Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard

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Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard
Live album by John Coltrane

Publication
(s)

1962

Label (s) Impulses!

Format (s)

LP, CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

5

running time

36:31 (LP), 63:02 (CD)

occupation

production

Bob Thiele

Studio (s)

Village Vanguard , New York City

chronology
Olé Coltrane
(1962) 		Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard Coltrane Plays the Blues
(1962)
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Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard is a jazz album by John Coltrane , recorded at New York's Village Vanguard jazz club on November 2nd and 3rd, 1961 and released on Impulse in 1962 ! Records . The complete recordings from November 1st to 5th were released in 1997 under the title The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings .

The album

While at Atlantic Records , most recently when taken in May 1961 album Olé , the "classic" John Coltrane quartet emerged, first with pianist McCoy Tyner , drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Reggie Workman , who then of Jimmy Garrison was replaced after who participated in the sessions in the Village Vanguard . At the same time, Coltrane worked with Eric Dolphy , who added the timbres of the bass clarinet and flute to Coltrane's regular quartet .

On October 24, 1961, the band arrived in New York City to perform at Club Village Vanguard for two weeks and record new tracks. Coltrane really wanted to record in a relaxed club atmosphere; “I like the club feeling, especially such an intimate atmosphere as the Village Vanguard”. He was particularly interested in communicating with the audience. In addition to John Coltrane and his quartet, Eric Dolphy and, on some appearances, Jimmy Garrison as second bassist, Ahmed Abdul-Malik on an unidentified instrument (possibly a tanpura ), the oboist Garvin Bushell , who is already in the middle of the Africa / Brass session 1961 had performed, as well as Roy Haynes on drums. John Coltrane explained the collaboration with Dolphy to the jazz critic Nat Hentoff , saying that they had discussed a lot about the possibilities of improvisation, about working with scales and technical questions. It makes sense for him to have Dolphy in the group; it is stimulating for him, said Coltrane.

The music of the album

The album's first track, Spiritual , is based on the actual Spiritual Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen and also contains work song elements. Coltrane probably took the unusual version of the melody from James Weldon Johnson's The Book of American Negro Spirituals , which he had in his library. He plays the tenor saxophone , accompanied by Eric Dolphy on the bass clarinet, which is sometimes used in contrapuntal. After McCoy Tyner's piano solo, Coltrane takes up the soprano saxophone for further improvisation and creates new timbres within the piece. Before that, Dolphy and Tyner had space for their solos. The piece ends with the subject by Coltrane and Dolphy. In an interview with Nat Hentoff for the original liner notes , Coltrane cited the swinging play of Elvin Jones, initially with the broom, only during Coltrane's solo with the sticks as the reason for recording the piece .

The only jazz standard , Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise , begins in mainstream fashion by the rhythm section; Coltrane's solo on the soprano saxophone dispels the cheerful mood.

Coltrane biographers Filtgen and Auserbauer described the album's last track, the 16-minute Chasin 'the Trane , which took up the entire B-side of the album, as its absolute increase; Coltrane blows "your soul out of your body in the truest sense of the word". Chasin 'the Trane was a spontaneous piece; Based on the blues scheme , Coltrane plays long solos - this time without piano accompaniment - and uses chains of melodies whose density creates a concentrated and contemplative mood. The whole thing is carried and driven by Elvin Jones, who, together with Reggie Workman, ensures that the music is accentuated.

Edition history

At the time of the start of the contract with Impulse! Records was still the producer Creed Taylor ; At the time of the Village Vanguard recordings, Bob Thiele took over this task at the young jazz label. It was planned to hold one evening of the concert series; But when Thiele heard the music, he decided to record four of the last five evenings; 22 different takes were made , even though there were only nine different titles, and then four versions of some were made. Coltrane and Thiele then spent some time in Rudy Van Gelder's studio and selected three tracks for the album Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard (Impulse AS-20), Spiritual from November 3rd, Softly As in a Morning Sunrise and Chasin 'the Trane from November 2nd. Over a year later, Coltrane selected other tracks for an album, combined with studio recordings from 1962/63, for the album Impressions (Impulse AS-42). Then the titles India and Impressions appeared from November 3rd. In 1977, more recordings of the concerts appeared on the double album The Other Village Vanguard Tapes and Tranes Modes (Impulse 9361-2).

Initially, the Village Vanguard recordings were released with unclear and incomplete cast details; the producer Michael Cuscuna listened to the re-release in 1997 together with Reggie Workman from all tapes again to assign cast and title accordingly. All titles of the appearances were then published in the Edition The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings 1997. In 1998, the titles of the original LP, coupled with the two other recordings that Coltrane himself had selected for publication, appeared on the CD Live in the Village Vanguard - The Master Takes .

