John Coltrane Live At The Village Vanguard

John Coltrane's week at the Village Vanguard in 1961 resulted in a total of 22 recorded versions of nine songs, all of which have been released in the four-CD box The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings. This 1998 single CD has the five performances that the great saxophonist had agreed to have released during his lifetime: three numbers from the original Live at the Village Vanguard LP ("Spiritual," "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," and "Chasin' the Trane") and two songs that appeared on Impressions (the title cut and "India"). Although branded as "anti-jazz" by John S. Wilson (an attack that was seconded by Leonard Feather), the music is actually quite coherent and would even be thought of as moderately conservative today, particularly "Spiritual" and the boppish rendition of "Softly"…

John Coltrane - Live at The Village Vanguard Again! (1966) {Impulse! Japan, 32XD-598, Early Press}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 256 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 139 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 1987 Impulse! / MCA Records Japan | 32XD-598
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

Live at the Village Vanguard Again! is one of the more hotly contested albums in John Coltrane's catalog. Released less than a year before his death, the original recording showcased his new quintet with Alice Coltrane, piano; Pharoah Sanders, tenor saxophone; Jimmy Garrison, bass; and Rashied Ali, drums. Additional percussion on the date was provided by Emanuel Rahim. The three selections here are what survive from a much longer tape. Coltrane's signature ballad "Naima" opens the album and goes on for over 15 minutes. One of the most iconic tunes in his repertoire, the treatment it is given here is radical. While the melody is referenced in the beginning, Coltrane moves it aside fairly quickly to concentrate on improvisation.

John Coltrane - "Live" At The Village Vanguard (1961) {Impulse!–Verve Originals rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 285 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 146 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 2007 Impulse! / Verve / UMG | Verve Originals Series | 0602517486256 | LP AS-10
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Saxophone

The album newly remastered from the original master tapes. This set documents the four-night stand by John Coltrane (sax) and his quintet at the Village Vanguard in New York City, November 1 – 5, 1961. Although these are not newly discovered tapes – as the majority of the selections have turned up on no less than five separate releases – their restoration is significant in assessing motifs in Coltrane's [read: multi-show] live appearances. Coltrane is accompanied by an all-star ensemble of Eric Dolphy (alto sax/bass clarinet), Garvin Bushell (oboe/contrabassoon), Ahmed Abdul-Malik (oud), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Reggie Workman (bass), Elvin Jones (drums), and Roy Haynes (drums). Their presence is as equally vital as Coltrane's – inspiring as well as informing the dimensions of improvisation.

Charly's live John Coltrane recordings from '61, '63, and '65 reveal just how much the tenor and soprano saxophonist's playing changed in the first half of the decade: a sonic shift from aggressive tonality to unfettered exploration. While the 1965 disc, Live In Paris, does find Coltrane covering familiar song territory with "Naima," "Impressions," and "Afro Blue," it also shows him dismissing solo structure in favor of volcanic flights. The record features the saxophonist's classic quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison recorded at the Antibes festival and the Selel Pleyel in Paris; these concerts were not only part of Coltrane's last European tour, but would also mark the beginning of the end for the group (Tyner and Jones, traditionalists at heart, would soon depart in the face of their boss' increasing need for freedom, being replaced by Alice Coltrane and Rahsied Ali respectively)…

Limited edition 5-CD box set containing five classic, influential John Coltrane albums from his Impulse discography.
Each album newly remastered from the original master tapes.

Packaged together in this five-disc box set from Verve/Hip-O-Select, these titles represent the albums Impulse issued following John Coltrane's death in 1967, and remain some of the most controversial in his catalog (numerous critics thought – and many still do – that dubious choices were made in assembling them).