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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic album; an ATROCIOUS reissue, May 19, 2009
This is a classic album by John Coltrane. It's his first for the Impulse! record label; he would become readily associated with the label, recording all of his great mature albums for it. Due to Coltrane's prominence in the jazz world, Impulse! would also become an important jazz label during the 1960s and a major documenter of the avant garde.
This was also Coltrane's first project with a large ensemble: here he is the featured soloist in a big band conducted and arranged by Eric Dolphy (with wonderful thick, dissonant brass textures that perfectly complement the driving sound that the Coltrane quartet was then perfecting).
So, for fans of Coltrane, of the avant garde, and of the Impulse! label, this album can be safely called a "must-have."
That said, I can NOT recommend this particular reissue. In the past few years, Universal Music Group has been reissuing classic jazz from the Verve and Impulse! labels in inferior versions: sloppy remastering, and packaging that is much less solid that the great Impulse! reissues from the mid- to late-90s (under "GRP" auspices). The most heinous crime in the case of Africa/Brass is that it was already reissued (back in the 1990s) in a spectacular TWO-DISC version that provided fascinating (and musically successful) alternate takes. Now UMG reissues it AGAIN, but with none of the great extra material already recovered?
This reissue is typical of UMG recent's jazz reissue program - it's a lazy, sloppy, and disrespectful series of reissues. Most of the classic material was reissued before in MUCH better versions.
I cannot stress it enough: stay away from this reissue of Africa/Brass, and say away from the "Originals" series on Verve and Impulse! !
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Big band Coltrane, July 10, 2008
John Coltrane assembles a 20-piece band for these three songs. There's McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, Elvin Jones, and 16 others. It's heavy on brass, per the title, there are five french horns, for example. There are notable players like Eric Dolphy, Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, and Julian Priester in the band, but the solos are by Coltrane, Tyner, or Jones. The orchestration was done by Coltrane, Tyner, and Dolphy. The liner notes say Dolphy did a lot of it, later it came out Tyner did more (though Dolphy was no longer around to argue the point). It's not really a big band in the Duke Ellington style, but with all of the horns, it's certainly a big band.
"Africa" is perhaps the best Coltrane song which isn't on his "classic" albums. It's based on a steady, simple, bass and piano line, giving it a hypnotic, modal feel. The melody lines make the song stand out. "Greensleeves" has a catchy melody. It's very good, though Coltrane seems to be revisiting "My Favorite Things". "Blues Minor" doesn't have the greatest title, and its melody isn't particularily catchy. However, John Coltrane is playing saxophone, and McCoy Tyner plays a great piano solo.
I don't know how this short, original version of the album compares to the longer, more expensive, complete version. It's a very interesting John Coltrane CD, the only "big band" album he led. I recommend it for all Coltrane fans.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's Something About 'Trane, July 30, 2008
I don't know what it is but when this guy got inspired (which was very often apparently) it was as if someone else was speaking his sax. And of course that's exactly what happens on "Africa".Of course we all know this band by heart-Reggie Workman slapping the bass and McCoy Tyner tickling the ivories but on this tune it's between the possed playing style of 'Trane and Elvin Jones's terrific drum solo that get and keep your attention. Also Eric Dolphy also arranges a large orchestra for this occassion but it's sure worlds about from Gil Evans;this orchestra has to keep up with not only this quartet but with 'Trane's often surreal touches. This album does succomb to one quality I find with a lot of Coltranes recordings outside the magnificant A Love Supreme and Giant Steps-that they all tend to have one or two songs that are so.....well forgive this big word but TRANSCENDANT that they wipe everything else on the album away. And that is no exception on this one. What "Greensleeves" does as another reviewer put it is rework a tradional melody much the same as "My Favorite Things" did.It's really pleasant but totally blown away by the first cut. And both of the first two cuts outdo the good but typical and unmemorable "Blues Minor";it's the great chemistry of this quartet that makes the weaker final song worth it though. But this set is more then worth it alone for the great "Africa" and it's the longest thing here.
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by John Coltrane 
