JOHN COLTRANE
SOULTRANE (1958)
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When this album was recorded in February of 1958, John Coltrane was still an up an coming young tenor. As a solo artist outside of Miles Davis' group he had recorded his classic album "Blue Train" the previous year and was still almost exactly a year from cutting his breakthrough album "Giant Steps", leaving this album in a bit of a historical middleground. While this is not one of his better known sessions, it has moments that display his genius, and hints of what is to come. The moment that shines brightest is 'Trane's tender take on Billy Eckstine's "I Want To Talk About You". Coltrane's tenor is tender and haunting, one of his all time great ballad performances. Supported on this session by the rock solid trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums, Coltrane is at ease with his sympathetic sidemen. Having recorded together several times, the familarity shows in their tight, cohesive performances. The mood of the tracks is generally laidback save for the uptempo "You Say You Care", and when Coltrane puts on a furious display of his "sheets of sound" approach on the cd's final track, "Russian Lullaby". This is an album that features Coltrane coming into his own during a crucial phase of his career, and is a classic. Recommended.
1. Good Bait
2. I Want to Talk About You
3. You Say You Care
4. Theme for Ernie
5. Russian Lullaby
2. I Want to Talk About You
3. You Say You Care
4. Theme for Ernie
5. Russian Lullaby
1 comment:
Thank you so much for this post. JC is widely blogged and admired by the world (rightly, of course ) but his early pre Giant Steps stuff is so often by-passed and yet so much of the unique mind and sound is all there for those who can be bothered to check it out
Been a jazzophile for years yet there is always some new discovery even in the old catalogue- my current rave is Ike Quebec 1961 Blue and Sentimental ( Thanks Zonadejazz ) well worth your readers checking out
Thanks again for all you do !
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