Mosura 1961

John Coltrane's quintet with Eric Dolphy was recorded extensively during their European tour in 1961, with many of the concerts evidently being broadcast and taped by private collectors. The music heard on this two-CD set was previously available from the now-defunct Mag(Luxe) label, containing both shows from Paris in 1961. The sound quality is better than average, though Elvin Jones' drums are the most prominent instrument, but the rest of the band can be heard. Coltrane tends to solo long, not always giving Dolphy and Tyner the room they deserve, though they are effective when featured…

Drugs and addictions defined most of Leo Parker's adult life, finally claiming it entirely in February of 1962 when he was only 36 years old. Only months earlier in 1961, in two sessions held on October 12 and October 20, Parker had played his heart out in what would have been his second album for Blue Note Records that year, and it had appeared that the baritone saxophonist was well on his way to a much deserved career comeback. The sessions, however, weren't released until almost 20 years later. Rollin' with Leo, presented here in remastered form, is a wonderful portrait of this unsung but brilliant player, whose huge, sad, but almost impossibly strong tone always felt like it carried the world on its shoulders…

After both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley left Miles Davis' quintet, he was caught in the web of seeking suitable replacements. It was a period of trial and error for him that nonetheless yielded some legendary recordings (Sketches of Spain, for one). One of those is Someday My Prince Will Come. The lineup is Davis, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and alternating drummers Jimmy Cobb and Philly Jo Jones. The saxophonist was Hank Mobley on all but two tracks. John Coltrane returns for the title track and "Teo." The set opens with the title, a lilting waltz that nonetheless gets an original treatment here, despite having been recorded by Dave Brubeck. Kelly is in keen form, playing a bit sprightlier than the tempo would allow, and slips flourishes in the high register inside the melody for an "elfin" feel. Davis waxes light and lyrical with his Harmon mute, playing glissando throughout. Mobley plays a strictly journeyman solo, and then Coltrane blows the pack away with a solo so deep inside the harmony it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else.

The fourth studio album from the Ventures, 1961's Colorful Ventures was the first in a long line of releases the band built around album title themes. Here the theme is colors, and so listeners get such songs as "Blue Moon," "Yellow Jacket," "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," and so on. Conceptual themes aside, the album featured more of the group's recognizable instrumental rock & roll, surf rock, and country twang.

John Coltrane's quintet with Eric Dolphy was recorded extensively during their European tour in 1961, with many of the concerts evidently being broadcast and taped by private collectors. The music heard on this two-CD set was previously available from the now-defunct Mag(Luxe) label, containing both shows from Paris in 1961. The sound quality is better than average, though Elvin Jones' drums are the most prominent instrument, but the rest of the band can be heard. Coltrane tends to solo long, not always giving Dolphy and Tyner the room they deserve, though they are effective when featured…