Coltrane for Lovers

John Coltrane

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: January 23, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000560JD
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,699 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

• This item is part of The For Lovers Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
John Coltrane has always been best known for stretching the limits, creating titanic, extended improvisations filled with exploding, cascading flurries of notes, but he was also one of the most lyrical of musicians, capable of the most heartfelt and touching ballads. The material here is taken from his Impulse! recordings made between 1961 and 1963, drawing largely on Ballads, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, albums that showcased his sensitive side. Coltrane's silvery sound brought an utterly new dimension to tenor saxophone balladry, a metallic clarity in which each note is given its own luster and nuance. Listening to these ballads gathered together, Coltrane seems to touch on every mood of romance, from longing to rapture to reflection, imbuing each song with an ineffable grace. His theme statements are sublimely beautiful, while his improvisations add new depths with their unique mix of strength and delicacy. "In a Sentimental Mood," with Ellington's shimmering, bell-like piano figure and Elvin Jones's animated drums perfectly complementing Coltrane's tenor, is simply one of the most memorable ballad performances ever recorded, but it's surrounded here by other gems. "Soul Eyes" is wistful reverie, while "You Don't Know What Love Is" has touches of an unsettled, passionate incantation. The tracks with Johnny Hartman are a rare meeting between a singer and a musician who are profoundly attuned to one another, with Coltrane's flutelike fills on "My One and Only Love" or his solo on "They Say It's Wonderful" conversational expansions on the lyrics' sentiments. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the music not the package, February 9, 2001

By	Stephen (Virginia Beach, VA USA) - See all my reviews

First let me state that I don't own this nor will I ever own this. This is just another example of Verve repackaging the same material over and over again. Anyone interested in this set should pick up one of the three albums most of these songs are taken from. Each of those sets has a special sound to it. Ballads is very gentle but extremely beautiful (the best of the three in my opinion) while the Ellington set has a nice swing to it. The Hartmann is very lush. Impulse, now a division of Verve (which is a division of Universal - which is a division of...) has had an excellent, more varied compilation called the Gentle Side of John Coltrane available for years.

This is a trend that all the big companies seem to follow. When Verve took over the impulse catalog, they dropped many current artist (those with a smaller market share) and started re-re-re-issuing the same stuff. Great music is still unreleased on CD and Miles, Coltrane, Armstrong and other proven sellers keep getting reissues with the same tracks jumbled up with titles that have little to do with the originial conception of the work. I'm waiting for some true theme CDs like "Bix for Drinking" or "Mingus for Angry Folks."

Hats off to Amazon for placing smaller independent label releases next to the big guys! There is music being made. Go find it!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh So Soothing, March 23, 2002

By	G. J Wiener (Westchester, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Now this Coltrane CD is a true feast for the ears. Unlike Stellar Regions, Coltrane For Lovers is soothing and filled with several catchy songs. Coltrane's saxaphone is front and center, however the piano, bass, and drums interwine very nicely. Vocalist John Hartman contributes nicely on three tracks. Its a shame there is not more of his work on this release.

The tone is pretty constant on the eleven tracks. However that is probably the only drawback. Because this collection most certainly can set a romantic mood. Pick it up and play it for your special someone. You'll certainly charm his or her heart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for sentimental moods, January 23, 2002

By	Samantha Hogan "samantha hogan" (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So I just got on the jazz tip. Might as well start wit the best.
In a sentimental mood I remember from Love Jones fell in love waay back then. Shocked my dad that I even own a coltrane cd. Now I hide my Mingus and Miles collection from him. Now while this is the softer side of coltrane it wonderful for those just startin to listen to jazz. I think after the rain is my favorite but I dont know yet, probally never will. Worth every dollar.