1960 composition by John Coltrane
"Naima" ( ny-EE-mə) 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.
Structure
According to Coltrane, "The tune is built ... on suspended chords over an E♭ pedal tone on the outside. On the inside – the channel – the chords are suspended over a B♭ pedal tone."[1] The composition, on that recording, is a slow, restrained melody, with a brief piano solo by Wynton Kelly.
Chord changes
Chord changes for "Naima":[2]
‖: B♭–7/E♭ ‖ E♭–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E♭ Gmaj7+5/E♭ ‖ A♭maj7/E♭ :‖
‖ Bmaj7/B♭ ‖ B♭7♭9 ‖ Bmaj7/B♭ ‖ B♭7♭9 ‖
‖ B-maj7/B♭ ‖ Bmaj7/B♭ ‖ A♭maj7/B♭ ‖ Emaj7♯11 ‖
‖ B♭–7/E♭ ‖ E♭–7 ‖ Amaj7+5/E♭ Gmaj7+5/E♭ ‖ A♭maj7/E♭ ‖
Scale associations:[3]
‖: E♭ Mixolydian | E♭ Dorian | 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 ‖
