Soul Eyes is a jazz ballad composed by Mal Waldron. It was first recorded on March 22, 1957 for the album Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors on the Prestige label. The tune is a 32-bar ABAC ballad in 4/4 time and has become a standard in the jazz repertoire. Waldron wrote the piece with John Coltrane in mind, admiring his sound and believing the melody would suit him. Coltrane’s 1962 recording on the album Coltrane helped bring the tune to wider attention. Since then, Soul Eyes has been recorded countless times and even exists in vocal versions, including Vanessa Rubin’s 1992 debut and Jeanne Lee’s 1997 Waldron album Soul Eyes; Kandace Springs later made it the title track of her 2016 debut.
