John Coltrane First Trane CD

Digitally remastered using 20-bit technology by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios).

This Deluxe Edition of COLTRANE includes a bonus disc of previously unissued material.

McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums).

John Coltrane's albums, especially the ones he recorded in the 1960s, can usually be assessed as either groundbreaking or "ground holding" (that is, Coltrane would develop trails he'd previously blazed). COLTRANE (1962) may fall into the latter category, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying. Featuring the great saxophonist's legendary quartet (pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison), COLTRANE is packed with spectacular playing, especially on the lengthy, winding "Out of This World," the pulsing, Eastern-tinged "Tunji," and the hard bop-flavored "Miles' Mode."

Recorded one month after DAKAR, COLTRANE explores many similar directions, and again features the tenor saxophonist as part of a three-horn front line, albeit with baritone saxophone and a trumpeter. It also showcases Texan Red Garland on the first three cuts, while DAKAR pianist Mal Waldron is featured on the final three.

The rhythm team of Albert Heath and Paul Chambers gives COLTRANE a more centered rhythm feel than its predecessor, as the bass player's huge beat and elegant harmonic sense set the pace on both ballads and hard hard-driving swing pieces. Drummer Heath introduces "Bakal" with an African rhythm motif supported by bass and baritone counterpoint, as Coltrane and trumpeter Johnnie Splawn essay the chanting melody before breaking into a swinging bridge that is pure Max Roach-Clifford Brown in its steely articulation and sweet voicings. Garland's spacious, laid-back statement sets the stage for Coltrane's swaggering solo, in which he constructs long melodic refrains from splintered thematic scraps.

Again, Coltrane's balance of ruminative and expressive materials is a sign of his growing maturity as an improviser. "While My Lady Sleeps" is given a haunting treatment, sleepwalking between an Arabic-flavored vamp and a dancing two-beat release, while "Violets For Your Furs" is a classic, one of Coltrane's most sumptuous and tender performances. "Time Was" finds the tenor alone, strolling along with the rhythm section at a jaunty medium tempo, leading to some of Coltrane's most expressive, probing solos of the date, even as the stop-time devices of "Chronic Blues" mirror the laid-back intensity of "Blue Trane."

John Coltrane's Impulse years were the most prolific of his career. His classic quartet recorded volumes of material that dwarfed the output of Miles Davis' legendary group of the same period. This album from 1962, simply titled COLTRANE, is lesser known than works like A LOVE SUPREME or CRESCENT but holds many treasures nonetheless.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 11, June 19, 20 & 29 and September 18, 1962. Includes liner notes by Bob Thiele and Michael Cuscuna.

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey between April & September 1962. Includes liner notes by Carl Woideck and Rudy Van Gelder.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on May 31, 1957. Originally released on Prestige (7105). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler and Chris Albertson.

John Coltrane Quartet: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums).

Producer: Bob Thiele.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Personnel includes: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophone);

Reissue producers: Ken Druker and Bryan Koniarz.

Personnel: John Coltrane (saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (acoustic bass); Elvin Jones (drums).

Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Sahib Shahab (baritone saxophone); Johnnie Splawn (trumpet); Mal Waldron, Red Garland (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Al Heath (drums).





Alternative Press (3/03, p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Listen and marvel.."