JOHN COLTRANE

JOHN COLTRANE
IMPRESSIONS (2000)
320 KBPS

One of John Coltrane's great LPs of the early '60s, Impressions might seem like a hodgepodge, with tracks from three different sessions in three different years. The two long tracks--"Impressions" and "India"--come from Coltrane's November 1961 stand at the Village Vanguard, and together they represent the poles of Coltrane's conception at the time. "Impressions," a personal variant of "So What" that Coltrane had long explored as a member of the Miles Davis quintet, is an uptempo tenor onslaught, a blistering, sustained exploration in which Coltrane and drummer Elvin Jones established new parameters for intensity and sheer physicality. "India," a variant on the earlier "Mr. Knight," has Coltrane's soprano and Eric Dolphy's bass clarinet keening over two pulsing basses, piano, and drums, pressing jazz toward hypnotic depths. Balancing those extraordinary live performances are more compact studio recordings. "Up 'Gainst the Wall," from 1962, is a tautly convoluted blues without piano. "After the Rain," a gorgeous original ballad, and "Dear Old Stockholm" come from a 1963 session when drummer Roy Haynes had temporarily replaced Elvin Jones. The material is also available on the definitive box sets, Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings and Classic Quartet--Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings, but for listeners not ready for those investments, this is a superb portrait of a multifaceted artist.

1. India
2. Up 'Gainst The Wall
3. Impressions
4. After The Rain
5. Dear Old Stockholm