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:<small>Tracks 1, 5, and 10 are originally from ''[[John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman]]'' (1963) <br />Tracks 2, 4, 6, and 11 are originally from ''[[Ballads (John Coltrane album)|Ballads]]'' (1962) <br />Tracks 3 and 8 are originally from ''[[Duke Ellington and John Coltrane]]'' (1962) <br />Track 7 is originally from ''[[Impressions (album)|Impressions]]'' (1963) <br />Track 9 is originally from ''[[Coltrane (Impulse! album)|Coltrane]]'' (1962)</small>
:<small>Tracks 1, 5, and 10 are originally from ''[[John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman]]'' (1963) <br />Tracks 2, 4, 6, and 11 are originally from ''[[Ballads (John Coltrane album)|Ballads]]'' (1962) <br />Tracks 3 and 8 are originally from ''[[Duke Ellington and John Coltrane]]'' (1962) <br />Track 7 is originally from ''[[Impressions (album)|Impressions]]'' (1963) <br />Track 9 is originally from ''[[Coltrane (Impulse! album)|Coltrane]]'' (1962)</small>


==Charts==
==Chart history==
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Revision as of 19:53, 16 August 2008

Untitled

Coltrane for Lovers is a posthumous compilation album by John Coltrane, released January 23, 2001 on Impulse! Records and distributed by Verve Records.[1][2] The recordings featured on the album were all recorded between December 1961 and April 1963 at engineer Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.[3] It is the first of several For Lovers compilations that Verve would later issue.[4]

As part of the Verve for Lovers series, Verve compiled 11 of Coltrane's romantic ballads recorded during his early years with Impulse! Records.[5] These recordings include collaborations with jazz vocalist Johnny Hartman and pianist Duke Ellington, while featuring back up from John Coltrane's classic quartet. The tracks were compiled by compilation producer Richard Seidel and later digitally remastered by engineer Allan Tucker at Foothill Digital, New York City.[1] Coltrane for Lovers was later compiled, along with other For Lovers titles, onto the box set The Complete Verve for Lovers Collection, released exclusively on Amazon.com on November 14, 2006.[6]

History

Background

Shortly before completing his contract with Atlantic in May of 1961, John Coltrane joined the newly formed Impulse! label, with whom the "Classic Quartet" would record. It is generally assumed that the clinching reason Coltrane signed with Impulse! was that it would enable him to work again with recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder,[7] who had taped his Prestige sessions, as well as Blue Train.[8] It was at Van Gelder's new studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey that Coltrane would record most of his records for the label, including the recordings featured on Coltrane for Lovers.[9]

During this period, critics were fiercely divided in their estimation of Coltrane, who had radically altered his style from bebop to the modal and free jazz styles featured on Coltrane, his first studio project for the Impulse! label. John Tynan of Down Beat magazine went so far as to call his playing "anti-jazz".[10] In the midst of this controversy, Coltrane decided to release his next three albums in order to improve the critical perception of him.[11] Coltrane's producer Bob Thiele acknowledged that the next three Coltrane albums to be released were to be recorded at his behest and as ballad-themed to quiet the critics of Coltrane's more diverse playing. When asked why he was recording ballads album, Coltrane responded, "Variety".[12]

Recordings

Ballads, recorded in late 1961 and 1962, was at first criticized as predictable and too simple after the aggressiveness Coltrane displayed on his previous recordings, but was later reevaluated favorably,[13] by some as a masterpiece.[14] On the next album, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Ellington "sat in" with the John Coltrane Quartet for a set dominated by the pianist's songs. Some performances had his usual sidemen, bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard, replacing Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in the group.[15] John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman found the "classic quartet" backing up the smooth torch singer on ballad standards. Rolling Stone later described the album as "....one of Coltrane’s least innovative records, but impeccably dignified and elegant"[11] and music critic Richard S. Ginell commented by saying that "....Coltrane’s eloquence and the warm, masculine baritone of Hartman can still break your heart".[16] Shortly after, Coltrane would return to a more experimental phase, releasing Impressions in 1963 and A Love Supreme in 1965, but it would be these recordings that would give John Coltrane a place in romantic jazz.[17]

Reception

Compiling eleven of the recordings from this period seen best fit for a romance-themed compilation, Coltrane for Lovers was issued by the Verve Music Group, the current distributing label of Impulse! Released in January of 2001, 33 years after Coltrane's death and nearly 40 years after the original recording dates, the album entered the Top Jazz Albums chart on February 10, 2001 and peaked at #5.[18] It remained on the chart for 83 weeks, until February 1, 2003, nearly two years after entering the chart.[2]

