''Coltrane's Sound''. Before Coltrane recorded the tune, he had performed it live, including a session with Miles Davis' rhythm section and the 1960 Monterey Jazz Festival. Other Atlantic recordings of "Equinox" were lost in a 1978 warehouse fire before they were released. Unlike "

Naima "Naima" ( ) 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 Co ...

" and " My Favorite Things", "Equinox" would not become part of Coltrane's repertoire. Coltrane's attitude in writing "Equinox" was described by Dr.

Lewis Porter Lewis Robert Porter (born May 14, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, author, and educator. Education and career Porter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but raised primarily in the Bronx in New York City. Porter decided at age 10 that ...

: "Coltrane was a serious blues player and his blues pieces reflect the desire to get back to a primal mood, and away from the emotionally lighter, harmonically more complicated and complex blues of the boppers." Porter, Lewis liner notes, Heavyweight Champion, p. 21

Original recording

"Equinox" is introduced by

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

(piano) and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

(drums) with a Latin rhythmic passage; this shifts into the slower tempo of the main theme. Coltrane then enters on tenor, his playing slow and pensive. The theme is repeated twice, after which Coltrane proceeds with an improvisation of unusual emotional depth - reminiscent of a preacher exhorting his congregation.

makes dramatic use of drum rolls and cymbal crashes throughout to maintain the sense of mystery, while

complements with a light feel.

Form and lead sheet

"Equinox" is a 12-bar minor blues with a 14-bar introduction. The head is played twice before and after the solos.

Cover versions

"Equinox" has been covered by: *

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) is an American guitarist and composer. His music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention as part of the band of Miles Davis; he ...

and

Joe Beck Joe Beck (July 29, 1945 – July 22, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who was active for over 40 years. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Beck moved to Manhattan in his teens, playing six nights a week in a trio setting, which gave him an opp ...

on album ''Tributaries'' (

Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus) was an American jazz record label run by Steve Backer. Backer worked at Impulse! Records until 1974, when Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, asked him to oversee the jazz division at Arista. ...

, 1979). * Gerald Wilson Orchestra on album '' Eternal Equinox'' (

Pacific Jazz Records Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles–based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-fou ...

, 1969). *

Rhoda Scott Rhoda Scott (born July 3, 1938) is an American soul jazz organist and singer. She is nicknamed "The Barefoot Lady". Biography and musical career Scott was born and raised in the Dorothy neighborhood of Weymouth Township, New Jersey, the first ...

on live recording ''Rhoda Scott - Live at the Olympia'' (1972). *

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist, piccoloist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop ...

on album ''

Wild Flower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, even ...

'' (1972). *

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

on album '' Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong'' (1987). *

Dave Valentin David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent. Life and career Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Mus ...

on album ''Primitive Passions'' (1996). *

Liquid Soul Liquid Soul is an American jazz, hip-hop, funk, Freestyle rap, freestyle fusion ensemble, formed in 1993 from Chicago, Illinois, which helped pioneer the acid jazz movement in the United States in the 1990s. Coined "Beyond Acid Jazz" by founder ...

on album ''

'' (1996). * Jessica Williams on album ''Equinox'' (2007). *

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

on album '' Slow Hole to China: Rare and Unreleased'' (2009). *

Ronnie Earl Ronnie Earl (born Ronald Horvath, March 10, 1953, Queens, New York, United States) is an American blues guitarist and music instructor. Earl who grew up collecting various music records, pursued a degree in special education and education at Bo ...

(guitar) on albums ''Still River'' (1993) and ''Just For Today'' (2013). *

Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born October 19, 1941) is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet. Early life, family and education Daniel ...

on album ''Nepenthe'' (GRP, 1990) *

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

on album ''Spirits'' (1994). *

Joel Ross Joel Ross may refer to: *Joel Ross (DJ) Joel Ross (born Joel Hogg 31 May 1977) is a British radio DJ and television presenter. He has worked with a co-host Jason King (Presenter), Jason King (known on-air as JK). He now presents ''The Hits Radi ...

on album ''nublues'' (2024)

References

{{John Coltrane 1964 compositions Compositions by John Coltrane Instrumentals 1960s jazz standards Jazz compositions in C-sharp minor Compositions in the Real Book