Review: John Coltrane - Meditations

John Coltrane's 'Meditations' is the strongest of his Pharoah Sanders collaborative sessions – standing as a more musical and easier to digest experience than the perhaps more famous, and certainly more daunting and out-there controversial 'Ascension' – even if oddly it has remained a slightly more 'off the radar' release.

Five pieces make up the dense tapestry of powerful spirituality and strongly resonating emotional music, with the combination of piano, bass, two saxes and two drums (courtesy of new addition to the group, Rashied Ali) creating an intensity that stretches from the start to the very end of the record.

For those familiar with 'Tranes music from '66 to '67, the sprawling live jam feel of his concerts is absent here, with nothing outstaying its welcome by going on five minutes more than is necessary, and everything feeling the right side of both tight and passionate. Also, Sanders here is arguably at his best, with his screams and wails (and screeches) fitting into the mix better than anywhere else. Here they form an enhanced and even somewhat logical part of the intended spiritual playing, whereas other later blasts from the man tended to push everything just that little too far.

The last official recorded performance by the great quartet, if an augmented one, Coltrane would never again play with McCoy Tyner or Elvin Jones, instead keeping bassist Jimmy Garrison, Sanders and Ali, and recruiting second wife Alice to fill in on the piano stool. Anyone interested in the later stage of 'Tranes musical career, or in his partnership with second tenorist Sanders, would do well to check out this fine offering, and certainly anyone willing to take the plunge into his more overtly spiritual phase would be well-recommended to start here.

****

Review: John Coltrane - Kulu Se Mama

'Kulu Se Mama' is a distinct and unique, though far from essential, entry in the John Coltrane canon. No-one's favourite 'Trane recording, its oddity status does however contribute greatly to its name, and to its charm.

Two very different settings - somewhat schizophrenically - make up the record, with the classic quartet of Coltrane, Tyner, Garrison and Jones taking up the bulk of the space. 'Vigil' is a duet of Coltrane's saxophone and Elvin Jones' drums, echoing the later 'Trane and Rashied Ali sessions that would later comprise the famous post-humously released 'Interstellar Space', while 'Welcome' is, somewhat surprisingly given the more aggressive and 'spiritual' playing of the time, one of the most lyrically beautiful pieces that the great man has ever laid down.

Though 'Welcome' is the clear highlight here however, it's the title track that gets the most notices. Bolstering the quartet with Donald Garrett on bass clarinet (and occasional second bass), Frank Buttler on second drums, and the very first appearance of fellow tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders on a Coltrane album, the songs composer Juno Lewis also adds various percussion and some very distinct chanting vocals to the mix. The result is a thick and heady brew, full of colour and spice, but one that doesn't successfully gel over its eighteen minutes. More a group jam effort than anything before it, it comes over as an easy-going groove session between friends, but one that at times can be both deep and full of African-focused rhythms, and at others sprawling and without co-ordination – sometimes wildly so.

Ultimately, it's a real mixed bag – comprising some of the final days of 'the classic quartet', and one fairly 'out-there' free jam heavy on rhythm and groove, though distracted by the in-reality quite jarring chants of Lewis. It's frequently absent status from the Impulse catalogue therefore isn't that surprising, but it isn't deserved either. There's some good music here, and highly enjoyable too, but the jam-like nature and rough mixed feel easily isn't for everyone and makes this one solely for the established Coltrane fan.

***

Review: John Coltrane - Stellar Regions

Of the many (too many?) stock-piled John Coltrane works that would later see the light of day after his shock early passing aged just forty years old, 'Stellar Regions' is without doubt the most important, and easily the most musical.

A complete session, recorded on the day of February 15th 1967, just five months before his death, Coltrane is here joined by wife Alice on the piano, long-time bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali, making this his very final quartet date – notably lacking the presence of, the alternately powerfully moving and infuriatingly cacophonous, Pharoah Sanders (depending on your own personal opinion of course).

Eight numbers make up the session, with only one ever appearing elsewhere ('Offering', having made up part of 'Expression'), making it an incredibly worthwhile 'kept in the vaults' piece of 'Trane history. Although having only appeared as late as 1995, one has to wonder why it took so long for Alice Coltrane to unveil it to the world – especially when the results are as consistently brilliant as they are here.

Intriguingly though, while the music is itself very good, it doesn't really show where exactly the saxophonist was planning on heading next - the tunes are strong and the band play fantastically but, partly because of the studio nature of the date (as opposed to the sometimes epic live free-for-alls) and other unknown factors, the pieces are somewhat briefer and more concise than one might expect. Indeed many will strongly wish the tunes would stretch out and tantalise us with the future-looking musical ideas more.

