Blue Train [Expanded Edition] [Remaster]

Performer: John Coltrane
Artist: Lee Morgan; Pepper Adams; Curtis Fuller; Gene Ammons; Kenny Burrell; Kenny Drew; Donald Byrd; Philly Joe Jones; Red Garland; Mal Waldron; Art Taylor; Paul Chambers
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Producer: Alfred Lion; Michael Cuscuna (Reissue)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 15, 1957. Originally released on Blue Note (81577). Includes liner notes by Robert Levin and Bob Blumenthal. This Enhanced-CD version of BLUE TRAIN features audio tracks from BLUE TRAIN, interviews with jazz musicians (including Curtis Fuller, who played trombone on BLUE TRAIN), still pictures and video clips from the period, and a multimedia biography of Coltrane. Personnel includes: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); "Philly" Joe Jones (drums). Producer: Alfred Lion. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna. Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster. Personnel: John Coltrane (alto & tenor saxophones); Gene Ammons, Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jerome Richardson (flute); Tommy Flanagan, Red Garland, Mal Waldron (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Paul Chambers, George Joyner, Earl May (bass); Jimmy Cobb, Arthur Taylor (drums). Producer: Bob Weinstock. Compilation producer: Ed Michel. Recorded at the Ven Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey between August 16, 1957 and May 23, 1958. Includes liner notes by Stuart Kremsky. Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1996, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California). Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder. Liner Note Authors: Michael Cuscuna; Bob Blumenthal. Recording information: New York, NY (09/15/1957); Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ (09/15/1957). Photographer: Francis Wolff. With 1957's BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly, not only as individuals, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" ensembles would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly. Nineteen-year-old trumpeter Lee Morgan spins bop lines in a warm tone, belying his age with his extraordinary playing, while drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers keep BLUE TRAIN running with impressive agility. Two of Coltrane's compositions here, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird," contain the seeds of harmonic exploration to be found in his later work. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His unique tone could be warm and sweet or sharp and insistent, but is always amazingly expressive. Throughout this revered album, Coltrane packs more emotion into one phrase than most arists are capable of in a whole tune. Recorded in 1957, BLUE TRAIN is considered by the artist himself to be his finest work. In the mid-50's, Trane played with Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, and he used the experience to propel himself to new heights of improvisational hard bop. The elements that comprise BLUE TRAIN would come to influence every generation of musicians that followed. The bluesy title track kicks in with an extended Coltrane tenor sax solo. Four years later Coltrane would also adopt soprano sax into his fold. This leads into solos by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano and Paul Chambers brings it home on the bass. Philly Joe Jones keeps the beat impeccably throughout, with a slight shuffle. "Moment's Notice" quickens the pace and showcases Jones' more intricate drumming. "Locomotion" takes an almost rock 'n' roll pace with the sax and trumpet playing in perfect tandem. Coltrane then shows his diversity by taking it easy and delicate in "I'm Old Fashioned." "Lazy Bird" is an excellent mid tempo number that concludes the album. This compilation pulls together six long-ish numbers from six different releases dating from 1957 to 1958. The era was a particularly rich one for Coltrane, who had recently gotten off drugs and alcohol and played some legendary gigs with Thelonious Monk at New York's Five Spot. Trane was already well versed in the blues, and Monk had recently familiarized him with a fingering technique that enabled him to play polyphonically. Coltrane's genius as a soloist is evident on every track here. Surrounded by top-notch players, Trane plays with characteristic exuberance and spontaneity. The set begins with the stripped-down "Slowtrane," with just Trane's sax, the bass of Earl May and the drums of Arthur Taylor. "Traneing In" is augmented by the addition of pianist Red Garland and some nifty bass work by Paul Chambers, a preeminent player of the era. "The Real McCoy," on which Coltrane plays with an octet including two other saxophonists, is notable for featuring Coltrane on alto sax instead of tenor. The extended jam "Big Paul" is an homage to bassist Paul Chambers, written by Tommy Flanagan, whose piano sparkles on it. Although never formally signed, an oral agreement between John Coltrane and Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion was indeed honored on Blue Train -- Coltrane's only collection of sides as a principal artist for the venerable label. The disc is packed solid with sonic evidence of Coltrane's innate leadership abilities. He not only addresses the tunes at hand, but also simultaneously reinvents himself as a multifaceted interpreter of both hard bop as well as sensitive balladry -- touching upon all forms in between. The personnel on Blue Train is arguably as impressive as what they're playing. Joining Coltrane (tenor sax) are Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The triple horn arrangements incorporate an additional sonic density that remains a trademark unique to both this band and album. Of particular note is Fuller's even-toned trombone, which bops throughout the title track as well as the frenetic "Moments Notice." Other solos include Paul Chambers' subtly understated riffs on "Blue Train" as well as the high energy and impact from contributions by Lee Morgan and Kenny Drew during "Locomotion." The track likewise features some brief but vital contributions from Philly Joe Jones -- whose efforts throughout the record stand among his personal best. Of the five sides that comprise the original Blue Train, the Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer ballad "I'm Old Fashioned" is the only standard; in terms of unadulterated sentiment, this version is arguably untouchable. Fuller's rich tones and Drew's tastefully executed solos cleanly wrap around Jones' steadily languid rhythms. Without reservation, Blue Train can easily be considered in and among the most important and influential entries not only of John Coltrane's career, but of the entire genre of jazz music as well. [In 2003, an expanded edition of Blue Train was released, boasting marginally better sound than previous issues, plus the alternate takes issued on the 1997 version. It failed, however, to include another feature of the 1997 Ultimate Blue Train release, "At Least Listen," an interactive CD-ROM program featuring video clips and interview clips with Fuller circa 1995, as well as many brilliant photographs taken during the recording sessions.] ~ Lindsay Planer

Q (11/03, p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Coltrane's first significant release as a group leader still impresses with its uninhibited energy nearly 46 years on..." JazzTimes (9/97, p.87) - "THE ULTIMATE BLUE TRAIN...lives up to its name.... The sound is better than on the album's previous incarnations. Previously unreleased takes of `Lazy Bird' and the title tune significantly flesh out the record of this historic session..."

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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