Expression

John Coltrane | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Grp Records
• ASIN: B000003N6U
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,780 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When he died on July 17, 1967, John Coltrane was in a period of exploration, and while his musical pedigree afforded him a level of jazz authenticity that perennial outsiders such as Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor could only dream of, the cathartic, rhythmically turbulent music of 1965-1967 tested the indulgence and endurance of even his staunchest fans. But Coltrane was a creative lightning rod for any number of improvisors, and while a few jazzmen, such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Julius Hemphill, followed his spiritual lead, his vertical constructs and open-ended modality also found fruition in the open-ended, electric blues and jazz of groups such as Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the many bands of Trane's old mentor Miles Davis. "Ogunde" is an ecstatic, rolling ballad, all white-peaked waves and billowing winds, in the lyric tradition of A Love Supreme. Likewise, on "Offering," the centerpiece of Expression, Trane proceeds from a stirring lyric prelude, through spasmodic rhythmic abstractions, culminating in a jubilant, wailing dialogue with the droning, pulsating percussion of Rashied Ali. --Chip Stern

Product Description

Digitally remastered edition of this 1967 album from the legendary Jazz saxophonist. The title track was Coltrane's last studio recording; the rest of the album was recorded at about the same time as Interstellar Space. "To Be" features Coltrane on flute, the only recording he made on the instrument for an entire track. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars IMPULSE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?, May 9, 2003

By 

Jean-Jacques Rossatti "jjrossatti" (BRAZIL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expression (Audio CD)

OK, the music may be wonderful, a spiritual experience and all that, but what my fellow rewiers have forgotten to warn potential buyers about is the fact that this album needs to be remastered as soon as possible - one need only listen to the version of 'offering' released on 'stellar regions' to understand what i'm talking about. In other words: if you are into Rashid Ali's drumming, definetely do not buy this one, for he's the one to suffer most with the poor quality of the sound - his cymbals are hardly audible and, in a general sense, it's as if he were doing some 'percussion' sounds, instead of really thrashing his kit off.

End result: COLTRANE AND BAND 5 STARS - IMPULSE 2 STARS = 3 STARS

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This isn't "music", it's spirituality., May 31, 2001

By 

Camilo Montenegro (Mexico, D.F. Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expression (Audio CD)

This recording, like all others from Coltrane in his last years ('65-'67) is an example of an artist breaking free of vanity and ego, allowing him to go beyond art into a truly sacred realm, no longer concerned with the trivialities and vain illusions that keep others from really creating something tanscendent. I believe that towrads the end of his life he saw through the concept of time and this philosophy translated into his "spontaneous composition" aproach which is beautifuly clear in this recording. He was no longer playing music, he was molding space-time. He and his band take you to the very core of existence through their improvisations found on this and many other recordings.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Coltrane's final expressive masterpiece., November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Expression (Audio CD)

Well, no one can accuse Coltrane of not having an imagination. Improvised music is a tricky art. Lack of an immediately identifiable melody can sometimes make improvisation a daunting and annoying venture. Coltrane was a master of this art however and even though his solos were sometimes long winded, each one of them had at least a few areas of pure, unadultered brilliance. "Expression" is not an easy Coltrane album. There is no such thing as an easy Coltrane album but this one poses a real challenge. This album, for being his last is not as atonal as one might think, but if you haven't heard any Coltrane beyond "A Love Supreme", this album is going to blow you away. He is pretty much playing in a quartet setting here, with Pharaoh Sanders only playing on one track. Most reviews of "Expression" say that it gives no clue to where Coltrane was headed, I think it is a fine last album. It doesn't really show where he was headed because if you listen very carefully, this album has a sense of finality to it. Each track seems laden with wispy overtones of desperation, hopeless and acceptance of fate. Coltrane must have known the end was near when he recorded this. The quartet on this album is not the classic quartet. McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones are gone, Jimmy Garrison is the only existing member from the classic quartet. Rashied Ali is on drums and Alice Coltrane on Piano. It is a very different sound from the sound of the Classic Quartet. More spacious. As far as rhythms go, gone is the polyrhythmic thunder of Elvin Jones, Ali plays in more of a panrhythmic fashion, almost making his drumset sound melodic, as opposed to a timekeeper. He is adding to the sound. Alice Coltrane's piano is lush, rolling and spacious. Gone are the wonderful chords of McCoy Tyner, Alice's style is very different, but very effective for what Coltrane wanted to play at that point (listen to the beginning of "Expression" for a good hint of what I mean.) The same goes for Ali. This is truly a wonderful final statement from Coltrane. He even plays flute on a song. All in all a very magnificent 51 minutes, and a little sad too, not only because it was his last album, but because the music is somewhat sad.