First Trane

Performer: John Coltrane
Artist: Mal Waldron; McCoy Tyner; Red Garland; Jimmy Garrison; Paul Chambers; Elvin Jones; Sahib Shihab; Albert Heath; Johnnie Splawn
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Sahib Shahab (baritone saxophone); Johnnie Splawn (trumpet); Mal Waldron, Red Garland (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Al Heath (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on May 31, 1957. Originally released on Prestige (7105). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler and Chris Albertson. John Coltrane Quartet: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 11, June 19, 20 & 29 and September 18, 1962. Includes liner notes by Bob Thiele and Michael Cuscuna. Digitally remastered using 20-bit technology by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios). This Deluxe Edition of COLTRANE includes a bonus disc of previously unissued material. Personnel includes: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producers: Ken Druker and Bryan Koniarz. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey between April & September 1962. Includes liner notes by Carl Woideck and Rudy Van Gelder. All tracks have been digitally remastered. John Coltrane's albums, especially the ones he recorded in the 1960s, can usually be assessed as either groundbreaking or "ground holding" (that is, Coltrane would develop trails he'd previously blazed). COLTRANE (1962) may fall into the latter category, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying. Featuring the great saxophonist's legendary quartet (pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison), COLTRANE is packed with spectacular playing, especially on the lengthy, winding "Out of This World," the pulsing, Eastern-tinged "Tunji," and the hard bop-flavored "Miles' Mode." Recorded one month after DAKAR, COLTRANE explores many similar directions, and again features the tenor saxophonist as part of a three-horn front line, albeit with baritone saxophone and a trumpeter. It also showcases Texan Red Garland on the first three cuts, while DAKAR pianist Mal Waldron is featured on the final three. The rhythm team of Albert Heath and Paul Chambers gives COLTRANE a more centered rhythm feel than its predecessor, as the bass player's huge beat and elegant harmonic sense set the pace on both ballads and hard hard-driving swing pieces. Drummer Heath introduces "Bakal" with an African rhythm motif supported by bass and baritone counterpoint, as Coltrane and trumpeter Johnnie Splawn essay the chanting melody before breaking into a swinging bridge that is pure Max Roach-Clifford Brown in its steely articulation and sweet voicings. Garland's spacious, laid-back statement sets the stage for Coltrane's swaggering solo, in which he constructs long melodic refrains from splintered thematic scraps. Again, Coltrane's balance of ruminative and expressive materials is a sign of his growing maturity as an improviser. "While My Lady Sleeps" is given a haunting treatment, sleepwalking between an Arabic-flavored vamp and a dancing two-beat release, while "Violets For Your Furs" is a classic, one of Coltrane's most sumptuous and tender performances. "Time Was" finds the tenor alone, strolling along with the rhythm section at a jaunty medium tempo, leading to some of Coltrane's most expressive, probing solos of the date, even as the stop-time devices of "Chronic Blues" mirror the laid-back intensity of "Blue Trane." John Coltrane's Impulse years were the most prolific of his career. His classic quartet recorded volumes of material that dwarfed the output of Miles Davis' legendary group of the same period. This album from 1962, simply titled COLTRANE, is lesser known than works like A LOVE SUPREME or CRESCENT but holds many treasures nonetheless. The epic first cut "Out Of This World" is a stand-alone masterpiece that would amount to an album's worth of output for nearly any other artist. Here Coltrane releases a tidal wave of emotion as he transcends the concept of musicmaking and opens his very soul through sound. His powerful tenor blows and wails over Elvin Jones' churning rhythms in a mesmerizing, spiritual dance. The delicate ballad "Soul Eyes" is a beautiful contrast before heading into the delightful bounce of "The Inch Worm." The moody "Tunji" and 'Trane's tribute to his former boss, "Miles Mode," provide more evidence of this group's legendary expressive abilities. Finally, the short bonus tracks "Big Nick" and "Up 'Gainst The Wall" are excellent performances but are not unlike trying cap a geyser. The power of this group cannot be contained by time.

Alternative Press (3/03, p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Listen and marvel.."

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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