"Naima" ( ) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

composed by

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 history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

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 '' Afro Blue Impressions'' is an album of a performance by jazz musician John Coltrane that was recorded live in 1963. The album was originally released many years later, in 1977, on the Pablo label, as a double LP. Reception The AllMusic review ...

'' (1977), '' The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings'' (1997), and '' Blue World'' (2019). "Naima" has since become a

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 l ...

Structure

According to Coltrane, "The tune is built on suspended chords over an E

pedal tone Pedal tones (or pedals) are special low notes in the harmonic series of brass instruments. A pedal tone has the pitch of its harmonic series' fundamental tone. Its name comes from the foot pedal keyboard pedals of a pipe organ, which are used t ...

on the outside. On the inside – the channel – the chords are suspended over a B pedal tone." The composition, on that recording, is a slow, restrained melody, with a brief piano solo by

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of ...

Chord changes

Chord changes for "Naima": ‖: B–7/E‖ E–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E Gmaj7+5/E ‖ Amaj7/E:‖ ‖ Bmaj7/B‖ B79 ‖ Bmaj7/B ‖ B79‖ ‖ B-maj7/B‖ Bmaj7/B ‖ Amaj7/B ‖ Emaj711‖ ‖ B–7/E‖ E–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E Gmaj7+5/E ‖ Amaj7/E‖ Scale associations: ‖: E

Mixolydian Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic sca ...

, E

Dorian Dorian may refer to: Ancient Greece * Dorians, one of the main ethnic divisions of ancient Greeks * Doric Greek, or Dorian, the dialect spoken by the Dorians Art and entertainment Films * ''Dorian'' (film), the Canadian title of the 2004 film ' ...

, F Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor , A Lydian :‖ ‖ B Phrygian , B Dim. Scale (H-W) , B Phrygian , B Dim. Scale , ‖ B Alt. (B Mel. Minor) , B Phrygian , B Mixolydian , E Lydian ‖ ‖ E Mixolydian , E Dorian , F Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor , A Lydian ‖

Other versions

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– ''The Double Six of Paris: Swingin' Singin'' (1962) *

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– '' New View'' (1967) *

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– ''To You'' (1968) *

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– '' Four for Trane'' (1964) * Tom Scott – ''

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'' (1968) *

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– '' Echoes of a Friend'' (1972), ''

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'' (1978), '' Things Ain't What They Used to Be'' (1989), and other albums. *

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– ''Naima'' (live) (1973) * Jack Wilkins – ''Windows'' (1973) * John McLaughlin – '' Love Devotion Surrender'' (with

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, 1973), and ''

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'' (1995) *

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– '' Cosmic Funk'' (Flying Dutchman) (1974) * Arthur Blythe – '' In the Tradition'' (1979) and '' Blythe Byte'' (2001) *

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– ''Hot'' (1979) * David Grisman – '' Quintet '80'' (1980) *

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– ''Dedications to A.A. & J.C. – Max's Mood'' (1980) *

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– ''

Heart Is a Melody ''Heart is a Melody'' is a live album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders recorded in 1982 and released on the Theresa label.

'' (1983) * Skywalk – ''Silent Witness'' (1983) * David Liebman and

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– ''Double Edge'' (1985) * Steve Grossman – ''Love Is the Thing'' (1985) *

– '' Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane'' (1987) *

– ''

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

'' (1987) * Jamaaladeen Tacuma – ''

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'' (1988) *

Art Ensemble of Chicago The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...

– '' Dreaming of the Masters Suite'' (1991) *

– ''Crescent with Love'' (1992) *

Joey DeFrancesco Joey DeFrancesco (April 10, 1971August 25, 2022) was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist, and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, and recorded extensively as a sideman with such leading jazz perfo ...

– ''Reboppin'' (1992) *

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– ''Afro Blue'' (1993) *

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

– ''Remember Who You Are'' (MoJazz) (1993) * David Murray – '' Windward Passages'' (with

Dave Burrell Herman Davis "Dave" Burrell (born September 10, 1940) is an American jazz pianist. He has played with many jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown and David Murray. Biography Born in Middletown, Ohio, United Sta ...

, 1993) and '' Octet Plays Trane'' (2000) * James Carter – '' Conversin' with the Elders'' (with

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, 1996) * Thom Rotella – ''Platinum Melodies'' (1996) * Derek Trucks Band – '' The Derek Trucks Band'' (1997) *

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– ''

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'' (1997) * Sonny & Perley, ''East of the Sun'' (2000) *

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– 2000 compilation ''The Good Good'' (2000) *

Alex Bugnon Alex Bugnon (born October 10, 1958) is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland. He is a nephew of Donald Byrd. Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S. and ...

– ''As Promised'' (2000) *

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– ''Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane'' (2001) *

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Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of ...

, and

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– '' Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall'' (2002) * Vato Negro live quartet of Juan Alderete, Adrian Terrazas, Money Mark, and Cedric Bixler (2008) * Lionel Loueke – ''Karibu'' (2008) * Kindred Spirits Ensemble – ''Love Is Supreme'' (2009) * Aidan Baker – ''Passing Thru'' (2010) * Royce Campbell – ''Solo Trane'' (2010) *

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– in the video '' Modern Electric Bass'' *

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– '' Guitar Man'' (2011) * Scott Fields and Jeffrey Lependorf – ''everything is in the instructions'' (2013) * Paula Cole – ''Ballads'' (2017) *

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– ''Flipped II'' (2018) *

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with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble – '' Valve Bone Woe'' (2019)

Cultural references

* "Naima" is featured in a scene in the 2013 Polish movie ''

Ida Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy *Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid * International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing * Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a tech ...

'', in which the title character is intrigued by the jazz and its player. *

Kamau Brathwaite The Honourable Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Order of Barbados, CHB (; 11 May 1930 – 4 February 2020), was a Barbados, Barbadian poet and academic, widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon.Staff (2011)"Kamau Brathwai ...

's poem "Naima for John Coltrane" was included in the Poems on the Underground project.

References

{{Authority control 1959 compositions 1950s jazz standards Compositions by John Coltrane 1950s ballads Jazz compositions in B-flat minor