Standards · 1961
Impressions chords & key
- Key
- D minor
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Up-tempo swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1961
“Impressions” is a jazz standard by John Coltrane from 1961. It is usually played in D minor as a up-tempo swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track and in 2 transcribed solos.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — D minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm11×24
- E♭m11×8
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Impressions" is a jazz standard composed by John Coltrane. Coltrane only recorded the composition during two studio dates—on June 20, 1962 and March 6, 1963. The 1962 recordings were released on the 2002 deluxe edition of the 1962 album Coltrane and elsewhere. The 1963 recordings were released on the 2018 posthumous album Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album. Coltrane recorded "Impressions" many times live, beginning with his 1961 engagement at the Village Vanguard. These performances produced the third track on the 1963 album of the same name, as well as two further renditions available on The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings. At least a dozen further live performances exist on various live albums up to 1965. Its chord sequence is identical to that of Miles Davis' "So What" (16 bars of D Dorian, 8 bars of E♭ Dorian, and 8 bars of D Dorian).
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Recorded on these albums
Transcribed solos on Impressions
| John Coltrane tenor saxophone | 293 BPM |
| John Coltrane tenor saxophone | 279 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- IMPRESSIONS JAMES P. JOHNSON · James P. Johnson · 1942 archive.org ↗
- Impressions Erroll Garner · Garner · 1949 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is Impressions in?
Impressions is usually played in D minor. For B♭ instruments that is E minor, for E♭ instruments B minor.
Who wrote Impressions?
Impressions was written by John Coltrane (1961).
What is the form of Impressions?
Impressions has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Impressions played?
The usual groove is Up-tempo swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 293 BPM and 279 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Impressions?
The opening bars are Dm11 | Dm11 | Dm11 | Dm11. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.