Naima
"Naima" is a ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. It first appeared on the album Giant Steps and is notable for its use of a variety of rich chords over a bass pedal. It is mainly made up of a slow, restrained melody, though there is also a brief piano solo by Tommy Flanagan
Coltrane recorded "Naima" many times. It appears on The Complete Copenhagen Concert, Live at the Village Vanguard Again!, Afro Blue Impressions, The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings, and Blue World. "Naima" has since become a jazz standard.Chord changes for "Naima":
‖: B–7/E | E–7 | Amaj7+5/E Gmaj7+5/E | Amaj7/E :‖
‖ Bmaj7/B | B79 | Bmaj7/B | B79 |
| B-maj7/B | Bmaj7/B | Amaj7/B | Emaj711 ‖
‖ B–7/E | E–7 | Amaj7+5/E Gmaj7+5/E | Amaj7/E ‖
Scale associations:
‖: E Mixolydian | E Dorian | F Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor | A Lydian :‖
‖ B Phrygian | B Dim. Scale | B Phrygian | B Dim. Scale |
| B Alt. | B Phrygian | B Mixolydian | E Lydian ‖
‖ E Mixolydian | E Dorian | F Mel. Minor, E Mel. Minor | A Lydian ‖Other versions
- Les Double Six – The Double Six of Paris: Swingin' Singin
- Archie Shepp – Four for Trane
- Tom Scott – Honeysuckle Breeze
- McCoy Tyner – Echoes of a Friend, The Greeting, Things Ain't What They Used to Be, and other albums.
- Cedar Walton – Naima
- Jack Wilkins – Windows
- John McLaughlin – Love Devotion Surrender, and After the Rain
- Lonnie Liston Smith – Cosmic Funk
- Arthur Blythe – In the Tradition and Blythe Byte
- Maynard Ferguson – Hot
- David Grisman – Quintet '80
- Skywalk – Silent Witness
- Jamaaladeen Tacuma – Jukebox
- Art Ensemble of Chicago – Dreaming of the Masters Suite
- Pharoah Sanders – Crescent with Love
- Joey DeFrancesco – Reboppin
- Lonnie Smith – Afro Blue
- Norman Connors – Remember Who You Are
- David Murray – Windward Passages and Octet Plays Trane
- James Carter – Conversin' with the Elders
- Thom Rotella – Platinum Melodies
- Derek Trucks Band – The Derek Trucks Band
- Victor Wooten – What Did He Say?
- 4hero – 2000 compilation The Good Good
- Alex Bugnon – As Promised
- Karrin Allyson – Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
- Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and Roy Hargrove –
- Vato Negro live quartet of Juan Alderete, Adrian Terrazas, Money Mark, and Cedric Bixler
- Lionel Loueke – Karibu
- Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Love Is Supreme
- Aidan Baker – Passing Thru
- Royce Campbell – Solo Trane
- Jaco Pastorius – in the video Modern Electric Bass
- George Benson – Guitar Man
- Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Love Is Supreme
- Paula Cole – Ballads
- Jesse Fischer – Flipped II
- Chrissie Hynde with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble - "Valve Bone Woe"
- featured the song on their album "," in a medley with Neil Young's ballad, "Don't Let it Bring You Down."
