Number 6 Fumbles

John Coltrane - Side Steps (2009) {5CD Box Set, Prestige PRS-31345 rec 1956-1958}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.27 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 915 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 3.19 Gb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-58, 2009 Prestige / Concord | PRS-31345 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

The artistic prowess of saxophonist John Coltrane was so expansive and influential - even in his own short lifetime, let alone in the decades since his death - that it's difficult to quantify or differentiate his significance as a leader, a collaborator, a sideman or any other role in the jazz idiom. What's certain, though, is that some of his most pivotal session work took place on the Prestige label in the 1950s.

The second installment in Sakari Oramo's superb hybrid SACD cycle of the symphonies of Carl Nielsen on BIS presents the Symphony No. 1 in G minor and the Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia espansiva," two ruggedly independent works that reflect the composer's late Romantic style yet point to the modernism to come. While the Symphony No. 1 was influenced by Brahms and offers a rich harmonic language, propulsive rhythms, and a fairly homogenous orchestral palette, the Symphony No. 3 is striking for its reliance on unfolding counterpoint and long-breathed lines, and most notable for the use of wordless parts for soprano and baritone voices in the pastoral slow movement. These performances by Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra are exceptional for their stunning power and spacious feeling, though the crisp details and focused sound quality will be the biggest draw for audiophiles.