On Music and Soul: Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, LeRoi Jones' Black Music and Adorno's papers on Jazz

Abstract

In this review, we elaborate on the contrasts between Theodor W. Adorno’s philosophy of New Music and E. LeRoi Jones’ reports on the Avant-Garde of Jazz in Black Music. Whereas Adorno’s papers on jazz nowadays are considered at least inadequate to describe the post-war developments in jazz, and, according to some, rather refer to the German salon music of the Weimar Republic, an interesting key figure of the emancipation of jazz is found in John Coltrane’s music. In Coltrane’s version of My Favorite Things, an audaciously musical and conceptual link is found between the popular music of the Broadway musical, the avant-garde of jazz and a famous masterpiece of the Baroque era. Consequently, building upon a statement by Blaise Pascal, the notion of passion in music – in contrast with the notion of boredom - is analyzed in relation to the personality structure of gifted individuals, as described by Kazimierz Dąbrowski and followers.