Coltrane Jazz

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coltrane Jazz
Studio album by John Coltrane

Publication
(s)

February 1961

Label (s) Atlantic

Format (s)

LP, CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

8th

running time

38:19

occupation

production

Nesuhi Ertegün , Tom Dowd

Studio (s)

Atlantic Studios, New York City

chronology
Giant Steps
(1960)
Coltrane Jazz My Favorite Things
(1961)

Coltrane Jazz is a jazz album by John Coltrane . It was recorded in New York City on November 24, December 2, 1959, and October 21, 1960 , and released on Atlantic Records in February 1961 . Coltrane Jazz was the saxophonist's second release for the Atlantic label after Giant Steps .

The album

The LP Coltrane Jazz , created in two line-ups, continued the spirit of the previous album Giant Steps , released in January 1960 , on which Wynton Kelly , Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb also took part; at the same time, the line-up of the later “classic” John Coltrane Quartet from McCoy Tyner , Jimmy Garrison , whose place on bass still has Steve Davis here, and Elvin Jones are indicated. Most of the tracks released on Coltrane Jazz were recorded at the Naima session on December 2, 1959, or shortly before that, on November 24, supplemented by the Village Blues with McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis and Elvin Jones on October 21, 1960. In this week of October, the material for the following Atlantic albums My Favorite Things , Coltrane Plays the Blues and Coltrane's Sound was recorded.

The first track on the album, “Little Old Lady”, a rarely played track by Hoagy Carmichael , is stylistically reminiscent of Sonny Rollins . Coltrane first played with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones in the "Village Blues" recorded in October 1960. “ My Shining Hour ” is designed similarly to “Little Old Lady”.

According to Coltrane biographers Filtgen and Auserbauer, “Fifth House” (based on Tadd Dameron's Hot House ) is probably the most interesting track on the album from a harmonic point of view; “ Using an ostinate bass figure, Coltrane plays the oriental-sounding theme, to which he underlay his characteristic mediant harmonies in the B part . The theme is accompanied by an airy Latin rhythm, which gives way to a medium-paced theme during Coltrane's improvisation. "

In the following original composition "Harmonique" Coltrane used a "chord playing style that is created through a special finger technique and a very controlled approach"

"Like Sonny" is based on an improvisation by Sonny Rollins'; Paul Chambers' bass solo is remarkable. The following ballad "I'll Wait and Pray" was popularized by Sarah Vaughan . The last track "Some Other Blues" gets its title from the fact that Coltrane touches on the theme slightly " Now's the Time ", a blues by Charlie Parker , but then continues it in the typical Coltrane blues way of playing.

Rating of the album

The band reached their peak at that time with Coltrane's composition "Harmonique" with its melodic loops and playing in high registers, in which new musical directions suggest themselves, or with the twisting riffs of the title "Like Sonny," reminding one of Far Eastern music. dedicated to Sonny Rollins . The atmospheric "Village Blues" with McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Steve Davis on bass introduced Coltrane's classic quartet, which should become Coltrane's most influential band with the entry of Jimmy Garrison. Richard Cook and Brian Morton give the album the highest rating of four stars in their The Penguin Guide to Jazz .

The critic Richie Unterberger wrote about the album in Allmusic that although it was not the groundbreaking album like Giant Steps before , Coltrane Jazz had enabled its commercial income to solidify, which eventually allowed it to move towards the high points of the 1960s. In addition to the three standards, the performances of the album are above all Coltrane's original material, such as “Harmonique” with its melodic jumps and the winding, slightly Far Eastern riffs of “Like Sonny”.

Cover picture and editorial notes

The photo on the cover, a portrait of Coltrane, was taken by Lee Friedlander .

The album's release on Atlantic / Rhino in 2000 added four bonus tracks , alternate takes of "Like Sonny" and "I'll Wait and Pray," which were first released. The recordings appeared in the order in which they were made together with the alternate takes in the 6 CD edition The Heavyweight Champion- The Complete Atlantic Recordings .

The titles

  • John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (Atlantic Records - 1354/781344 / 1354-2 (CD))
  1. Little Old Lady ( Hoagy Carmichael / Stanley Adams ) 4:24
  2. Village Blues (J. Coltrane) 5:20
  3. My Shining Hour ( Johnny Mercer / Harold Arlen ) 4:50
  4. Fifth House (J. Coltrane) 4:38
  5. Harmonique (J. Coltrane) 4:10
  6. Like Sonny (J. Coltrane) 5:51
  7. I'll Wait and Pray ( Jerry Valentine / George Threadwell) 3:32
  8. Some Other Blues (J. Coltrane) 5:34

The sessions in chronological order

  • November 24, 1959 , Atlantic Studios, NYC with Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb.
  1. I'll wait and pray
  2. I'll Wait and Pray (alternate take)
  3. Little Old Lady
  • December 2, 1959 , Atlantic Studios, NYC with Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb.
  1. Like Sonny
  2. Harmonique
  3. My Shining Hour
  4. Naima (published on Giant Steps )
  5. Some other blues
  6. Fifth House
  • October 21, 1960 , Atlantic Studios, NYC with Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis (b), Elvin Jones
  1. Village blues
  2. Village Blues (alternate take)
  3. My Favorite Things

literature

Web links

Notes and individual references

  1. cit. according to Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 144.
  2. cf. Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 144 f. The authors mention that Coltrane was made aware of this technique by Thelonious Monk , which, as demonstrated in this piece, offers the possibility of playing two or even several voices.
  3. cf. Cook / Morton, p. 314.
  4. first published on the album Alternate Takes in 1975.