John Coltrane

In the spring of 1957, John Coltrane had gone through two years of artistic growth so concentrated it was astonishing even in the jazz world, where compressed musical development is far from unknown. As the other horn in the Miles Davis Quintet, Coltrane had moved from virtual obscurity to acclaim as the tenor saxophone innovator of the decade. Although major stylistic departures were to come, Coltrane was at a peak of the probing lyricism and strength of his middle period. With the interestingly contrasted baritone saxophonists Cecil Payne and Pepper Adams, and a rhythm section of great smoothness and swing, Dakar is a gem in the Coltrane discography.

Here is one of the musical giants of the 20th century, poised on the precipice of greatness. Between the spring of 1957 and the winter of 1958, during which time Lush Life was recorded, the music of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967) was developing in giant steps, thanks in great part to a six-month 1957 stint with Thelonious Monk that had much to do with sharpening Coltrane’s harmonic conception and torrential attack. Lush Life contains Coltrane’s first recordings as sole leader, his initial date fronting a pianoless trio, and one of his first extended readings of a ballad, Billy Strayhorn’s resplendent title track. We also hear him at the helm of a quartet and quintet, featuring pianist Red Garland, with trumpeter Donald Byrd added to “Lush Life.”

Classic Records has a format called HDAD. On one side, there is DVD-A content at 192kHz-24bit, and on the other there is DVD-V content at 96kHz-24bit. The DVD-A content is NOT WATERMARKED. It's a yummy situation!

Ascension is the single recording that placed John Coltrane firmly into the avant-garde.