John Coltrane The Impulse! Albums

John Coltrane - The Atlantic Years - In Mono (2016) {6CD Box Set Atlantic-Rhino 0081227946418}
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© 2016 Atlantic / Rhino / Warner | 0081227946418
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Post-Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

The superb 2016 six-disc John Coltrane box set The Atlantic Years: In Mono brings together most of the legendary jazz musician's Atlantic albums into one package, restored to their original mono sound. Beginning in 1959, Coltrane's Atlantic years were a transformative time for the saxophonist, during which he furthered his modal explorations and began incorporating aspects of the avant-garde, a vital combination that he would later bring to its pinnacle on his 1965 Impulse! classic, A Love Supreme. Included here are the landmark albums Giant Steps (1960), Bags & Trane (1959) with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, Olé Coltrane (1961) featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, Plays the Blues (1960), and Coltrane's collaboration with maverick pocket trumpeter Don Cherry, The Avant-Garde (1966). Also included is a 32-page book featuring photos by Lee Friedlander and liner notes by writer Ashley Kahn.

John Coltrane - The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions (1961) {2CD Set, Impulse! IMP 21682 rel 1995}
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© 1961, 1996 Impulse! / MCA Records / GRP Records | IMP 21682
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Experimental Big Band / Saxophone

Very unusual work by Coltrane – sessions that feature his classic quartet playing in front of larger orchestra backings conducted by Eric Dolphy! The tracks feature Trane leading a group young modernists through a set of larger arranged charts, woven tightly together in a soulful spiritual groove that's similar to some of Max Roach's projects like this from the same time. Players include Booker Little, Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman, and Julius Watkins – and this 2CD set features all of the material that was issued on the first album, plus other tracks that came out during the 70s. There's a total of 8 cuts in all – and titles include "Song Of The Underground Railroad", "Blues Minor", "Africa", "The Damned Don't Cry", and "Greensleeves".

John Coltrane - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (1961) {Impulse! Japan, 55XD-590~591, Early Press, 2CD}
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© 1961, 1987 Impulse! / MCA Records Japan | 55XD-590~591
Jazz / Modal Music / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

John Coltrane is undoubtedly in the upper echelon of elite jazz musicians, but deciding which album to listen to is complicated because his sound changed every week. Some groups exhaust a sound or just feel compelled to change direction, while some bands successfully keep the same sound for decades. The currency of Coltrane’s assessment is practically in days, not years. Was Coltrane content as a relentless explorer, or was he a tortured soul who constantly yearned for something else? In any case, choosing an album requires considering where it falls along his musical spectrum. The album The Other Village Vanguard Tapes was recorded in late 1961, when the improvising was very free and modal, but the rhythms had a strong pulse. It stands at the fifty yard line between his early outings and his later “out there” freer stuff.

John Coltrane - The Prestige Recordings (1956-58) [16CD BoxSet] {1991 Prestige Remaster}
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© 1991 Prestige / Fantasy | 16PCD-4405-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Jazz / Saxophone

The two and a half years represented in this mammoth collection made up a period of great activity and development for young John Coltrane. It was a time in which he worked in the Miles Davis Quintet, then joined Thelonious Monk for his historic Five Spot engagement, and then took his place in the legendary 1958 Miles Davis Sextet. It was a time in which he grew from a somewhat promising tenor player to a supernova about to burst upon the jazz world. It was also a span during which Trane traveled with great regularity to the original New Jersey location of the Rudy Van Gelder Studio, taking part in no less than 25 lengthy Prestige recording sessions.

Miles Davis with John Coltrane - The Complete Columbia Recordings (2000) {Vinyl, Mosaic MQ9-191 rec 1955-1961} (Out-Of-Print)
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© 1955-61, 2000 Columbia / Mosaic Records | MQ9-191
Jazz / Hard Bop / Cool / Bop / Jazz Blues / Modal Music

Some nine years after Miles Davis’ untimely death, Columbia Records is still repackaging his recorded legacy. The most recent efforts in this area have been made available both on compact disc and in 180-gram vinyl versions by way of Mosaic Records. It is the latter edition that this review is based on, though it should be noted that basically the only difference between the two sets, besides the presentation medium, is that Mosaic’s package is a 12 x 12 box with an album-sized booklet accompanying the records.

Born in Philadelphia on 11th December 1938, as a youth McCoy Tyner was encouraged to study piano by his mother and began lessons at age 13. Within two years music had become the focal point in his life and Tyner was playing on his neighbor's instrument, but his family soon invested in one of his own for the budding musician, following which he began hosting jam sessions at home. Among his friends were a number of other young musicians who would go on to make their mark in the field of jazz, including Lee Morgan, Archie Shepp, Bobby Timmons, Reggie Workman, and most notably, fellow pianist Bud Powell and his brother Richie. McCoy later said, Bud and Richie Powell moved into my neighborhood. Bud was a major influence on me during my early teens. He was very dynamic. Tyner later attended the West Philadelphia Music School and the Granoff School Of Music.

John Coltrane will have his recordings from 1963 collected in one 3CD set due for release as 1963: New Directions on Impulse! Records on 16 November, 2018.