Coltrane Conquers Kmart

[mgraham333]

Coltrane Conquers Kmart

Maybe you've heard this jarring piece of music playing behind a Kmart Martha Stewart ad on TV.

It's not the usual junk that clutters our heads and makes you want to reach for an aspirin — or something stronger.

No, it's a short clip of John Coltrane's very famous 1960 recording of "My Favorite Things." From the album of the same name, this track features jazz greats pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the song for "The Sound of Music."

Coltrane plays a shivery soprano sax on the album cut, which is 13 minutes long. The commercial is about 30 seconds.

Coltrane died much too young at age 41 in 1967. His legacy lives on at the Coltrane Foundation, which is administered by his widow, Alice, and their 39-year-old son Ravi.

I called there yesterday and spoke to a staffer, who told me that Kmart had licensed the track from not only the publisher, but from them as well. Coltrane is now making money from the merchandising giant.

It's not like the foundation says "yes" to everything.

"Alice was approached by the Gap not too long ago," said her sister, Marilyn McLeod. "But she didn't like the commercial. This one she liked."

You might like to know that Alice Coltrane, a musician herself who was married to John in 1965 near the end of his life, has just released her first album in 27 years, "Translinear Light." It's full of Indian and spiritual influences.

That's our jazz lesson for today, kids. If you see Britney, Lindsay, Hilary, Haylie, Paris, Jessica or Ashlee, please give them a copy of it!

Source: FoxNews

[GregK]

previous discussion: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=15121

[BruceH]

Now if only Mobley could conquer Wal-Mart.