Customer Reviews

Bye Bye Blackbird

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Bye Bye Blackbird" was the last of four live John Coltrane albums to be released by the Pablo label, originally on vinyl, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. All four titles -- the others are the double disc "Afro-Blue Impressions" and the single discs "The Paris Concert" and "The European Tour" -- feature the Classic Quartet of 'Trane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in performances from a European tour in the fall of 1962. The finest of these four recordings in my opinion is "Afro-Blue Impressions," both in terms of the quantity of material (more than 90 minutes of music and a dozen tunes) and the quality of the performance and sound. With that being said, "Bye Bye Blackbird" is a close second. To my ears, the sound quality is better than that of "The European Tour" (see my review) and "The Paris Concert," and even though the Quartet tackles only two tunes, they are wonderful, lengthy improvisations on old Coltrane staples. My reason for withholding a fifth star, as with "The European Tour," is two-fold. First, these live discs are not as good as live albums released during Coltrane's lifetime, like "Live At Birdland" or "Live At The Village Vanguard, and second, Trane's Atlantic and early Impulse studio recordings are the best place for those new to his music to start. However, if you are a Coltrane fan, you should definitely buy "Bye Bye Blackbird," along with the other three Pablo titles.

Forget what the other review said - this is improvisation of the highest possible order. Especially Bye Bye Blackbird, whose hyper-extended length and cool energy reminds me of Chasin' the Trane. That any group could improvise for eighteen minutes on one theme, and never let the pace flag, is incredible.

Taken from Coltrane's European Tour from the Fall of 1962, "Bye Bye Blackbird" starts with a popular standard from the time and transforms it into a traumatically eclectic whirlwind of sound, much in the same vein as earlier Coltrane covers such as "My Favorite Things" and "Afro Blue". Featured on this live record, we hear the classic quartet made up of McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums). In addition to the title track, we are also presented with an extended version of one of Trane's late 50's tracks, "Traneing In", which begins with a magnificent introduction from Tyner.

This record, alongside 'Afro Blue Impressions', was released later on by the Pablo label. Despite a questionable recording quality, this is early 60's Coltrane at its finest, especially in the context of his tone. An experienced listener will recognize the transition being made from Trane's 'Sheets of Sound' recordings into some of the more free jazz he would embark upon in the mid 60's. You can really hear Trane stretch out at moments on this record, especially when he is left to counter only Elvin Jones. My only complaint here is that at times, McCoy Tyner sounds as if he is trying to keep up, and perhaps should have taken a backseat more often when Trane would stretch out his sound. The crowd volume and recording quality leave much to be desired, and this is a rather brief record, clocking in at only thirty six minutes.

All in all, I would not recommend this to the casual Coltrane fan, however it is essential for collectionists like myself, and there certainly is worse Coltrane out there.

3 1/2

Two tracks of extended live jams does little more than stuff listeners with prime cut 'Trane soloing, which is recorded deliciously here, and if you are exploring reviews for albums like these than that is probably all you can be asking for.

This music will remind you of what passion is all about. John's sax cruises so gracefully through the upright bass and percussion so splendidly you'll think you're dreaming. A dream come true.

I think that"Bye Bye Blackbird," to me, just sounds like a couple of people, all playing different music, put together to make a song. I think it sounds awful, to say the least, but that's just my opinion.