Record Reviews

JOHN COLTRANE ~ A LOVE SUPREME: THE COMPLETE MASTERS (SUPER DELUXE EDITION) IMPULSE! 602547489470 (Barcode: 602547489470) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1964 - 1965 Released: 2015 This is the singular most important piece of music ever recorded. Everything else I or anybody else has to say about it is of secondary importance to be honest, so I´ll just stick to the facts and a few personal reflections. This version of the "A Love SupremeFind albums with this title" album is the second expansion of the original album released in 1965, which featured four tracks (called "Acknowledgment", "Resolution", "Pursuance" and "Psalm") recorded on December 9, 1964 by the legendary quartet led by American saxophonist / composer John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, which also included pianist McCoy TynerFind albums by this artist, bassist Jimmy GarrisonFind albums by this artist and drummer Elvin JonesFind albums by this artist. The 2002 Deluxe Edition added to the original album on the first CD a second CD comprising of "A Love Supreme" recorded live at Festival Mondial du Jazz Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, France on July 26, 1965, and also a couple of alternate takes from the quartet session recorded on December 9, 1964 and a couple of alternate takes from the sextet session with saxophonist Archie SheppFind albums by this artist and second bassist Art DavisFind albums by this artist, recorded on December 10, 1964, which attempted to record the same music but resulted in recording only six takes of "Acknowledgment". This 2015 Super Deluxe Edition is expanded to three CDs and includes in addition to all the tracks of the Deluxe Edition nine previously unreleased alternate takes, five of which originate from the quartet session and four from the sextet session. It also includes an informative little book with many photographs and handwritten remarks and musical notation by Coltrane, which is highly educational. God only knows if more recordings connected to these sessions will pop up in the future; experienced record collectors know very well to treat the word "complete" with extreme caution and disbelieve. In the meantime we are of course grateful to have access to this Godly music and enjoy it to the max. I have been listening to this music continuously from the day it was released, which is now over forty years in the past. I grew up with it, lived with it and now am getting old with it and never for a moment could I imagine it to be absent from the soundtrack of my life. In retrospect this music encompasses everything I consider essential in music: it has great melodies, it is mesmerizing from start to finish, it includes the entire Jazz tradition, from Ragtime to Free, it connects with Music from other Cultures, it is deeply spiritual and intellectual at the same time, and of course it is absolutely super-humanly performed. I often say that all music created after Coltrane, as good as it might be, and it often is insanely good, never really expanded the boundaries of music again. Coltrane was the Messenger, and he simply said it all. This does not mean of course that new music shouldn´t be made; of course not, it simply means that there is a scale of reference, which we can always apply to music, in order to properly appreciate and evaluate it. Side Note: Today is Valentine´s Day, so what could be more appropriate than "A Love Supreme"! But seriously, this is the 5,000th album review that I write for the "Soundtrack Of My Life" site, a number which probably does mean very little to most people but it encapsulates years of writing about music, an activity I love to be involved with more than anything else. Hopefully some people are also reading this…

Updated: 20/05/2018Posted: 14/02/2016

CD 3 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

JOHN COLTRANE / ERIC DOLPHY ~ EVENINGS AT THE VILLAGE GATE IMPULSE! 602455514189 (Barcode: 602455514189) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1961 Released: 2023 This is an archival live album by the American Jazz saxophonist / composer John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, recorded with his classic quartet, with pianist McCoy TynerFind albums by this artist, bassist Reggie WorkmanFind albums by this artist (or Art DavisFind albums by this artist) and drummer Elvin JonesFind albums by this artist, which is expanded here to a quintet with the addition of flautist / saxophonist Eric DolphyFind albums by this artist. The music, recorded in August 1961 during Coltrane’s residency at the NY Village Gate club, disappeared and then was rediscovered recently, offers five lengthy tracks, two of which are Coltrane originals, one is by Benny Carter composition, one is a traditional song and one is a standard. The music is everything one might expect from Coltrane, Dolphy and the rest of the team, full of absolutely stellar performances, with expanded soloing and brilliant dynamics, which sets the mold for early Free Jazz. In comparison to the music recorded by Coltrane at the Village Vanguard, just three months later, which would be way more Free oriented, the music herein is still pretty much melody based. The comparison clearly shows Coltrane’s rapid progression towards the Avant-Garde abstract and Improvised Music, which would engulf his personality in the last few years of his life. The sound quality of this material is very problematic and for music lovers, who are also obsessed with sound quality, most of what can be heard here will probably be very difficult to swallow. The sound is dominated by the boomy drums, which are way up in the mix, and the overall muddy sound, with the piano mostly inaudible and the saxophones sounding like recorded next door. But all things considered, this is John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy we are talking about, and every note recorded by them is Holy Grail as far as Jazz lovers are concerned, so sound quality aside, this is Godly music after all. Overall, this album is as important as every other live album by Coltrane with or without Dolphy, and despite problematic sound quality offers exhilarating early Free Jazz by the Masters of the genre. No matter how many live recordings by Coltrane will pop up in the future, they are all an ultimate Jazz experiences, especially since they are almost the last evidence of Jazz existing in the USA.

Updated: 08/07/2024Posted: 06/01/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend