Blue Train

Blue Train
Studio album by John Coltrane
Released	1957
Recorded	September 15, 1957 Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, New Jersey
Genre	Jazz
Length	42:50
Label	Blue Note 81577
Producer	Alfred Lion
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John Coltrane chronology
Traneing In (1957) Blue Train (1957) Soultrane (1958)

Blue Train is a jazz album by John Coltrane, recorded on September 15, 1957 at the Van Gelder Studio. It is considered Coltrane's first solo album, as it is the first he recorded featuring musicians and songs entirely of his choosing. All of the compositions were written by Coltrane, save one.^[1] The title track is a long, rhythmically variegated blues with a brooding minor theme that gradually shifts to major during Coltrane's first chorus. "Locomotion" is also a blues riff tune, in thirty-two-bar form.

Coltrane's next major LP, Giant Steps (1960), would break new melodic and harmonic ground in jazz, whereas Blue Train adheres to the hard bop style of the era. Two of its songs, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird", demonstrate Coltrane's first recorded use of Coltrane changes, which he would later expand upon on Giant Steps.^[2]

Blue Train remains an extremely popular disc, and during a 1960 interview Coltrane described it as his favorite album of his own up to that point.^[3] The original 5 tracks were remastered to CD for a 1990 release. In 1997 The Ultimate Blue Train was released, adding two alternate takes and Enhanced CD content. In 1999, a 24bit 192kHz DVD-Audio version was relased as Blue Train Blue Note 1577. In 2003 a SACD version was released, as well as a Rudy Van Gelder remastered edition CD. The Rudy Van Gelder rerelease is Copy Controlled.

Album cover

• The cover photo was taken by Francis Wolff.

• The cover design of Scott Weiland's 1998 album, 12 Bar Blues, is an homage to this LP's famous jacket.

• The cover of J-Live's All of the Above album is another recreation.

Track listing

On the 1957 LP, and the 1990 CD release:

1. "Blue Train" (Coltrane) – 10:43
2. "Moment's Notice" (Coltrane) – 9:10
3. "Locomotion" (Coltrane) – 7:14
4. "I'm Old Fashioned" (Kern/Mercer) – 7:58
5. "Lazy Bird"(Coltrane) – 7:00

Alternate takes (1997 CD release only):

1. "Blue Train" (alternate take) – 9:58
2. "Lazy Bird" (alternate take) – 7:12

Personnel

Recorded on September 15, 1957.

• John Coltrane - tenor saxophone
• Lee Morgan - trumpet
• Curtis Fuller - trombone
• Paul Chambers - bass
• Kenny Drew - piano
• Philly Joe Jones - drums

Notes

References