JOHN COLTRANE - Trane: The Atlantic Collection
Atlantic/Rhino 081227940751
Featuring tracks from the albums:
My Favourite Things - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 21, 24, 26, 1960
Coltrane Jazz - John Coltrane (tenor); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums)
Recorded October 1960
Giant Steps - John Coltrane (tenor); Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, Lex Humphries (drums)
Recorded 4/5 May & 2 December 1959
Coltrane's Sound - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 1960
Coltrane Plays the Blues - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 24, 1960
Just another John Coltrane compilation, or a timely reminder of the importance of one of the twentieth centuries greatest jazz innovators as we mark the 50th anniversary of his passing? If the truth be told, a bit of both but the importance of Coltrane's legacy cannot be overlooked and it is possible that newcomers to the saxophonist's work will gain enough of an insight to pursue further the music that Trane left behind for themselves..
The music on this single CD can give no more than a snapshot of the huge body of work that became so important to the saxophonist in the last years of his life, and that has provided inspiration to countless musicians during his lifetime and over the last half a century. Interestingly, it catches a period of time that straddles the end of Coltrane's tenure with Miles Davis and his first forays into leading his own permanent band. The Classic Quartet would follow shortly after the recordings for Atlantic, but the the albums recorded for the label do show the progression from sideman too a fully fledged leader committed to playing his music his way.
Interestingly, the music in this nine track CD only features music from just five albums of the saxophonist's Atlantic output, but this discerning selection does seem to capture the some of the best and most enduring (and forward thinking) music recorded for the imprint, that also gives a fairly clear way of indicating (hindsight is a wonderful thing) how Trane would look to move his music froward.
Almost inevitably the album opens opens with 'My Favourite Things' which would become a staple in Coltrane's repertoire until the end of his life, however rather than include the thrirteen minute version on the orignal LP, here we are presented with the edited version that was released on single for airplay and juke boxes around the US,fading out at the beginning of McCoy Tyner's piano solo. Regarded as Coltrane's first major statement on soprano saxophone, Trane said at the time that he was not playing the instrument "with the fullness of tone" that he would have liked, and indeed this is substantiated with his playing on 'Central Park West' (that would appear on the album Coltrane's Sound)where he just plays the theme, but the tone seems much fuller and finely pitched than his solo on 'Favourite Things'; perhaps as he is not distracted by the intricacies of a solo statement on this still (to him) unfamiliar instrument.
After 'My Favourite Things', the most important tracks are from the Giant Steps album recorded the previous year, and this compilation features no less than three cuts from the sessions, the title track and the equally blistering 'Cousin Mary' and the ballad being being taken care of by 'Naima'. The uptempo pieces show Coltrane's thinking away from his duties with Miles Davis, and the saxophonist's fascination with harmony and chords, packing as much as humanly possible into each passing chord before moving onto the next.
The remainder of the tracks are taken from two albums that can all to readily be overlooked in Coltrane's Sound and Plays The Blues, but with the passing of time show themselves as useful documents in tracing the saxophonist's transition from his coming out as a leader, and out from the shadow of his former boss to the ever searching and deeply exploratory playing that would ultimately lead to the classic A Love Supreme and the large scale Ascension, as well as experiments with two bass player drummers and multiple percussion, with Coltrane's playing jettisoning the use of chords and conventional harmony completely in search of that higher plane.
A snapshot this compilation maybe, but it certainly proves successful in sowing seeds for further discovery, or indeed revisiting some captivating performances from one of the giants , and arguably perhaps even the last, of jazz.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Atlantic/Rhino 081227940751
Featuring tracks from the albums:
My Favourite Things - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 21, 24, 26, 1960
Coltrane Jazz - John Coltrane (tenor); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums)
Recorded October 1960
Giant Steps - John Coltrane (tenor); Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, Lex Humphries (drums)
Recorded 4/5 May & 2 December 1959
Coltrane's Sound - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 1960
Coltrane Plays the Blues - John Coltrane (tenor & soprano); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass) Elvin Jones (drums)
Recorded October 24, 1960
Just another John Coltrane compilation, or a timely reminder of the importance of one of the twentieth centuries greatest jazz innovators as we mark the 50th anniversary of his passing? If the truth be told, a bit of both but the importance of Coltrane's legacy cannot be overlooked and it is possible that newcomers to the saxophonist's work will gain enough of an insight to pursue further the music that Trane left behind for themselves..
The music on this single CD can give no more than a snapshot of the huge body of work that became so important to the saxophonist in the last years of his life, and that has provided inspiration to countless musicians during his lifetime and over the last half a century. Interestingly, it catches a period of time that straddles the end of Coltrane's tenure with Miles Davis and his first forays into leading his own permanent band. The Classic Quartet would follow shortly after the recordings for Atlantic, but the the albums recorded for the label do show the progression from sideman too a fully fledged leader committed to playing his music his way.
Interestingly, the music in this nine track CD only features music from just five albums of the saxophonist's Atlantic output, but this discerning selection does seem to capture the some of the best and most enduring (and forward thinking) music recorded for the imprint, that also gives a fairly clear way of indicating (hindsight is a wonderful thing) how Trane would look to move his music froward.
Almost inevitably the album opens opens with 'My Favourite Things' which would become a staple in Coltrane's repertoire until the end of his life, however rather than include the thrirteen minute version on the orignal LP, here we are presented with the edited version that was released on single for airplay and juke boxes around the US,fading out at the beginning of McCoy Tyner's piano solo. Regarded as Coltrane's first major statement on soprano saxophone, Trane said at the time that he was not playing the instrument "with the fullness of tone" that he would have liked, and indeed this is substantiated with his playing on 'Central Park West' (that would appear on the album Coltrane's Sound)where he just plays the theme, but the tone seems much fuller and finely pitched than his solo on 'Favourite Things'; perhaps as he is not distracted by the intricacies of a solo statement on this still (to him) unfamiliar instrument.
After 'My Favourite Things', the most important tracks are from the Giant Steps album recorded the previous year, and this compilation features no less than three cuts from the sessions, the title track and the equally blistering 'Cousin Mary' and the ballad being being taken care of by 'Naima'. The uptempo pieces show Coltrane's thinking away from his duties with Miles Davis, and the saxophonist's fascination with harmony and chords, packing as much as humanly possible into each passing chord before moving onto the next.
The remainder of the tracks are taken from two albums that can all to readily be overlooked in Coltrane's Sound and Plays The Blues, but with the passing of time show themselves as useful documents in tracing the saxophonist's transition from his coming out as a leader, and out from the shadow of his former boss to the ever searching and deeply exploratory playing that would ultimately lead to the classic A Love Supreme and the large scale Ascension, as well as experiments with two bass player drummers and multiple percussion, with Coltrane's playing jettisoning the use of chords and conventional harmony completely in search of that higher plane.
A snapshot this compilation maybe, but it certainly proves successful in sowing seeds for further discovery, or indeed revisiting some captivating performances from one of the giants , and arguably perhaps even the last, of jazz.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