Upon release, Coltrane for Lovers was generally well-received by critics.[19] Music critic Alex Henderson of Allmusic.com described the album as "....an excellent collection that has no problem reminding us just how warm and expressive his ballad playing could be."[5] After discussing how Coltrane's ballad-playing has been undervalued in comparison to his more experimental recordings, in a December 21, 2001 article for The New York Times, writer Ben Ratliff wrote that, "This collection... presents all the argument you need."[19] Some, however, have criticized the album and Verve for repackaging Coltrane material for an unnecessary cash-in compilation.[1][20] In a 2007 interview for Esquire magazine, author and Coltrane biographer Ben Ratliff explained his view on the importance of Coltrane's music and balladry:

His work contains most of the well-known ideals of jazz.... If you’re interested in improvisation, this guy pushed improvisation to the wall. He was the best blues player of his time. He wrote and played incredible ballads. Record companies are still putting out compilations of Coltrane ballads called Coltrane for Lovers or whatever. You can poke fun at the idea, but if you ever listen to one, they’re indescribably beautiful.[21]

A similar compilation, entitled Plays for Lovers, was released by Prestige in 2003.[22] Another Verve compilation of Coltrane ballads, entitled More Coltrane for Lovers, followed in 2005.[23]

Track listing

All tracks have John Coltrane playing tenor saxophone.

Track Recorded Song Title Writer(s) Time
1. 3/07/63 My One and Only Love Guy Wood, Robert Mellin 4:57
2. 9/13/62 Too Young to Go Steady Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh 4:24
3. 9/26/62 In a Sentimental Mood Duke Ellington 4:18
4. 12/21/61 It's Easy to Remember Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart 2:50
5. 3/07/63 Dedicated to You Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, Hy Zaret 5:32
6. 9/13/62 You Don't Know What Love Is Gene DePaul, Don Raye 5:16
7. 4/29/63 After the Rain John Coltrane 4:13
8. 9/26/62 My Little Brown Book Billy Strayhorn 5:26
9. 6/19/62 Soul Eyes Mal Waldron 5:26
10. 3/07/63 They Say It's Wonderful Irving Berlin 5:22
11. 9/18/62 Nancy (With the Laughing Face) Jimmy Van Heusen, Phil Silvers 3:17
Tracks 1, 5, and 10 are originally from John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963)
Tracks 2, 4, 6, and 11 are originally from Ballads (1962)
Tracks 3 and 8 are originally from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (1962)
Track 7 is originally from Impressions (1963)
Track 9 is originally from Coltrane (1962)

Chart history

Title Year Information
Coltrane for Lovers 2001

Personnel

Musicians

Additional personnel

References

  • Al Young (2001). Coltrane for Lovers album liner notes. The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
  • Porter, Lewis (1999). John Coltrane: His Life and Music. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 047208643X.
  • Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. excerpt by Douglas Wolk. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Verve Music Group - Coltrane for Lovers". Verve Music Group. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  2. ^ a b c "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Coltrane for Lovers". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. ^ Al Young (2001). Coltrane for Lovers album liner notes. The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
  4. ^ "Verve Music Group - Series". Verve Music Group. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  5. ^ a b "Coltrane for Lovers > Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  6. ^ Amazon.com: The Complete Verve For Lovers Collection - Amazon.com Exclusive: Various Artists. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
  7. ^ Porter 1999, pp. 197-198.
  8. ^ "NEA Jazz Masters: RVG". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  9. ^ "John Coltrane Discography - session index". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  10. ^ "Down Beat - Coltrane and Dolphy answer critics". Maher Publications. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  11. ^ a b "John Coltrane biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  12. ^ "Coltrane - Ballads - Impulse!". Verve Music Group. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  13. ^ "Ballads > Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  14. ^ "AllAboutJazz.com - Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  15. ^ "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane > Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  16. ^ "Jazz Standards - My One and Only Love: CD Recommendations for This Tune". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  17. ^ Porter 1999, pp. 224-226.
  18. ^ "Coltrane for Lovers > Charts and Awards". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  19. ^ a b "Holiday Forecast: Cool to Sultry, and a Chance of CD Flurries; Compilations, Live Albums And Reissues - By BEN RATLIFF - Published: December 7, 2001". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  20. ^ "John Coltrane; Live Trane". Jazzitude, Marshall Bowden. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  21. ^ "John Coltrane Biography - Esquire". Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  22. ^ "John Coltrane > Discography > Compilations". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  23. ^ "Verve Music Group - More Coltrane for Lovers". Verve Music Group. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  24. ^ allmusic {{{ Coltrane for Lovers > Charts & Awards }}}. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.

External links


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