JOHN COLTRANE

JOHN COLTRANE
ONE UP, ONE DOWN:
LIVE AT THE HALF NOTE (1965)
320 KBPS

As a Coltrane nut, I've had the legendary "One Down, One Up" on bootleg for years, and it's long been my single favorite Coltrane performance. And I'm very pleased with this purchase. The sound quality for all four tracks is much improved over the bootlegs, even if it doesn't match the 1961 Vanguard shows recorded by Impulse's Bob Thiele. There's an extended bass intro to One Up One Down that I hadn't heard, and even the complete radio announcements are historically interesting.
The dropouts that a few reviewers mention for the title track are really not a problem, if you can accept the fact that the master tapes aren't in pristine condition. There are no actual gaps in the performance, and the brief drops in volume were done well and aren't jarring.
As Coltrane collectors know, there are four radio broadcasts from the Half Note from 1965 widely traded as bootlegs. This package includes two of them, complete. I sure hope the Coltrane estate also has master-quality copies of the other two broadcasts.

Disc 1
1. Introduction And Announcements
2. One Down, One Up
3. Announcements
4. Afro-Blue

Disc 2
1. Introduction And Announcements
2. Song Of Praise
3. Announcements
4. My Favorite Things

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