Minor Mishap is a jazz composition written by Tommy Flanagan. It was first recorded on April 18, 1957 by John Coltrane and The Cats—the group that included Flanagan, Idrees Sulieman, Kenny Burrell, Doug Watkins and Louis Hayes—at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The session helped birth the self-titled album John Coltrane & The Cats, released about two years later on Prestige’s New Jazz imprint; it was the only date that particular ensemble cut together, and Coltrane and Flanagan would later reunite on the 1960 album Giant Steps. The tune is a hard bop piece that features tight ensemble playing and inventive improvisation. The composition has a history of early releases and later reissues, including Pepper Adams issuing the first release in 1958, and Freddie Hubbard recording it in 1961, with the album appearing in 1966 as Groovy! and later reissued as Dedication! on Prestige.
