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JOHN COLTRANE TRANE 90 ACROBAT MUSIC ACQCD7105

CD 1 Stablemates: Coltrane the Sideman

1. Stablemates The Miles Davis Quintet

2. Tranes’s Blues

3. Dear Old Stockholm

4. Well, You Needn’t

5. Monk’s Mood The Thelonious Monk Trio

6. Trinkle Tinkle The Thelonious Monk Quartet

7. Straight, No Chaser The Miles Davis Sextet

8. So What

9. On Green Dolphin Street The Miles Davis Quintet

   CD 2 Straight Street: Coltrane the Leader

1. Straight Street The John Coltrane Sextet

2. Moment’s Notice

3. Good Bait The John Coltrane Quartet

4. Giant Steps

5. Naima

6. Blues To Bechet

7. Africa The John Coltrane Quartet and Orchestra

8. Chasin’ The Trane The John Coltrane Trio

   CD 3 Just Friends: Coltrane Collaborations

1. Tenor Madness Sonny Rollins Quartet with John Coltrane

2. Bob’s Boys The Prestige All-Stars

3. Soultrane The Tadd Dameron Quartet

4. Two Bass Hit The Red Garland Quintet

5. Pristine The Art Blakey Quintet

6. West 42^nd Street The Wilbur Harden Quintet

7. Manhattan George Russell and His Orchestra

8. Just Friends The Cecil Taylor Quintet

9. Bags & Trane Milt Jackson and John Coltrane

10. Grand Central The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

    CD 4 Impressions: Coltrane broadcasts and private tapes

1. Birk’s Works The Dizzy Gillespie Septet

2. Don’t Blame Me Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra

3. Max Is Making Wax The Miles Davis Quintet

4. Tune Up

5. Bye Bye Blackbird

6. My Favourite Things The John Coltrane Quintet

7. Impressions

8. Body And Soul The John Coltrane Quartet

    

   John Coltrane (1926-1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Known as “Trane”, he first learned to played clarinet and alto saxophone, and later switched to tenor and soprano saxophone. His musical career spanned the bebop, modal and free jazz eras, from 1946 until his death from liver cancer in 1967. This 4-disc collection of John Coltrane’s jazz was compiled and released in 2016, the 90^th anniversary of his birth. The jazz standard On Green Dolphin Street was recorded live during a legendary concert in Stockholm, Sweden in March 1960 by the Miles Davis Quintet. This up-tempo version features a succession of solos, led by Miles melodically soaring on trumpet, Trane performing a lightning-fast modal exploration on tenor, Wynton Kelly following with a warm and bouncy stint on piano, and a creative bowed bass solo by Paul Chambers. Jimmy Cobb’s light touch on drums is steady and low-key throughout, allowing the others to take the spotlight. In October 1958 Trane joined avant-garde jazz pianist Cecil Taylor for their only collaboration, and performed Just Friends with the Cecil Taylor Quintet. The song was recorded by United Artists for the Hard Driving Jazz album. The band featured Cecil on piano, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, Chuck Israels on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and John Coltrane playing tenor. Cecil opens with a piano solo demonstrating his trademark exuberance (excluding fists and elbows), and Kenny and Trane end the tune with a lively brass duet. Naima was recorded by the John Coltrane Quartet in December 1959 in Atlantic Studios, New York City for his Giant Steps album. Along with Trane on tenor sax, the band had Wynton Kelly on piano, Jimmy Cobb on drums and Paul Chambers on bass. Trane composed the tune and named it for his first wife, Juanita Naima. Naima is a slow, thoughtful ballad, with beautiful piano and saxophone solos, rich chords over a bass pedal, and drums and bass played so softly they are barely noticeable. My Favourite Things was composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1959 Broadway show The Sound of Music. The John Coltrane Quintet performed the song at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island in July 1961, with pianist McCoy Tyner, basses Reggie Workman and Art Davis, drummer Elvin Jones, and Trane playing soprano saxophone. The song is performed as a rich, dynamic jazz waltz, highlighted first by a long piano solo with heavy block chords, and followed by a saxophone solo that improvises high above an extended 6/8 vamp by the rhythm section. This version lasts over 16 minutes; Trane’s later renditions of the song lasted up to twice as long.

   This is an excellent compilation and sampling of John Coltrane’s recordings. The sound quality is very good. A 48-page booklet is included, with detailed notes and photographs. Liner notes were prepared by Simon Spillett. This music was compiled by Acrobat Licensing Ltd.

   Bruce McCollum

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