Some may point to Coltrane's then deteriorating health as a factor for this ‘simpler’ and more refined style, but this is easily refuted by the man's impressive and intense playing, some as strong and as explorative as any he had ever laid down. And although decidedly free, everything he plays here heads toward somewhere planned, distinctive and rewarding. If he really was ill at this stage in his final year, then you certainly can't hear it.

The most major release of John Coltrane's posthumous recordings, 'Stellar Regions' is a complete and musical set that perhaps would (and definitely should) have actually seen the light of day had Coltrane lived, rather than the mostly out-takes and unfinished material that made up the bulk of the 'new and exclusive' music that came out after 1967. An impressive set, any Coltrane fan would do well and in fact be wholly recommended, to seek it out, with even the more casual appreciator of his later more 'spiritual' affairs likely to be won over. 'Stellar Regions' is more than just a great session though, it is arguably John Coltrane's last great album, and Impulse and John Coltrane’s may fans would do well to treat it as such.

*****

Review: John Coltrane - Coltrane

'Coltrane', one of John Coltrane's first sessions for Impulse, is simultaneously one of the least well-known of the great saxophonists releases, and one of the most favourite amongst his fans. Eponymously titled and lacking any particular specific theme along the same lines as say the overt spirituality of 'A Love Supreme', the obvious romanticism of 'Ballads', or the large ensemble arrangements of 'Africa/Brass', means that it is often confined by many lazy first-timers as being 'just another' in Coltrane's admittedly vast discography. They're wrong.

To start things off, the album opens with a bona-fide classic, here in the form of 'Out Of This World'. At fourteen minutes it's clearly the intended centrepiece, and for those minutes it creates a spellbindingly hypnotic sound that boasts an intense and swirling tenor sax lead. So enamoured with this composition would 'Trane be, that he would throughout his career frequently choose it as a concert staple, sitting up there with other such pieces as 'Naima' and 'My Favorite Things'.

It though is not the only tune here - even if it is the most famous. 'Miles Mode' shows a satisfyingly harder sound to 'Trane's tenor playing, one that is evenly balanced by McCoy Tyner's shimmering crystal clear piano work, while 'Tunji' offers more complex eastern-sounding moves that subtly oozes just the right hint of menace. And for the fans of Coltrane's gentler more romantic side, 'Soul Eyes' more than hits the mark, while 'The Inchworm' showcases the lilting and yearning qualities of 'Trane's second trademark sound on the soprano saxophone.

Despite, and also because of, the wide ranging variety in styles in this session, it all adds up to make an incredibly satisfying listen, which purely on musical merit is enough to recommend this album. But on top of that, for trivia fans, this is the first solely 'classic quartet' recording of Coltrane, Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones; and that surely should make this somewhere near the top of anyone’s to-get Coltrane list.

*****

Review: John Coltrane - Interstellar Space

My beloved John Coltrane and one of his more experimental posthumous recordings - a very interesting free-form sax and drums duet recording.

'Interstellar Space' is one of many 'in the vault' recordings that initially went unreleased by Impulse records during John Coltrane's short life, but that slowly trickled into public consciousness in the years since. And although not released until 1974, seven years after Coltrane's passing, this is arguably one of the most famous, and certainly one of the most distinctive and intriguing, of the great mans posthumous recordings.

The distinction comes largely from the paired down musicianship on display here, featuring as it does just Coltrane, on tenor saxophone and occasional percussion, and Rashied Ali on drums. And despite the in theory limited options available to such a pairing, each of the four pieces here are full to bursting with ideas, aggressive fire and deep emotion. The near constant invention that comes from each player too is sure to surprise - easily defying any predetermined negative assumptions.

On the downside however, despite the often high emotive power delivered by these two virtuoso musicians, the music remains not so easily accessible. Part of this can be attributed to the often repetitive (and repetitively simple) structures of each piece - Coltrane leads with shimmering percussion and bells, Ali states the rhythm, Coltrane takes the melody, both men lock into a cohesive yet distinctly free movement - but also the fact remains that a duet of just sax and drums is ultimately destined to be limited. The effect of this is that by the time most listeners have heard the otherwise brilliant 'Mars' and 'Venus', and get to 'Jupiter' and 'Saturn', two decidedly stronger and superior pieces, the repetition would easily have set in, lessening the effect. Were each of these individually strong pieces placed in a different context, ie. as part of a break in a quartet session, then they would be surging powerful highlights, but together they instead just form a collection of moments rather than create a cohesive flow.

