Recorded in Atlantic Studios in the winter of 1960, Central Park West perfectly encapsulates a lazy meditative walk through Manhattan’s garden retreat. Coltrane’s saxophone slides sweetly through the accompaniment as if in birdsong, his melody a gentle caress on the ears. What strikes me most about Coltrane is his astounding musical intellect. This deceivingly simple song uses a modulatory cycle of ascending thirds – a technically complex structure that perfectly aids his poetic expression.
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