John Coltrane wrote “26-2,” a jazz composition recorded in 1960 and first released a decade later by Atlantic Records on The Coltrane Legacy. The session features Coltrane with McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. On the recording, Coltrane states the melody first on tenor saxophone, then returns to it on soprano saxophone.
The tune is a contrafact of Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation,” retaining its underlying framework while replacing its harmony with the rapidly shifting progressions known as Coltrane Changes. This approach, also central to “Giant Steps,” makes “26-2” a demanding vehicle for improvisers, requiring clear navigation of frequent key-center movement. Coltrane also used contrafactual writing in “Countdown,” based on Miles Davis’s “Tune Up,” and “Satellite,” based on “How High the Moon.” Later recordings include versions by Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Ravi Coltrane, and the Jakob Dinesen and Kurt Rosenwinkel collaboration.
