Similar Albums:
- Artist: John Coltrane
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1956 05 07-1958 12 26
- Total Time: 1090:2
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set, Instrumental
- Genre: Jazz
Review
The 16 CDs in this compendium represent nearly everything that John Coltrane recorded for the Prestige label during a 32-month period between May 7, 1956, and December 26, 1958. What's missing are Coltrane's contributions to the mid-'50s Miles Davis band, which are on the equally exhaustive and highly recommended Davis Chronicle box set released in 1990. Otherwise, listeners are treated to the sessions that produced the seminal long-players Coltrane, Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette, Traneing In, Soultrane, Lush Life, Settin' the Pace, Standard Coltrane, Stardust, The Believer, Black Pearls, Bahia, and The Last Trane -- all of which highlight the artist as either a leader or co-leader. Not included in that list are an additional 19 albums that boast Coltrane's involvement as a support musician. The music is presented primarily in a chronological fashion -- commencing with a pair of May 1956 outings with pianist Elmo Hope and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Wrapping things up are five tunes cut the day after Christmas of 1958 alongside trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Coltrane's legend is ingrained in the grooves of such indispensable entries as "How Deep Is the Ocean?" flanked by tenor saxophonists Zoot Sims, Hank Mobley, and Al Cohn -- as originally heard on Tenor Conclave. There is also the Tadd Dameron-commanded "Soultrane" and the definitive "The Way You Look Tonight," during one of the many Mal Waldron confabs, plus "Undecided," sporting Red Garland at the helm. And who could forget the Great American Songbook selections "Lush Life," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Lover," "Russian Lullaby," "Why Was I Born?," "Lover Come Back to Me," "Stardust," and "Time After Time"? Accompanying the music is a 32-page liner notes booklet. Inside are a historical essay from Doug Ramsey, a session-by-session breakdown by Carl Woideck (and the occasional notation from producer Orrin Keepnews), and several different cross-references of the contents. Overall, the audio quality is excellent throughout, especially considering that the original tapes were transferred during the infancy of digital audio technology. Since 1991, the majority of the music has been remastered and issued on the individual album titles with even more astonishing results. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Tenor Madness | Sonny Rollins | Sonny Rollins | (12:17) |
| Weeja | Elmo Hope | Elmo Hope | (11:10) |
| Polka Dots and Moonbeams | Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen | Richard "Groove" Holmes | (8:38) |
| On It | Elmo Hope | Elmo Hope | (9:04) |
| Avalon | Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva, Vincent Rose | Elmo Hope | (9:40) |
| Tenor Conclave | Hank Mobley | John Coltrane | (8:19) |
| How Deep Is the Ocean? | Irving Berlin | John Coltrane | (15:03) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Just You, Just Me | John Coltrane | (9:29) | |
| Bob's Boys | Hank Mobley | John Coltrane | (11:03) |
| Mating Call | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (5:35) |
| Soultrane | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (5:23) |
| Gnid | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (5:09) |
| Super Jet | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (5:53) |
| On a Misty Night | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (6:21) |
| Romas | Tadd Dameron | Tadd Dameron | (6:53) |
| Soul Eyes | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (17:29) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Anatomy | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (11:54) |
| Interplay | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (9:39) |
| Light Blue | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (7:51) |
| C.T.A. | Jimmy Heath | John Coltrane | (4:41) |
| Eclypso | Tommy Flanagan | John Coltrane | (7:56) |
| Solacium | Tommy Flanagan | John Coltrane | (9:10) |
| Minor Mishap | Tommy Flanagan | John Coltrane | (7:25) |
| Tommy's Tune | Tommy Flanagan | John Coltrane | (11:57) |
CD 4
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Dakar | Teddy Charles | John Coltrane | (7:09) |
| Mary's Blues | Pepper Adams | John Coltrane | (6:47) |
| Route 4 | Teddy Charles | John Coltrane | (6:54) |
| Velvet Scene | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (4:53) |
| Witches' Pit | Pepper Adams | John Coltrane | (6:42) |
| Cat Walk | Teddy Charles | John Coltrane | (7:12) |
| Potpourri | Mal Waldron | Mal Waldron | (6:36) |
| J.M.'s Dream Doll | Mal Waldron | Mal Waldron | (8:39) |
| Don't Explain | Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr. | Mal Waldron | (6:57) |
| Falling in Love with Love | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | Mal Waldron | (11:37) |
CD 5
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Blue Calypso | Mal Waldron | Mal Waldron | (8:58) |
