Soultrane

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Soultrane
Studio album by John Coltrane

Publication
(s)

1958

Label (s) Prestige / OJC

Format (s)

LP, CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

5

running time

40:46

occupation

production

Bob Weinstock

Studio (s)

Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

chronology
Traneing In - John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio
(1958) 		Soultrane Settin 'the Pace
(1958)

Soultrane is a jazz album by John Coltrane that was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on February 7, 1958 and released through Prestige Records .

The album

In the short period from 1957 to 1958, when John Coltrane was under contract with the Prestige record label , he participated in a large number of record sessions, including around 15 under his own name, starting with the LP Dakar, recorded in March 1957, up to ( in July and December 1958) album Bahia . Among these numerous prestige albums, jazz critics Richard Cook and Brian Morton believe that Traneing In (PR 7123, recorded in August 1957) and Soultrane , which the saxophonist recorded with the Red Garland trio, with bassist Paul Chambers , stand out and the drummer Art Taylor belonged. Coltrane, Garland and Chambers were also members of the Miles Davis Sextet ( Milestones ) at the time.

Soultrane begins with the Tadd Dameron classic "Good Bait", which Coltrane had already played when he was with Dizzy Gillespie . After introducing the topic, the saxophonist starts with a longer solo in which he builds up his choruses in stages. This is followed by Red Garland's solo contribution; it follows Paul Chambers' bass solo in pizzicato style of playing. Before the theme returns, Coltrane and Art Taylor have a four-bar interplay.

John Coltrane emotionally emphasizes the ballad quality of the Billy Eckstine track "I Want to Talk About You" from the mid-1940s, which had rarely been played until then. Coltrane transforms Eckstine's romantic singing style onto the tenor saxophone. Garland's stretched solo playing and a plucked solo by Chambers also emphasize the romantic Blue mood of the title.

The Broadway standard "You Say You Care" was penned by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and, according to Ira Gitler (in the liner notes ), was played here for the first time in a jazz context. Coltrane impresses with the chord changes in the swinging piece in the middle tempo. Red Garland plays a fluid solo in the single notes style that is typical for him , followed by Paul Chambers' solo contribution until the theme returns.

Like Coltrane , guitarist Fred Lacey from Philadelphia dedicated the "Theme for Ernie" to saxophonist Ernie Henry , who had died suddenly in December 1957; Coltrane plays the piece without any major deviations from the melody, but fills it with a touch of melancholy and memory. Garland and Coltrane share the final chorus.

The album closes with Irving Berlin's composition “Russian Lullaby”. The Coltrane biographers Filtgen and Auserbauer are referring to the "ability of Coltrane to enter a large number of notes in rapid succession in one measure and thus to create tension." After a lovely opening by Garland, "Coltrane blows with a tremendous expressive sound."

Rating of the album

Richard Cook and Brian Morton, who awarded the album Soultrane with the second highest rating in their Penguin Guide to Jazz , see the album as an "excellent album" in the context of the recording conditions at Prestige Records . "I Want to Talk About You", first introduced into the Coltrane repertoire, became one of the saxophonist's preferred standards.

The titles

  • John Coltrane & Red Garland Trio - Soultrane (Prestige P 7142 / OJC-021)
  1. Good Bait ( Dameron / Basie ) 12:26
  2. I Want to Talk About You ( Billy Eckstine ) 11:10
  3. You Say You Care ( Styne / Robin ) 6:25
  4. Theme for Ernie ( Fred Lacey ) 5:03
  5. Russian Lullaby ( Irving Berlin ) 5:42

literature

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ The title refers to a composition by Tadd Dameron, which is not included on the album. This track, recorded with Coltrane in 1956, appeared on Dameron's album Mating Call Prestige PR 7070
  2. ↑ Around the time of these recordings the pianist had recorded other prestige albums with his trio as well as John Coltrane and the trumpeter Donald Byrd , such as Soul Junction or High Pressure .
  3. ↑ See Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 117.
  4. ↑ Styne and Robin wrote the title for the musical " Gentleman Prefers Blondes " from 1949, in which the title " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend " (later also known by Marilyn Monroe ) was sung.
  5. ↑ Fred Lacey worked a. a. In the mid-1940s on recordings by Lester Young .
  6. ↑ Information on the music of the album according to Ira Gitler, Liner Notes.
  7. ↑ Quoted from Filtgen / Auserbauer, p. 119.
  8. ↑ Cook and Morton address the limited rehearsal possibilities for the artists and the processing of well-known standard material. See Cook & Morton, p. 312.