Kulu Se Mama [PA] [Digipak]

Performer: John Coltrane
Artist: Pharoah Sanders; Elvin Jones; McCoy Tyner; Juno Lewis
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone, jingle bells, percussion); Frank Butler (vocals, drums, percussion); Juno Lewis (vocals, hand drums, conch shell, percussion); Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone, kalimba, percussion); Donald Rafael Garrett (bass clarinet, bass, percussion); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producers: John Coltrane, Bob Thiele. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 10 & 16, 1965 and at Western Recorders, Los Angeles, California on October 14, 1965. Personnel: John Coltrane (saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion); Juno Lewis (vocals, conch shell, percussion); Donald Rafael Garrett (bass clarinet, upright bass, percussion); Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone, kalimba); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (upright bass); Frank Butler (drums, percussion); Elvin Jones (drums). KULU SE MAMA is a somewhat neglected LP recorded by John Coltrane in 1965 during a key transitional stage in his career. Two of the album's three lengthy tracks ("Vigil" and "Welcome") feature the legendary saxophonist with his classic quartet (including bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Elvin Jones, and pianist McCoy Tyner). And these pieces have the open, exploratory, modal feel familiar to fans of Coltrane's A LOVE SUPREME period. "Kulu Se Mama" itself features an expanded line-up that includes saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, drummer Frank Butler, bassist and bass clarinetist Donald Garrett, and percussionist/singer Juno Lewis (who wrote the piece), with an African feel that includes layered polyrhythms and chanted vocals.

Q (10/00, p.139) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Equal parts spiritual journey and confounding tunelessness.... he redefined what passed for both melody and musical structure..." Down Beat (12/00, p.94) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...The most magisterial of all Coltrane titles....the tenor saxophones of Coltrane and Sanders again pushing the limits of swing..."

Through both the force of his music and his personal character, saxophonist John Coltrane remains among the most influential jazz artists of all time. After a stint with the classic Miles Davis band of the late 1950s, the tenor titan embarked on a decade of staggering creativity. With the daunting GIANT STEPS, he exploded the possibilities of post-bop harmony; subsequently, he formed his "classic quartet" with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones--the ideal group for Coltrane's ever-expanding sonic vocabulary. As the '60s progressed, he also added the soprano sax to the mix and explored the use of modes, before finally moving on to the inspired free playing on records such as ASCENSION and INTERSTELLAR SPACE in his last years.

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