John Coltrane

Giant Steps is the fifth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane as leader, released in January 1960 on Atlantic Records. This was his first album as leader for his new label Atlantic Records. Many of its tracks have become practice templates for jazz saxophonists. In 2004, it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

John Coltrane recorded his performance at the Village Vanguard in May 1966, however only the three tracks on this album survived. Coltrane himself plays saxes, clarinet and flute, joined on the front line by Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone and flute, accompanied by Alice Coltrane's wife Alice on piano, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Rashied Ali and percussionist Emanuel Rahim.

The recordings made by John Coltrane and his band at the Village Vanguard over four nights in early November 1961 had to be divided up over two LPs at the time, collectively ranked by All About Jazz at number two on its list of the 10 best live jazz records. For these performances Coltrane expanded his usual lineup to include Eric Dolphy on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, which brought new possibilities to the front line and to the music performed during the four nights. Live At The Village Vanguard has gone on to become one of Coltrane's most successful releases.

Standard Coltrane consists of tracks recorded in 1958 but only released in 1962 to capitalize on Coltrane's growing popularity throughout the 60s. The material on the album consists of well known music from Broadway or films, mostly ballads, recorded with the bulk of the Miles Davis band of the day: Wilbur Harden on trumpet and flugelhorn, Red Garland on piano, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. This is a prime example of Coltrane in the middle of his signature "sheets of sound" period.

This is a prime example of an informal studio jam session in the critical period when John Coltrane was perfecting his 'sheets of sound' approach. The emerging tenor star is the focal point in a quintet filled with serendipitous connections. Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan, and Paul Chambers were at the forefront of an emerging generation of young Detroit modernists; Burrell, Coltrane, and Flanagan had proved their compatibility a year earlier on The Cats (OJC-079); and Jimmy Cobb was poised to become a regular partner of Coltrane and Chambers in the Miles Davis sextet. The tenor/guitar duet 'Why Was I Born?' is a unique gem in an album filled with assured and eloquent blowing.

"The Very Best Of John Coltrane" is a collection recordings of John Coltrane compiles from the archives of Bibliothèque nationale de France…

John Coltrane's "Live At The Half Note" on the Laserlight label is an excellent look at what is arguably jazz's greatest quartet - the "Classic Quartet" of Trane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones - in an intimate club setting. It is during performances like these, where Coltrane had the ability to stretch out and play at length, improvising and creating on the spur of the moment, that he further developed his signature, searching style.

In 1961, John Coltrane made his very first record for the Impulse label and signed, on this occasion, an album unique in his rich discography because it is the only one that the saxophonist has ever recorded with a big band: "Africa/Brass".

Live at Birdland is an album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in January 1964 by Impulse! Records. Despite its title, only the first three tracks were recorded live at the Birdland club; the rest are studio tracks.

Coltrane's groundbreaking Atlantic Records debut. This 1959 release became Trane's most influential album and helped bring jazz to the mainstream. Forty years after its release, it still remains one of the all-time great jazz albums. Features such jazz greats as Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Cobb and Art Taylor.