Throughout Ali is impeccable, but it is Coltrane who shows real chops, skill and true musical handling of his virtuoso playing, alternating between subtle quiet moments and then intense heated sections of unbeatable technique. And while he can clearly improvise without a bass, piano or guitar backing present, the missing instrumentation creates a very spare polarising sound. Both men are at the top of their game and the music they paint together is powerfully rousing, but ultimately too much of their sound is just that, too much. Coltrane fans will love this, as will any real admirer of the passion that can be stirred from music alone, but this is not to be an experience to be entered into lightly.

***

Review: John Coltrane - Om

I've listened to a lot of John Coltrane a lot of the time in the last 15 years. He produced a huge volume of work for someone whose solo career effectively ran for just a mere ten years, and played across so many different styles and changed his own sound so often and so suddenly that for many keeping up at the time was near impossible. Now with his entire recorded works easily available to any listener, nothing has changed, and his multiple different sounds can to many still be as alienating as they always had the potential to do. Case in point, my least favourite Coltrane, 'Om'...

Issued in 1965, Coltrane’s ‘Ascension’ was another stunning yet forceful, almost to the point of blunt trauma, innovation in his constantly accelerating career, that again gained solid critical notices – as well as for the nth time dividing fans who struggled to keep up. ‘Om’, recorded soon after in the same year, but suffering the fate of being delayed for release until a year after Coltrane’s death in ‘68, is more often than not set upon as being his worst album; an opinion which, even with the benefit of hindsight, is still very much agreed upon.

In truth, this negative opinion does stem from as much as being a genuinely lesser effort as it does from a poor comparison to the record (and records) that preceeded it, but it is not completely without its strengths. It does in truth fare very badly if taken with ‘Ascension’ as, despite the seemingly assault-like feeling of Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders on that recording, there were some incredible contributions from many fine musicians, including the classic quartet members McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, as well as the swaggeringly muscular playing of Indianapolis golden boy Freddie Hubbard.

Here though the majority of the seven-piece band is near-utterly buried in the cacophony of competing noise, with the usually excellent Jones and his much-touted polyrhythmic sound swamped, and Tyner disappointingly not given any real space to shine at all – save one tiny piercing moment of light that manages to shine through. Garrison too doesn’t really get any time to himself, and frankly he is so anonymous here, it could really be anyone playing bass.

Similarly guest bass clarinetist Donald Rafael Garrett is clearly no Eric Dolphy (who passed away a year earlier in 1964) and doesn’t really offer anything of note, and Joe Brazil’s flute gives the recording some interesting colour, but ultimately does very little. Sometimes ‘Trane himself manages to break out from the sonic wall of noise and deliver some occasionally strong themes that sound reminiscent of his earlier and more obviously spiritual work – easily denouncing the unsubstantiated rumours that JC and the band were on LSD when this was recorded - but ultimately far too little.

‘Om’ sounds like a combined and forced expression of energy, but with all the energy all at once and without any particular guiding voice to lead or focus the chaos. Aiming for passion and emotional yearning, there is some music of note here, but the flow is disjointed and too much of an attempt at being ‘spiritual and in the moment’ leads instead to merely loud and unguided.

True, it probably shouldn’t have been one of the first posthumous releases, especially given the sheer quality of some of the sessions that came out over the next thirty years, but it doesn’t deserve quite the critical roasting it usually receives. Yes it opens and reveals smaller charms over its mere thirty minutes, and with repeated listens, but it really is only for the truly dedicated ‘Trane-heads or anyone academically studying the development of free-jazz. For anyone but the cult few though, the best moment really is going to be the moment it ends.

Hell, even the artwork is terrible.

**

Review: John Coltrane - Ole

Time for another 'lesser-known' 'Trane effort. This is one of my absolute favourites. One more review of Coltrane after this, and one I distinctly do not like...

John Coltrane's time first at Atlantic and then with Impulse yielded a staggeringly impressive amount of recordings, not to mention the sheer quality of each. There was too a fair share of overlap in both his labels contracts too, meaning that when 'Ole' (also sometimes referred to as 'Ole Coltrane') hit the record stores, 'Trane's debut for Impulse, 'Africa/Brass', had in fact just been released the year before. Not though that this was any backwards-looking, vault-digging, barrel-scraping release - far from it in fact.

The double bass opening to the title track is a wonderfully atmospheric acoustic-funk before there was funk intro that quickly ushers in some highly rhythmic Spanish piano courtesy of the then still underrated McCoy Tyner, and it is these two instruments (although technically three, with bass duties handled by both Art Davis and Reggie Workman) that create the strong setting, with just a flavour of the similarly themed 'Sketches Of Spain' by former Coltrane employer Miles Davis.

