The University of Melbourne, Australia; nfreer@student.unimelb.edu.au

POINTS OF TRANSITION IN JOHN COLTRANE’S HARMONIC PRACTICE 1957-1960; DECOUPLING AND REPURPOSING TELOS IN JAZZ HARMONIC ORGANISATION

Roman analysis has long been a convenient tool for interpreting jazz harmonic organisation. The analytical effectiveness of Roman numeral analysis, however, is contingent upon the adherence of a composition’s harmonic organisation to a diatonic frame. As tonality and harmonic organisation has evolved, the utility of applying Roman numeral analysis to jazz harmonic organisation has waned. Coltrane’s compositions “Moment’s Notice”, “Lazy Bird” and “Giant Steps” represent points of transition in jazz harmonic organisation, where an analyst must move beyond identifying surface level Roman numerals to a global consideration of harmonic organisation and teleological direction. Coltrane’s repurposing of the II-V progression through side-stepping enables a broader consideration of harmonic teleology in his compositions, including the migration of teleological mis-direction within his harmonic syntax.

Keywords: Teleology; John Coltrane; Roman numeral analysis; Lazy Bird; Moment’s Notice; Giant Steps.

Biography

Nicholas Freer is a guitarist/composer and PhD graduate of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. As a musician, he has toured extensively throughout Australia and performed internationally in 13 countries and presented at national and international conferences. In 2022, he received the Conservatorium Director’s Award for Exceptional Doctoral Research for his thesis titled Allan Holdsworth: Principles of Harmonic Organisation in Selected Compositions.