The Heavyweight Champion is a box set that lives up to its title. Collecting all of John Coltrane's Atlantic recordings, including a fair number of unreleased takes as well as an entire disc of alternate tracks and studio chatter, the seven-disc box set documents a pivotal moment in Coltrane's career, as he was moving from hard bop and sweet standards to a more daring, experimental style of playing influenced by the avant-garde. Much of the music is hard bop (Giant Steps) or lushly melodic (My Favorite Things), but the latter discs show the saxophonist coming to terms with the more experimental movements in jazz. The scope of this music is, quite simply, breathtaking – not only was Coltrane developing at a rapid speed, but the resulting music encompasses nearly every element that made him a brilliant musician, and it is beautiful.
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.
While there have been several John Coltrane Atlantic years compilations, the 2017 single-disc anthology Trane: The Atlantic Collection is one of the most concise and useful introductions to the legendary saxophonist. Focusing on the years 1959 to 1961, Trane: The Atlantic Collection offers up a thumbnail sketch of Coltrane just as he entered the first truly individualistic stage of his career. Previously, he had primarily made his mark as a sideman with trumpeter Miles Davis, with whom he had just recorded the landmark Kind of Blue, when he signed with Atlantic. Backed by a formidable cadre of musicians, at times including pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones, Coltrane embarked on a creatively fruitful period in which he recorded some of his most influential original pieces…