Customer Reviews

Standards

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I wasn't going to touch this one, but a previous review is somewhat wrong. Coltrane fans already have all of this music (probably vinyl, old MCA cds and the newer digipacks). The truth is- this is a fairly well chosen set of impulse recordings. It would have been nice to have included wonderful standards from Atlantic like My Favorite Things and Every Time We Say Goodbye.

I would caution those looking to buy this and other recent compilation releases- These contain nearly all of the material from Ballads, HArtmann and Ellington sets. If you even think your collection should include more than one Trane disc- get the originals. Trane carefully planned his sessions so that the albums were cohesive statements.

This or the (I think more interesting) Spiritual compilations are definetly nice introductions.

A must have for any Coltrane fan. Coltrane takes old standards from the Great American Songbook and makes them his own. Soft and lyrical. The album also has the added bonus of two cuts with Johnny Hartman on vocals, probably one of the best collaborations ever between musician and singer.

this collection feautures mr. coltrane from his period with impulse records, a time that saw the tenor giant move from his sheets of sound into his great quartet of himself, mccoy tyner on piano, jimmy garrison on bass, and elvin jones on drums. this quartet began expanding the form and sound of jazz into revolutionary directions that would culminate in mr. coltrane's great experiments in free jazz. here, the emphasis is on hearing mr. coltrane's work with standards, timeless popular songs used as the foundation for expressing oneself bending and playing within the tune. mr. coltrane shows his ability to give straight interpretations full of the feeling and emotion of the original songs, highlights being "lush life" and "autumn serenade" with johnny hartman on vocals. there also is the instrumental gem "what's new" from the "BALLADS" album. but mr. coltrane could also get inside a song, find a phrase or rhythm that intrigued him and use it for an exploration that would explode the original form and create music of blistering intensity and incomparable feeling, getting at the spirit and soul of the artist. highlights of that are "inch worm" and "greensleeves." all in all, this is an admirable compilation that gives snapshot of the genius that was john coltrane. great for starters.

This recording is a fine compilation of Coltrane music. He makes something wonderful and new out of the old Greensleeves tune, and yet respectfully and magically maintains the essence of this traditional English ballad.
"Out of this World" absolutely soars with his solos. The refrain of the sax is breath taking, and is sheer beauty to the soul and ear. The piano, drum and bass are so slick they are liquid. One simply runs out of adjectives.

Johnny Hartman is featured on two tracks. The "Lush Life" is a cool piece. His voice and Coltrane's horn swirl together into a smokey masterpiece, dedicated to all lonely lounge lizards.

The Impulse label has done a great service to jazz neophytes by compiling a wide selection of Coltrane's pop interpretations on one CD (each of Coltrane's original albums typically contained one or two such standards). My only complaint is that this package does not include his landmark renditions of "My Favorite Things" or "Summertime" - but these are widely available elsewhere and perhaps the label was afraid that including them on this disc might discourage its purchase by people already owning them. As another reviewer has pointed out, this is a great starter set for pop music fans wanting an easy introduction to Coltrane's genius - though of course if you want to hear his own compositions (and you will!) you'll have to look elsewhere.

"Not only were standards a source of harmonic inspiration to Coltrane, they were also inspirations to his fundamental lyricism. In addition to being known for his aggressive up-tempo work and his early blues playing, Coltrane was a consummate interpreter of lyrical standards, some of the best are included here." ~ Carl Woideck ~

Carl Woideck, a teacher of the histories of jazz, blues and rock at the University of Oregon, and also the author of books about John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, further added on his Liner Notes that "Coltrane, for most of his career, was obsessed with harmony, especially the study of chords and their relationships to one another. He became expert in ordering, substituting, altering, and stacking chords, and he found musical precedence and inspiration for many of his harmonic devices in standard compositions." How could you not agree with his statement? He rightly said it. As a fan of John Coltrane's incredible artistry in tenor and soprano saxophone and having listened to his remarkable recordings, I completely concur with him. In addition, although Coltrane was an improviser, he did not stray from the original melody and had respect to the real essence of the composition in such a way the composer wanted it to be played.

This compilation was released in 2001 by The Verve Music Group. It is a set of ten of the most definitive signature sounds of John Coltrane that he recorded from 1961 through 1965 coming from seven different albums. The musicians who played with him on these sessions include such big names as McCoy Tyner (piano/arranger), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Eric Dolphy (alto sax/bass clarinet/flute/conductor), to name a few from a great line-up of sidemen.

"What's New," "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise" and "Greensleeves" are the tunes that can instantly charm any listener of jazz. They are feasts for the ears. Ditto with "Autumn Serenade" and "Lush Life" where the rich, velvety, smooth voice of Johnny Hartman perfectly complemented the top-notch musicianship of Coltrane, Tyner, Garrison and Jones.

Although I have heard the selections from various Coltrane CDs that I own, I heartily welcome it as an added gem to my classic jazz collection. If not for John Coltrane's untimely death, there would have been a lot more fine albums that we, jazz fans, will take pleasure in listening to, but suffice it to say that he made his dramatic presence in the jazz world through his artistic style of playing that was evident in all of his quality recordings.

Give it a listen and enjoy!