FAVORITE 'TRANE
Posted by: Markus on 21 January 2002
Here then, to kick things off, are some of my favorites:
From the "Gentle Side of John Coltrane" album, Wise One and Lush Life
Exotica
Looking forward to your postings...
Markus
Not as important as some his other work but I love it!
Steve
Markus
Definately one of the best.
yes, i agree -- and i remember enthusing about this very record on the old forum.
enjoy
ken
It all depends on mood of course,but Alabama,one of the two studio tracks[recorded Nov'63]on Coltrane live at Birdland[IMPULSE]does it for me.
The music starts out calm,peaceful even,waning to a moment's silence mid way,sounding like the band have lost their way.Or maybe,it's a mark of respect for the four children killed at a black church in that state.Very moving.
Dave
[This message was edited by tmwinon on TUESDAY 22 January 2002 at 05:02.]
The Impulse Ballads and With Johnny Hartmann are good accessible introductions to the sometimes difficult music of late Trane and are effective romantic/seduction music.
The Miles/Coltrane live recordings at Stockholm were done when the quartet was just breaking up. It was one of the last things Trane did with Miles and contains some wonderful music. The original came out as a 2 record set on Dragon Records.
I believe it has been recently reissued on CD under an European (French?) label.
Hockman
I also really like 'Crescent', which I found took me longer to appreciate than the later 'A Love Supreme'. In retrospect I think that 'Crescent' is easier than 'A Love Supreme' but I was primed for ALS by the Santana/Mclaughlin version, which is a tune I love to play loud.
I must be lucky, my wife told me I could never play enough Coltrane, but she still doesn't like Frank Zappa ![]()
Peter
Giant Steps
Crescent
Blue Train
A Love Supreme
Coltrane (with Soul Eyes and Out of This World)
Live At the Village Vanguard
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001ZU3K/104-1140001-5715152
or
http://www.101cd.com/index.asp?s=&dept=&sctn=&action=search
At the lower part of the page there is a section for import albums theres a couple mentioned in there.
That's Great. I will buy it now. Thanks.
Steve [Stephenjohn]
John..
thimply the betht... playing "equinox" right now.
enjoy
ken
Actually Fred's list almost does it for me. Close anyway. My faves..
1) His pairing with Cannonball on KOB
2) Blue Train
3) A love supreme
4) Giant Steps
5) Live at the VV
6) Lush Life
7) Late Davis quintet+ stuff - just pre him leaving and the KOB session
I've recently picked up vinyl (just got a source) of Soultrane and the Columbia Miles & Coltrane. Deck being serviced... can't wait.
Jonathan
one that doesnt seem to appear much is 'afro blue'. there's an album (live at village gate?) with this track, a song by monga santamaria. and there's an album(stockholm live c. 61), with this name, with a 20+ minute, rather furious version of 'my favourite things'.
btw. on the album 'my fav things', i think the title track is only 13 minutes long?
ryan, agree totally on 'dear old stockholm'. it was my wake up to music, relax for sleep music and everything for a long time. i believe the last track was played at coltrane's wake/funeral, possibly by roland kirk(?, in the trane biography by porter)
all, pls go and get 'afro blue'
shahreza
best
Dave
But if I had to choose :
Live at Birdland, "Alabama"
A Love Supreme
Coltrane, "Out of this World"
JC & Kenny Burrell, "Why was I born?"
El Lingo
Linnland forum
But for me, the best Coltrane tune has to be Compassion off the First Meditations album, recorded with the quartet in 1965. In many ways, this is a fake album put together by Impulse to cash in on Trane. He recorded Meditations twice within three months and released only the second set of expanded tunes, with an expanded lineup. I don't believe he intended to ever release what Impulse called First Meditations.
But the version of Compassion on this album marks a seminal change in my life. I have to tell the story.
It was about 1980 and I was in my early twenties. I had been into jazz for some four or five years, arefugee from the rock world, with my taste all completely self-taught. I was into Roland Kirk, Don Byrd, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, etc. It was a Friday night and I was waiting for someone, a girl I think, to visit me in my apartment. While I was waiting I put this new Trane album onto my LP12, and wound up my Electro Research A75 so it pushed my double Magenepans to the limit.
Compassion starts with a lyrical waltz opening solo and then just explodes from there. I liked Trane when I sat down to listen to First Meditations that night, but somehwere in the first few bars of Compassion, I suddenly understood him, and everything he was trying to say. It was like I suddenly could think in fluentn French (something I've always longed to do). The track finished, I played the other side, and then I started on the rest of my Coltrane collection. The girl came and went in the middle of this, I don't really remember her reaction, and I continued playing Coltrane through to about four in the morning. It was a watershed for me. I had learnt his language.
Even though, for one reason or another, I haven't been able to play my vinyl First Meditations for about five years, I can still play it more or less note for note in my head, and even the thought of those opening bars raises the hair on my neck.
If you can, try to listen to it: Compassion, First Meditations, Impulse As-9332. Let me know what you think.
K
i bought the first impressions in december, very expensive mint LP. haven't listened to it. i dont have the 2nd impressions. i was told by the record shop that it was more like take 1 and take 2. i don't know why i picked '1'. maybe cos everyone will be listening to '2' as the 'correct' takes that coltrane approved off. but '1' cant have been bad.
but i now will listen to it once i get home!
ps. i preferred 'baraka', but then i watched 'baraka' bfore i did 'koyaanisqatsi'
personally believe mccoy tyner's lyricism and chording while he accompanied JC was a very important part of the magic.
s.
I've just received Love Supreme [played live in Antibes 1965] from Amazon at a budget price of £4.99. Wonderful. Amazing. The best bargain ever. Ever. I'm still stunned.
Steve