SACD John Coltrane – Coltrane Jazz

Coltrane Jazz as a hybrid stereo SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series: Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound mastered it to DSD from the original master tape. All eight pieces play in one continuous sequence – Coltrane with his Miles Davis bandmates Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, plus a first glimpse of Tyner and Jones on “Village Blues”.

Two rhythm sections, one album

Coltrane Jazz appeared in 1961, but its music comes from two different phases. Seven tracks were recorded in November and December 1959 with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb – the rhythm section John Coltrane knew from Miles Davis’ band. The eighth, “Village Blues”, followed in October 1960 with McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis and Elvin Jones.

So the album brings familiar collaboration together with the start of something new. Coltrane plays tenor saxophone throughout; the change to listen for concerns the musicians around him: how does the piano answer a line, and how do bass and drums share out movement and stillness beneath it?

A nod to Sonny Rollins

“Like Sonny” names its inspiration in the title: Coltrane takes a turn of phrase he had heard Sonny Rollins play and develops it into a composition of his own. The trail leads to Rollins’ recording of “My Old Flame” on Jazz Contrasts – a small phrase, closely heard, turned into a personal reply.

Five Coltrane compositions sit alongside three standards: “Little Old Lady”, “My Shining Hour” and “I’ll Wait and Pray”. The familiar song forms give Wynton Kelly’s accompaniment an especially clear framework – listen for his brief interjections and for the way Coltrane unfolds longer thoughts over that flexible foundation.

Kelly’s trio and a glimpse of the future

Kelly, Chambers and Cobb shape most of the album, which makes “Village Blues” all the more fascinating: Tyner and Jones already point to the quartet that would define Coltrane’s coming years, although Steve Davis is still on bass. The change of personnel happens within one release, so the comparison is unusually direct.

“Harmonique” opens yet another door: Coltrane explores multiphonics on the saxophone, probing what his instrument can do. The experiment sits next to lyrical standards without the album drawing a hard line between them. Nesuhi Ertegun produced, with Tom Dowd and Phil Iehle on the engineering team – and Coltrane’s curiosity about melody, sound and conversation with his fellow musicians holds the whole programme together.

The Atlantic 75 hybrid stereo SACD

CAPA 062 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. According to the publisher, Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound mastered it to DSD from the original master tape. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the eight pieces of the original album, including “Village Blues” and “Harmonique”.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series

Also in another edition: Coltrane Jazz

More SACDs by John Coltrane: Giant Steps · My Favorite Things · Bags & Trane · Soultrane

Artist page: All titles by John Coltrane

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.

McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis and Elvin Jones play on “Village Blues”. Cedar Walton and Lex Humphries from the earlier “Like Sonny” session are not assigned to this album.