The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

David A. Wild noted in the liner notes for the edition of the entire concert recordings from the Village Vanguard 1961 that Bob Thiele probably wanted to focus on Coltrane when making his first selection; The important contribution of Eric Dolphys to the concerts was initially neglected, which decisively corrects the complete edition. His bass clarinet playing can now be heard in titles such as Spiritual and Naima . His flute playing in the Coltrane band is not documented on these recordings.

Another key player was first-time bassist Jimmy Garrison , especially in Chasin 'the Trane , recorded on November 2nd . After Workman was still on the tour of the Coltrane band, which followed the performances at Village Vanguard, Garrison then became a regular bassist with Coltrane when Workman left the band in December. For the versions of his composition India , which are not included on the original LP, Coltrane added two more unusual voices in jazz: the oboe (and the contrabassoon in Spiritual ), played by Garvin Bushell and a tanpura , which Ahmed Abdul- Malik played and who gave the piece an oriental flair. It now contains the ballad Naima under the correct title; Coltrane had changed it for contractual reasons, reversing the melody.

The "regular" band members were John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones on the four evenings. Ahmed Abdul-Malik was added to the first recorded track India on November 1st , while Jimmy Garrison played bass for Workman at Impressions . At Brasilia pianist Tyner stopped. On the evening of November 2nd, Roy Haynes played drums for Jones in Chasin 'the Trane ; Tyner is out after a short game. For the following pieces India and Spiritual , oboist / bassoonist Garvin Bushell joins. After Softly As In A Morning Sunrise with the "regular" band, Garrison appeared in Chasin 'the Trane for Workman, which was played in a trio cast. Garrison also played in Impressions , here again with McCoy Tyner.

The impressions version from November 3rd was also recorded with Garrison; With the two bassists Garrison and Workman the Coltrane band played India and Miles' Mode that evening . At the Sunday concert on November 5, India was recorded again with an expanded line-up with two bassists, Malik and Bushell; Spiritual followed , with Bushell on the contrabassoon.

When asked why there were no recordings of the Saturday concert (November 4th), David A. Wild is of the opinion that producer Bob Thiele had gathered enough material for a release and wanted to avoid the noisy recording conditions on a Saturday evening. So there were only two additional recordings on Sunday, November 5th of India and Spiritual .

Village Vanguard editions in chronological order

  • 1962 - Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard (Impulse AS-10)
  • 1963 - Impressions (Impulse AS 42)
  • 1977 - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (2 LPs, AS 9325)
  • 1979 - Trane's Modes (Impulse IZ 9361)
  • 1985 - From the Original Master Tapes (CD, MCA MCAD 5541)
  • 1997 - The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (IMPS 232 NS 02)

Rating of the album

The Village Vanguard appearance in contemporary jazz criticism

In his essay on the complete edition of the concert recordings in 1997, David Wild reproduces the voices of contemporary jazz critics. The Swedish radio reporter Claes Dahlgren, who was one of the few critics to witness the concerts, later wrote in the Swedish music magazine Orkester Journalen . His negative verdict included comments about Coltrane's playing ("sounds like polka"); he was amazed at the performances, "as if they were some kind of fun". Another critical voice then came from the critic John Tynan, who wrote, "Go call me a reactionary, I became the object of a musical nonsense that took place in the name of jazz by Coltrane and his acolyte Dolphy." The article appeared in the Down -Beat issue dated November 21, 1961 while Coltrane was in Europe with his band, and sparked a controversial discussion and eventually led to the article John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy Answers the Jazz Critics on Down Beat on April 12, 1962. As a result of the discussions, Dolphy left the band in March; the next studio album for the Impulse! label, Coltrane (1962), was correspondingly more conservative.

Today's evaluation of the recordings

Richard Cook and Brian Morton, who in their The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave both the complete edition The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings and the newly released single CD Live in the Village Vanguard - The Master Takes with the highest grades, particularly highlight the title Chasin 'the Trane emerged. At that time he was a "physical shock"; “There was nothing like that in jazz at that time”. Coltrane's solo in Impressions was one of his most important in the course of his entire career. At that time Coltrane was one of the leading exponents of the modal "school" of improvisation. Chasin 'the Trane broke all convention, including length, that audiences could expect in the early 1960s. Even Brian Priestley raises the Rough Guide Jazz interpretations of Chasin 'the Trane and impressions out. Rolling Stone magazine voted the album at number 60 in its 2013 list of The 100 Best Jazz Albums .

The titles

Original LP Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard

  • Original LP Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard , 1962 (Impulse AS-10)
The Village Vanguard
  1. Spiritual - 13:47
  2. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise ( Sigmund Romberg , Oscar Hammerstein II ) - 6:36
  3. Chasin 'the Trane - 16:08

CD Live at the Village Vanguard - The Master Takes

  • New CD release Live in the Village Vanguard - The Mater Takes , 1998 (Impulse 051 251-2)
  1. Spiritual - 13:47
  2. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise - 6:36
  3. Chasin 'the Trane - 16:08
  4. India - 13:52
  5. Impressions - 14:40

The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

  • 4-CD edition of all recordings from the Village Vanguard concerts from 1961 (Impulse IMPD 4-232)
  1. India [#] - 10:20 (November 1, 1961)
  2. Chasin 'the Trane - 9:41 (November 1, 1961)
  3. Impressions - 8:42 (November 1st, 1961)
  4. Spiritual - 12:29 (November 1, 1961)
  5. Miles' Mode - 9:53 (November 1, 1961)
  6. Naima - 7:33 (November 1, 1961)
  7. Brazilia - 18:35 (November 1, 1961)
  8. Chasin 'Another Trane - 15:26 (Nov. 2, 1961)
  9. India - 13:14 (November 2, 1961)
  10. Spiritual - 1:31 pm (November 2, 1961)
  11. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise - 6:25 (November 2, 1961)
  12. Chasin 'the Trane - 3:55 PM (Nov 2nd 1961)
  13. Greensleeves - 6:08 (November 2, 1961)
  14. Impressions - 10:49 (November 2nd, 1961)
  15. Spiritual - 1:31 pm (November 3, 1961)
  16. Naima [#] - 7:02 (November 3, 1961)
  17. Impressions - 2:45 p.m. (November 3, 1961)
  18. India - 13:55 (November 3, 1961)
  19. Greensleeves - 4:51 (November 3, 1961)
  20. Miles' Mode [#] - 15:12 (November 3, 1961)
  21. India - 3:06 p.m. (November 5, 1961)
  22. Spiritual - 8:29 PM (November 5, 1961)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cit. according to Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 157.
  2. ↑ cit. according to the liner notes . The critical voices of the jazz press at the time, especially in the down beat , finally caused Dolphy to leave the Coltrane band in March 1962.
  3. ↑ Ben Ratliff : Coltrane - Siegeszug einer Sound , Hannibal (2008), p. 94 (Original Coltrane - The Story of a Sound , 2007, translator not mentioned)
  4. ↑ Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 158.
  5. ↑ D. Wild: liner notes .
  6. ↑ Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 158 f.
  7. ↑ Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 158 f.
  8. ↑ the title refers to Rudy Van Gelder's “hunt” for suitable material for release in album form. Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 139.
  9. ^ Cook / Morton, p. 316.
  10. ↑ Three Japanese CD releases linked the original LP with other recordings, such as the CD “Live” at the Village Vanguard 11-01-1961 (Impulse MVCI-23001, 1991) with the titles Chasin 'the Trane , Impressions , Spiritual , The Red Planet , Naima , Brasilia ; the CD “Live” at the Village Vanguard 11-02-1961 (Impulse MVCI-23002-3, 1991) the tracks Chasin 'Another Trane , Softly As In A Morning Sunrise , Chasin' the Trane , India , Spiritual , Greensleeves and Impressions ; the CD “Live” at the Village Vanguard 11-03 & 05-1961 (Impulse MVCI-23004-5, 1991) contains the tracks Spiritual , Impressions , India , Greensleeves , India and Spiritual .
  11. ↑ This is recorded in the live recordings of the European tour in My Favorite Things. David A. Wild, p. 23.
  12. ↑ The instrument was first labeled as an oud . wildmusic-jazz.com
  13. ↑ The original versions of Naima were created during his time at Atlantic Records ; Coltrane was obliged not to play it again anytime soon. Therefore the change and renaming in "Amain" took place, which was corrected again in the new edition; see. Wild.
  14. ↑ Wild, p. 35
  15. ↑ cit. after David A. Wild, p. 11.
  16. ↑ In Cook and Morton's opinion, the bassist in this piece is Jimmy Garrison, who has a more penetrating and percussive sound than Workman.
  17. ↑ Rolling Stone: The 100 Best Jazz Albums . Retrieved November 16, 2016.