Customer Reviews

Lush Life

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of these Prestige titles are blowing sessions, albeit pretty damn good blowing sessions as the jazz artists are talented live performers and these albums are nothing but little snippets of live performances. Generally, these cds by Miles Davis, Red Garland or John Coltrane give you that after-hours, dark, smoky nightclub feel. They're great to just toss on, and chill out because you not only feel like you're there, but also there really are some stellar performances as well.

Lush Life was one of those albums John Coltrane recorded sometime between his stint with Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis in the late 1950's. This is Coltrane at the top of his game during his fabled "sheets of sound" era, but also perhaps some of his most restrained. The first three tunes are piano-less ("the piano player didn't show up") reworkings of old classics ("Like Someone in Love," "I Love You") and an original ("Trane's Slo Blues"). The absence of the piano though, allows Coltrane to really dig deep, especially the Latino reworking of "I Love You." The last two tracks come from a later session in which the piano player did show up, and they are joined by a young Donald Byrd on trumpet. While the first three tracks previously mentioned are worth the price of admission, the band's rendition of Billy Strayhorn's classic Lush Life is literally awesome. Coltrane would later record this with vocalist, Johnny Hartman, but here his playing is strong and hard, and Byrd's solo, almost an afterthought adds to the excitement.

If you're new to jazz, or new to John Coltrane, this is an excellent album to start off with. I believe however, that Lush Life is the cornerstone to any jazz collection. First, Coltrane rarely recorded without a piano player and it's fascinating to hear him in this context. Second and most important, this is simply one of his best performances on record during the 50's. Essential.

This is only 36 minutes long, but they are good minutes. Mostly mellow, but with enough swing to satisfy, this CD includes three tunes recorded in the summer of '57 with just sax, bass and drums, and two laid down in January of '58 adding Donald Byrd on trumpet and Red Garland on piano. This is not the Coltrane of nine years later, the atonal, controversial, free-jazz experimenter with dissonance. This is recognizable, accessible, lovely stuff. Maybe not adventurous enough for the hip and avant-garde forces, but I'll bet you'll play it more often than his famous "Love Supreme" suite or even his "My Favorite Things" album. Read the other reviewers, who are better than I am at explaining the music. I just like it.

THis album reflects a time when Coltrane was searching musically, as well as spiritually. In the transition of leaving Miles Davis for good, Coltrane knew he had to make a good few albums for his label of the time, Original Jazz Classics. While this period is not widely considered his best, I would be inclined to say that none of his music is "bad," and this album absolutely smokes. The title track is beautiful, jaunting; and "Trane's Slow Blues" is my definite favorite from this period. "Like Someone In Love" is absolutely and supremely melodic, and is also one of Trane's best of this period. This is not Giant Steps, or My Favorite Things, but this album has a feel all it's own. More blues rooted than a lot of his albums, but it is not blues at all, except for track #3. Five Stars.

This was the second Coltrane cd I ever bought, (the first was an old "best of" compilation from his Atlantic days) And it is amazing. I remember listening to it and being truly amazed when I heard the first few notes of "Like Someone in Love" out of Coltrane's tenor. I love the bass/drums/sax trio setting Trane uses for the first 3 songs, It is a shame he didn't record more in that setting. Trane's reading of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" is utterly gorgeous. It clocks in at nearly 14 minutes, a lot longer than the original, yet not a minute is wasted. Trane holds you captivated throughout the whole song. I listened to it one particularly horrible morning and after it was done, I felt 100% better. 14 minutes to better mental health... This album along with "Soultrane" and "Blue Train" rank among some of the best Coltrane albums. His earlier material was a lot easier to digest than his later experements, yet even it was immensely challenging for the "low attention span" jazz audience. Coltrane puts almost every other jazz horn player to shame. It is tragic he died so young, he could have continued to share his magic with us. This disc is superb. The first three songs in the trio setting sound great, no piano is really needed, a lack of one only makes Coltrane sound more expressive and fluid, "Lush Life" is transfixing and "I Hear a Rhapsody" is a mellow wonder.

Considered one of Coltrane's 'searching' periods, this CD has a lot to offer in the way of understanding Trane's restless nature. Never one to stand on laurels, Coltrane does indeed continue to set the bar 'higher' every time out. This one is mostly ballad and blues based, with the exeption of 2 tracks in particular which stand out - on both ends of the Trane spectrum. Track #2, "I Love You" finds him playing furious, cerebral runs on the instrument, and , frankly, not as 'listenable' as one may like; whereas the track with Donald Byrd is as 'in the pocket' as you'll ever hear. All in all, a very realistic look at a genius in motion.

this was my fourth coltrane album,i just listened to every detail yesterday and this album has it all! coltrane is an amazing musician and this album will make you smille,it has a trio of bass and drums the first three tracks,and then don byrd on trumpet on the fourth track plus red garland on piano,single solo's this has everything that you would want in a good jazz album! this is a must for coltrane lovers

I don't know how well regarded this Coltrane album is, but it is damn good. From the opening spiraling of "Like Someone In Love" the album is a nice mix of different playing styles. To begin with, the first 3 tracks don't even have piano, but when Red Garland finally does appear on the title track, he gives the song beautiful sprinkles of delicate piano while Trane and guest trumpeter Donald Byrd hang on the melody and render it gently for almost 14 minutes without every boring the listener. "I Love You" mixes Coltrane's funky playing with a latin drum arrangement.

One thing is for sure, Coltrane was always trying new things, and he certainly knew how to pick musicians to accomplish such, especially his two steady pianists (Red Garland & McCoy Tyner). A good mix of styles in a classic jazz album.

I have been listening to John Coltrane since high school in the late `70's. My curiosity was prompted by a scene in Ken Kesey's novel "Sometimes A Great Notion" where the music of Big Joe Turner and John Coltrane is compared. My initial exposure to Coltrane's music were the albums released on the Impulse label. It was therefore a suprise for me when I first heard "Lush Life." Here we have Coltrane in an early state of evolution. The first three songs are particularly well done, with Earl May and Art Taylor backing Coltrane's tenor sax with bass and drums in the Sonny Rollins trio style. In addition, the version of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," clocking in at just under 14 minutes is beautiful, with Red Garland's piano and Donald Byrd's trumpet providing a perfect contrast to Coltranes turbulent saxaphone solos. I now understand what I've been told before - Coltrane went through three distinct periods of development. This is clearly, along with "Blue Train," part of the first period. For the new Coltrane listener, this may be the place to begin.

Among the considerable body of fine work by master saxophonist John Coltrane, "Lush Life" certainly stands out. "Like Someone in Love" and "I Love You" are given exquisite readings, and the Coltrane original "Trane's Slo Blues" is a not-so-slow delight. The fact that his reading of the jazz classic "Lush Life" clocks in at over thirteen minutes without wasting one second says something about the power of Coltrane and the gifted musicians that back him, such as the incomparable Red Garland on piano on the title track and "I Hear a Rhapsody." Gorgeous readings of classic tunes and another innovative angle of Trane's artistry make "Lush Life" a must-have for any fan of jazz.

Wow! I can't believe no one has reviewed this CD yet. The Coltrane catalog is huge and I have by no means worked my way through it, but I have owned and listened to a lot of jazz and this is a superb, listenable, mellow CD that rewards repeated listening time and time again. I recommend it highly.