Customer Reviews

Om

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In Coltranes own words Om "means the first vibration, that sound, that spirit which set everything else into being. It is the word that from which all men and everything else comes, including all possible sounds that men can make." This record is a collection of sounds, vibrations, and textures that define, probably better than Coltrane's words, the meaning of Om. Just as Coltrane breaks away from the tradtional sound of jazz, we as his listeners have to break away from the traditional way of listening to jazz. Forget about form, forget about explanation, and just experience it. Once you breakdown the barriers in your mind that tell you what a sound is, you will travel with this record to another world. If you are into exploration of the ideas of self and searching for meaning, this is a record you will certainly enjoy. It is not for everyone, but it really is Coltrane at his creative peak, reaching for a place where he is at one with the music and the universe. It is a place where you and I may never get to, but through Om, we get very close.

This album was probably the first jazz album i ever heard while in university. After hearing it I wanted to be a musician, listen to jazz constantly, and buy every Coltrane album. Granted it is not anything like Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, which I also love. But if you want experimental spiritual jazz that pushes the boundaries far beyond where Ornette's intellectualizing goes, this is it. This is not an album that my wife would call 'dinner music'. But it is an important album in the sense that it shows just how far out a musician can go. This is music for musicians, not pedestrians.

"Om" is perhaps the most infamous album in the entire John Coltrane catalogue. This studio set recorded on October 1, 1965 was not released until after the saxophonist's death, and immediately garnered a wealth of criticism. Let's start with an economic complaint: this is a single track of only 29 minutes.

But the claims that OM is a lot of noise, the result of a supposed LSD trip by the entire band and not solid inspiration, seem to me exaggerated. OK, the spoken word introduction, a recitation of some text Vedic in nature, is incredibly hokey and doesn't portend well (as is the later grunting of "Om" by the performers). But the majority of the set is generally fine free jazz, completely in keeping with, say, the MEDITATIONS album. Coltrane is consistently in the spotlight with his furious technique, and while Pharoah Sanders is also present on saxophone, he is nowhere near as prominent in Coltrane's ensemble as he was to become later. I think it amusing how MyCoy Tyner sticks to the classically beautiful while there is complete pandemonium around him from the other performers.

Because of its brevity and because it wasn't recognized by the artist, this disc can be left to listeners passionate about Coltrane's free jazz work. But don't go into it expecting that it's just rubbish.

For me this album is one of the most illusory albums ever.
AMG critic gives only 2 stars, but it is great for me.
OM is first title (followed by glorious Kulu se mama or album Meditations) with new marvellous style (rough saxophones with Sanders, perfect and free drums and piano). Nobody plays something similar before OM.
Be enough to listen it a few times in life, but you know that you listen some great.

This album is simply one track, Om, spread over 2 sides (back in vinyl days). It's just under 30 minutes (short for a jazz LP/CD), but it is a really astounding track, one of Coltrane's most ferocious and controverisal forrays into freee jazz. The duel between Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders is crazy, atonal, and insane, yet it's balanced by Tyner's conventional (though still good) piano. In a weird way, Tyner grounds the track while Sanders and Coltrane go crazy on the top of it. I would venture to say this track is even further out there than Ascension is, especially the first 10 minutes, where you are entering a war zone but you emerge stronger. If you are just starting out with Coltrane, I suggest you come back to this later. Coltrane's free period (and his final period) produced some of the most controversial "free" jazz music ever recorded. Most of it IMO is phenomenal, and Om is one of the best examples of it.

back in early 1969 - this was my favorite jazz album (such things then extant). Today I think of "OM" as a great summit in the project that started with "A Love Supreme" and continues to this day with the Coltrane family's latest release, "Translinear Light". The Chant is without question the best part. And the playing? Like Ramakrishna's salt doll who went to measure the depth of the ocean - we cannot bring back a report. I AM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM . . . on every wave . . . note . . . perfection

This John Coltrane piece is spectacular! The world owes a debt to this musician/sage/healer. I feel very fortunate to have come across it at this time as it is very pertinent to my spiritual life. I did not connect with him in the 60's because my inner ear was not awake. If you are a meditator you will recognize the vibrations which emanate from the chants as well as the feast of sounds. It is quite a gumbo of culture, imagery and feeling. It is a little scary and challenges one's mental state. You are, however, in good hands so listen with a brave and open heart and allow your self the pleasure of breaking free from limited notions of your very own perceptions. I listen to it every night before I go to sleep. It's nothing close to a lullaby but it does beckon the netherworld.
Enjoy.

back in early 1969 - this was my favorite jazz album (such things then extant). Today I think of "OM" as a great summit in the project that started with "A Love Supreme" and continues to the present day with the Coltrane family's lastest release "Translinear Light". The Chant is without question the best part. And the playing? Like Ramakrishna's salt doll who went to measure the depth of the ocean - we cannot bring back a report. I AM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM . . . on every wave . . . note . . . perfection

Have cancer & a friend gave me an Ohm CD. I searched for similar CDs praying for healing peaceful energy. Never heard Coletrane's music but read reviews and thought his Om CD might be helpful. However, it's filled with pain, harsh, chopped up, bizzare. While his journey has its own merit, it is not the vibration I need.

I asked the seller, "energieswithin," to return the CD. They stated, "I am not able to accept a return based on music taste since almost 30 days have passed after purchase." 30-day return policies are common, & their "almost 30 days" indicates I was within that window. A 2nd e-mail informed me they have no return policy. Hmm, why the "I am not able to accept...based on..."?

If you have such a crucial need - buy locally, see if you can listen to a sample, check out policies. (A 'no questions asked' policy would have helped in this case.)

If this type of discordant vibration is what you are seeking, it may be helpful. If not, then no go.

Very underrated example of Coltrane's talent. So many people detest it, even people who like Ascension. In a sense, I understand why. This is even weirder than Ascension or Sun Ship. It's been rumored that Trane was on an acid trip when he recorded this, and while I'm as drug-free as they come (I've seriously never even had a cigarette), it's pretty clear to me that Trane was in a seriously altered state when he recorded it. I've got this image of the recording sessions in my mind. You've got McCoy, Jimmy, Elvin, Pharaoh, flautist Joe Brazil, and bass clarinetist Donald Garrett sitting in the studio. Trane walks in from the kitchen somehow conjoined with the studio holding a tray of brownies (with LSD in them!), and places the tray on the Indian rug in the center of the room. Everyone eats way more than they should, meditates, and reads the Ramayana (or Siddhartha, either will do). Then they call in the producer and give him an acid brownie. He starts the recording equipment up while everyone in the room goes off on this ugly, ugly, rambling, ponderous tangent on the amazing powers of Om that might rival "I AM IRON MAN!" in terms of sheer ridiculousness (indeed, compare "I AM IRON MAN!" to "I AM OM!"). Then they start playing, and they more than make up for that awful start. It's, in an odd way, a very beautiful album. Chaos, but magnificent chaos. It's like finding yourself, coming into your own, even discovering your soul, so to speak, during turbulent times. Imagine finding your brief moment of inner peace on a battlefield. If that isn't your idea of good music, stay away. I, for one, hated it the first time I heard it. The unsung heroes of the session are Garrett, whose bass clarinet adds ghostly underpinnings; and Joe Brazil, whose flute adds to the odd beauty of this album. Oh, and like Ascension it's one continuous half-hour piece of music, now uninterrupted. Like Ascension, it's not everyone's idea of a good time, but like Ascension, this is not music that will leave you cold. I guarantee it will provoke some sort of very strong emotion in you, whether it's strong love or strong hatred.