The not so Gentle Side of John Coltrane?

[philodox]

So, I finally got some 'Trane and I am LOVING it!

I picked up John Coltrane - The Gentle Side of John Coltrane [impulse!]for $5 at Sunrise Records when I was there last. I've been meaning to check him out for a while since I was given a Miles Davis CD at the Head-Fi christmas gift exchange [thanks tyrion] and I bought a best of Thelonius Monk.

What can I say, it sounds beautifull. I'm really liking the vocal tracks with Johnny Hartman as well.

I was wondering if someone had any suggestions for a one or two other 'Trane recordings that would show his not so gentle side?

 

[MusicJunkie]

Check out A Love Supreme. Not his most gentle stuff to say the least but not as out there as some of his work. Its my favorite Coltrane album.

MJ

 

[Jahn]

I dunno, I think A Love Supreme is still pretty gentle, as is Blue Train.

When I want to get frantic, I turn on the Giant Steps album. Want to get out there for a truly epic squawk? Turn on the "My Favorite Things" album. Coltrane on soprano blowing the **** out of the Sound of Music is amazing. Outkast's last album sampled the whole damn song lol.

 

[VicAjax]

A Love Supreme is simply an amazing album... but for an equally amazing album that's more challenging (and consequently too often overlooked), there's no contest... Ascension.

sure, he conquered be-bop with Giant Steps and Blue Train, he helped invent hard-bop/post-bop with A Love Supreme... but.

Ascension is Coltrane's brilliant foray into free jazz. it's a dimension of his genius that's ignored by too many jazz listeners.



edit: actually, it's not just a foray into free jazz... pretty much everything after A Love Supreme ventures toward free jazz... Ascension is just the apex.

 

[Jahn]

If you equate not-gentle with free jazz, i recommend a mind-blow by getting "Free Jazz" by Ornette Coleman. That made my brain hurt in 11th grade. Alot.

 

[tanfenton]

Sun Ship: the classic quartet's finest statement. "Dearly Beloved" is achingly beautiful. Garrison and Jones's work near the end of the album on "Attaining" and "Ascent" is some of their personal best.

I cannot neglect to mention Kulu se Mama, Interstellar Space, or Meditiations. Along with Sun Ship and ALS, Meditations is among his very best. To me, the three Impulse! albums all rank far above Giant Steps, My Favorite Things, or the better stuff he did for Prestige ala Soultrane. The original Vanguard sessions are good but nowhere near this good. The kind of playing featured on the albums made from those recordings found its fullest expression, in my mind, in the session cut shortly before A Love Supreme and released as Crescent, another solid date.

Other Impulse! albums that are essential:
. Mingus's The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and Mingus x 5 (Charlie Mariano turns in truly inspired solos on both these records.)
. Freddie Hubbard's The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (Check out John Gilmore on "Bob's Place"!)
. Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth and More Blues and the Abstract Truth (As fine of an album as the "original" is, the later is unfairly neglected. They are conceptually quite distinct works. Roger Kellaway's solo on "Blues and the Abstract Truth" blows my mind every time.)
. Archie Shepp's Four for Trane
. Marion Brown's Three for Shepp
. Albert Ayler's Live in Greenwich Village (compiled as part of a complete two-disc package of his live recordings for the label) and Love Cry
. Pharoah Sanders' Karma
. Sam Rivers' Colors
. Dewey Redman's Ear of the Behearer

Oops! Did I say too much?

NGF

 

[philodox]

Wow guys, thanks!

That should keep me going for a while.

 

[tanfenton]

I rethought your initial post and decided Live in Seattle and Live in Japan are about as far away as is possible from the Ballads, "Hartman," and "Ellington" albums that are the meat of the "Gentle Side" collection. You might have to tie yourself down to get through them, but I thought you should at least be exposed to the titles. For after you have cut your teeth, you know...

NGF

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn If you equate not-gentle with free jazz, i recommend a mind-blow by getting "Free Jazz" by Ornette Coleman. That made my brain hurt in 11th grade. Alot.

since you mention Free Jazz... my all-time favorite free jazzman plays on that album: Eric Dolphy.

Ornette Coleman is the shiznit (a jazz term), but Dolphy is my king of free jazz. he plays flute, alto sax and bass clarinet.

check out Dolphy's magnum opus, Out to Lunch... it's a great introduction to free jazz in general... imminently listenable, and one of my favorite jazz albums of all time.

 

[saint.panda]

'John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard: The Master Takes' is one great, demanding Coltrane album. Amazon Link

 

[White Fox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Turn on the "My Favorite Things" album. Coltrane on soprano blowing the **** out of the Sound of Music is amazing. Outkast's last album sampled the whole damn song lol.

Did they really sample the whole song???

I ordered Quartet Plays, Sun Ship, and First Meditations. Transition was out of stock at Alldirect.com (man!). Can't wait!

 

[daycart1]

I agree that Sun Ship and Ascension are great for the "non-gentle" side. Also, my favorite: Transition (though this has some gentler stuff on the other tracks).

 

[White Fox]

Oh, I'm still building my Trane library, but my two favorites so far are: The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions & Giant Steps.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox So, I finally got some 'Trane and I am LOVING it! I was wondering if someone had any suggestions for a one or two other 'Trane recordings that would show his not so gentle side?

Philodox, people have made some good suggestions, I don't know how much mine will add, but I just wanted to expand a little on the many sides of coltrane. He did advance rapidly from ~1959 (Giant Steps era) until his death in 1967. But, along the way, there were different approaches to free jazz.

For example, saint.panda mentioned the Village Vanguard sessions. Even though it was still 1961, these were the first major Coltane-Dolphy concerts, and they are a landmark in the history of 20th century jazz. While more "gentle" than live in Japan or Seattle, in some ways, some of the jams are more out there in a melodic sense.

also, somebody mentioned "Interstellar Space" (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...0:18jyeau14xu7) which were duets he played with drums in 1967. At times aggressive, but at times also lyrical, these were unique tunes.

Otherwise, in general, most of both the quartet and larger ensemble work post 1965 was harsher sounding than the classic quartet period from 1961-1964.

I personally think you should listen to as much John Coltrane as you can. Don't limit yourself to only a couple more of his albums -- there were just so many good ones to chose from.

 

[AudioJunkie]

I am a big fan of John Coltrane.

If you want not so gentle stuff, check out the last 2 years of his life. He did a lot of free jazz then. Ascension is great, and definitely overlooked, though it is quite hard to get into. Interstellar Space is very stellar. Meditations is good and Live at the Village Vanguard Again. Live at Birdland is also a great live album.

BTW, I would also check out Alice Coltrane, she is fantastic.