Locomotion is a hard bop jazz tune by John Coltrane, featured on his 1958 Blue Train album for Blue Note Records. The track appears on Blue Train, released January 1958 and recorded September 15, 1957 at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack, New Jersey studio. The album marks Coltrane's first masterwork as a Blue Note leader, with a spirited lineup including Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Locomotion is a blues riff tune in forty-four-bar form and features Coltrane's first full-gusto solo on the record. The music embodies hard bop and shows Coltrane moving toward his distinctive harmonic approach, while the ensemble interaction emphasizes collective expression. Blue Train remains a landmark in jazz history and the Locomotion track is often cited as one of Coltrane's essential early statements.