Featuring some inspired improvisational work from second saxman and occasional flautist 'George Lane' (actually Eric Dolphy who was not officially credited, due to being on the Prestige label at the time) and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (who is credited, with thanks given to Blue Note), as well as some skilled bass work. It is though fully Tyner's moment, anchoring the whole piece with flair and soul, and then cutting loose for some of the very best soloing here and of his career.

Vibrant, complex and seductively rhythmic, the rest of the album has a lot to live up to following this epic eighteen-minute introduction. 'Dahomey Dance' then does not disappoint, except on pulling back on the more overt Spanish sound and allowing drummer Elvin Jones more room to show his considerable muscle, whereas 'Aisha' is a slow and wistful ballad that yearningly haunts from the speakers. More than just one of Tyner's very finest compositions, it is arguably one of, if not the, finest of the collaborations between Coltrane and Tyner. Hubbard and 'Lane' though both ensure that their time in the spotlight is not wasted.

Not perhaps one of John Coltrane’s most famous of albums, it is one of his most engaging and consistent listens that should at least be considered up there close to 'My Favourite Things' – certainly it's one of the easiest to sink into. And as a bonus, many newer editions now end with the original 'Ole' sessions out-take 'Original Untitled Ballad (To Her Ladyship)'. This is simply classic and out-standing music from ‘Trane.

*****

Review: John Coltrane - Ballads

I love John Coltrane. You'll probably tell this by the slew of reviews that will be posted up shortly. Here's one for the under-appreciated 'Ballads'.

John Coltrane is arguably one of the most famous and most influential jazz players, responsible for and at the forefront of some of the most important movements in the modern jazz world – his impeccable work with the Miles Davis Quintet, 'Kind Of Blue', 'Giant Steps', 'My Favourite Things', his so-called 'sheets of sound' approach to playing, his later spiritual work, and, as the ultimate divider, his complete immersion in the free and avant-garde world in his final few years.

As such there are a handful of works that sharply divide his fan-base, most obviously his later recordings which feature some heavy sounds indeed for some. Notably these come near hand-in-hand with 'Ascension' – it often attracting equal parts praise and criticism, for the 'spiritual' and 'impassioned' playing, and for the screeching blasts of fellow tenor Pharoah Sanders and the near cacophonous sound that can be generated by a band of between six and twelve players working in the 'free' idiom.

'Ballads' then gets the near-same level of criticism from some, but for the opposite reason. Still relatively fresh into his new contract with the still young Impulse Records (and returning from Europe to hostile critics dubbing him and friend Eric Dolphy ‘anti-jazz’), Coltrane recorded an album of slow-to-mid-tempo love songs. Subsequently many saw this as a compromise with the label in order to placate the critics who had complained of the overly-complicated playing, too many notes and far too much experimentation. Thus we get complaints of easy-listening, a 'one for the label, one for the artist' mentality, and even a session the man didn't want to make or participate in.

All this though simply just gets in the way of what is effectively one of John Coltrane's most easily enjoyable and certainly most accessible works. 'You Don't Know What Love Is', 'All Or Nothing At All' and 'It's Easy To Remember' are superbly handled here, with eight songs covered in total, a direct contrast to 'Trane's usual short number of considerably more lengthy numbers. Each is lushly caressed, with the saxophonist taking a more relaxed and subtle role, and instead allowing the great McCoy Tyner's piano to shine. And shine he does, with some gorgeous beauty revealing itself over some aching melodies and shimmering key work. Tyner plays very inwardly and, understanding the pull and allure of these classic tunes, even predictably - but excitingly and yearningly so.

True, it's the lighter and less aggressive side of 'Trane, but that doesn't have to be taken as a slight on the qualities of the music contained herein, offering us as it does the quieter and perhaps more obviously beautiful side of the man, and really showing what his quartet can do when in a more soft or subdued mood. Warmer and more instantly rewarding than some of his undoubtedly better, more 'classic' work, it would also form the basis of the more accessible Coltrane on Impulse, alongside the excellent collaborative effort with Duke Ellington and of course the classic 'John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman'. Beautiful, gorgeous and showcasing to winning effect another side of the legend, 'Ballads' is not quite an essential Coltrane entry, but it is a great one.

*****

Review: John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard & ...Again

This weekend has been one long John Coltrane mix playlist, and consequently a series of new reviews and some older re-edits. Some of my favourite listening has been with the live 'Trane releases, and so I've decided to post up a two-fer - 'Live At The Village Vanguard', and the later on '...Again'. Here goes.
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For four nights at the start of November in 1961, John Coltrane and his quartet famously played the Village Vanguard, with both some significant guest friends on stage, as well some decidedly unwelcome 'purist' critics in the audience. Aside from his usual group of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, alternating rhythm players Reggie Workman and Roy Haynes on bass and drums respectively also joined in, as did saxophonist and multi-reedsman Eric Dolphy, oboist Garvin Bushell and even famed oud man Ahmed Abdul-Malik. Together this grouping played something really quite special.

