Bethlehem Years [Original recording remastered]

John Coltrane | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 2, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B0009YNSB0
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,856 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Midriff

2. Ain't Life Grand

3. Tippin'

4. Pristine

5. El Toro Valiente

6. The Kiss of No Return

7. Late Date

8. The Outer World

9. Not So Sleepy

10. Love and the Weather

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Oasis [#]

2. Midriff [Take 1][#]

3. Midriff [Take 2][#]

4. The Kiss of No Return [Take 1][#]

5. The Kiss of No Return [Take 5][#]

6. The Outer World [Take 2][#]

7. The Outer World [Take 5][#]

8. El Toro Valiente [Take 1][#]

9. Ain't Life Grand [Take 2][#]

10. Ain't Life Grand [Take 4][#]

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Bethlehem Records was a New York–based independent record label active in the 1950s and ’60s. It boasted an impressive array of jazz talent, including Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Mel Tormé, Dexter Gordon, and many others. Shout! Factory is proud to be reissuing some of the key Bethlehem albums.

The Bethlehem Years is a compilation of sessions featuring tenor saxophone legend John Coltrane and made for the Bethlehem label in 1957. These little-heard recordings, which catch Trane just after he recorded the monumental album Blue Train, offer a revealing look at the sax player in large-group settings, as part of the Poll Winners group and Art Blakey’s Big Band. Taken together, these underexposed recordings add to our understanding and enjoyment of one of the leading figures in modern jazz.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable big band recordings & a couple odds & ends., April 4, 2007

By 

fluffy, the human being. (forest lake, mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bethlehem Years (Audio CD)

it's kind of misleading to present this music under john coltrane's name. these are actually a couple of recording dates from 1957 that john coltrane plays on, but does not lead. one of the sessions is an art blakey big band session (fine by me), and the other main session has donald byrd, oscar pettiford, and philly joe jones as members. all good, very likable stuff; but not really a coltrane set. if you are a jazz fan, i still recommend this music. it is fun stuff. people just might want to know its true nature before picking up a copy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fraudulent Release, May 30, 2007

By 

Jason Gubbels (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bethlehem Years (Audio CD)

The low score is for the nature of this ill-conceived and dishonest release, not the artist. Coltrane himself plays rather well here, but as the above reviewer also noted, he is far from the featured artist. Despite the cd title, there were never any Bethlehem "years" at all. Coltrane simply sat in as a backup horn during a few sessions in the late fall of 1957 for other recording artists. He takes solos, but only a few. This is simply a good example of how record companies repackage older and forgotten material in a manner more likely to be scooped up by completists. The music in here is ok, but it's not Coltrane, and it's not worth the money.

4.0 out of 5 stars TRANE Vibe Presides, September 3, 2010

By 

Robert Keith Nicolay - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bethlehem Years (Audio CD)

While it is true that Coltrane does not solo much on these 2 CDs he is still as they say "In the House" and the effect can be heard in all the players even though Trane is not the leader. "IT" was there by 1957.