'Live At The Village Vanguard' then gives us three choice numbers from those four nights, with only nine different songs being played in various forms over the entirety of the bands short residency, and each of the band uniquely influencing the direction and sound of each piece. Indeed, the selected take on 'Spiritual', here as set opener, is impressive as much for its musical content as it is for its outstanding contributions from Bushell – a man who though never made a huge name for himself in the jazz field, worked with some of the fields greatest, including Fletcher Henderson, Gil Evans, Bunk Johnson, Fats Waller and Cab Calloway.

If anything though, the most notable presence here is that of oud Abdul-Malik (most famous perhaps for his tenure playing bass with Thelonious Monk, and with whom Abdul-Malik played in a quartet alongside Coltrane). Together they offer a distinct and strong middle-eastern sound that sits well with Coltrane's own leanings and stylings, and in fact shows another very different, and promising, potential future direction that the saxophonist might have taken, if given more time.

The big defining moment here however is the relatively stripped down ‘Chasin’ The Trane’ – so named by Coltrane’s engineer Rudy Van Gelder who literally had to chase ‘Trane around stage with a microphone due to his furious and highly mobile workout while playing. Effectively drawing battle-lines for critics and fans (not for the first time and certainly not for the last), here we have just bass and drums providing a steady pulse, with an intense blues blow-out from Coltrane that ultimately pushed boundaries a little too far for many tastes. ‘Chasin’’ lead to a series of near-damning reviews and articles, most of which Coltrane missed due to being out of the country and on tour in Europe. Upon returning he was stunned by what he read and heard and ultimately he and Eric Dolphy felt it necessary to reply to their critics in print. An undeniably powerful listen, it demands your attention, if only to hear what created such anger on its initial airing.

A nice live ‘sample’ document, at the time it surely served its purpose with aplomb, but it should however be noted that it has been easily supplanted by the four disc complete box set of all four sets recorded at the Vanguard. This set contains just a mere three tracks from an overall selection of twenty-two in total, and while many of those twenty-two are duplicate pieces, there is a huge difference in the way that they are played each and every time. The single disc then is the first port of call for the uninitiated, with the box set being there for those who want or crave more.

Impeccable music, with a strong spiritual and searching bent, its impact today may be somewhat less than it was in its original day, with 'Trane not for the last time splitting the critics, and even leading some notoriously to brand the album and its players as 'anti-jazz', but musically it has lost none of its power or charm, and along with 'Live At Birdland' should be heard at least once by any half-interested jazz fan.

*****

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After helping create a pantheon of greats that had released a 'Live At The Village Vanguard' album – Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans before him, and many more after - John Coltrane decided to repeat the success. This time though he decided to do it with his new 'free' quintet consisting of wife and pianist Alice Coltrane, long-timebassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Rashied Ali, and both the man himself and Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone.

However whereas 'Trane and his classic quartet of McCoy Tyner, Garrison and Elvin Jones had famously previously struck gold, with both the single LP, and the later released complete concerts, '...Again' is a justifiably much less famous, and much lesser, effort.

Like the earlier release there are only three track selections here (albeit one is effectively an elongated intro) but the numbers here are as usual extended ruminations on more familiar recordings, in this case two of Coltrane's most famous pieces – his signature take on Rodgers & Hammersteins 'My Favourite Things' and his own 'Naima'.

Despite the potentially enticing presence of these undisputable classic greats though, the resulting music is distinctly disappointing. The main man is passionate and plays with great feeling – indeed his playing on both numbers is arguably his best – but where he lends the necessary beauty to his gorgeous ballad, Sanders screeches and screams his way over the top in an effort to be emotional, and instead ruins everything else going on.

Not that there is that much going on; besides Coltrane's own excellent playing, and Sanders over-blowing, the rest of the band appear to be distinctly 'off'. You'd never guess these were to-be-envied professionals, unless you were told of their names and past achievements, with the three players largely just walking and lightly vamping behind the frontline and rarely stepping forward.

For 'Trane die-hards then, this is great, showcasing as it does his immense skill and feel for the music, but ultimately its release is a mistake of quite vast proportions, with the band sounding flat and uninspired, and most listeners will simply just wish that a quartet missing Sanders had played that night. Really, this is only one for the dedicated fan, and anyone else would do well to give it a miss entirely.

**