| The Way You Look Tonight | Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields | Mal Waldron | (8:25) |
| From This Moment On | Cole Porter | Mal Waldron | (6:15) |
| One by One | Mal Waldron | Mal Waldron | (9:41) |
| Cattin' | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette | (7:22) |
| Anatomy | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette | (8:52) |
| Vodka | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette | (9:07) |
| Sunday | Benny Krueger, Eddie Miller, Jule Styne, |
John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette | (6:58) |
CD 6
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Straight Street | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (6:19) |
| While My Lady Sleeps | Bronislaw Kaper, Gus Kahn | John Coltrane | (4:42) |
| Chronic Blues | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (8:12) |
| Bakai | Cal Massey | John Coltrane | (8:41) |
| Violets for Your Furs | Matt Dennis, Tom Adair | John Coltrane | (6:16) |
| Time Was | Bob Russell, |
John Coltrane | (7:28) |
| I Hear a Rhapsody | John Coltrane | (5:58) | |
| Trane's Slo Blues | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (6:03) |
| Slowtrane | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (7:19) |
| Like Someone in Love | Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen | John Coltrane | (4:57) |
| I Love You | Cole Porter | John Coltrane | (5:28) |
CD 7
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Dealin' [Take 1] | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (10:00) |
| Dealin' [Take 2] | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (10:18) |
| Wheelin' [Take 1] | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (10:26) |
| Wheelin' [Take 2] | Mal Waldron | John Coltrane | (11:23) |
| Robbin's Nest | Illinois Jacquet, Sir Charles Thompson, Bob Russell | John Coltrane | (15:33) |
| Things Ain't What They Used to Be | Mercer Ellington, |
John Coltrane | (8:25) |
CD 8
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| You Leave Me Breathless | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (7:23) | |
| Bass Blues | John Coltrane | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (7:45) |
| Soft Lights and Sweet Music | Irving Berlin | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (4:41) |
| Traneing In | John Coltrane | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (12:33) |
| Slow Dance | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (5:26) | |
| Our Delight | Tadd Dameron | Red Garland | (6:19) |
| They Can't Take That Away from Me | George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Red Garland | (10:26) |
| Woody 'n You | Dizzy Gillespie | Red Garland | (6:50) |
| I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) | Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster | Red Garland | (6:14) |
CD 9
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Undecided | Charlie Shavers, |
Red Garland | (6:52) |
| Soul Junction | Red Garland | Red Garland | (15:30) |
| What Is There to Say? | Vernon Duke, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg | Red Garland | (5:57) |
| Birk's Works | Dizzy Gillespie | Red Garland | (7:35) |
| Hallelujah | Vincent Youmans, Leo Robin, |
Red Garland | (6:31) |
| All Morning Long | Red Garland | Red Garland | (20:18) |
CD 10
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Billie's Bounce | Charlie Parker | Red Garland | (9:23) |
| Solitude | Irving Mills, Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington | Red Garland | (8:31) |
| Two Bass Hit | Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis | Red Garland | (8:50) |
| Soft Winds | Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson | Red Garland | (13:46) |
| Lazy Mae | Red Garland | Red Garland | (16:08) |
| Under Paris Skies | Ray Draper | (7:47) | |
| Two Sons | Ray Draper | Ray Draper | (5:21) |
CD 11
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Clifford's Kappa | Ray Draper | Ray Draper | (9:15) |
| Filide | Ray Draper | Ray Draper | (7:14) |
| Paul's Pal | Sonny Rollins | Ray Draper | (7:14) |
| Ammon Joy | Mal Waldron | Gene Ammons | (13:16) |
| Groove Blues | Mal Waldron | Gene Ammons | (9:34) |
| The Real McCoy | Mal Waldron | Gene Ammons | (8:33) |
| It Might as Well Be Spring | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | Gene Ammons | (11:31) |
CD 12
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Lush Life | Billy Strayhorn | John Coltrane | (13:54) |
| The Believer | McCoy Tyner | John Coltrane | (13:48) |
| Nakatini Serenade | Cal Massey | John Coltrane | (11:04) |
| Come Rain or Come Shine | Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer | John Coltrane | (8:45) |
| Lover | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | John Coltrane | (7:58) |
| Russian Lullaby | Irving Berlin | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (5:34) |
| Theme for Ernie | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (4:54) |
CD 13
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| You Say You Care | Leo Robin, Jule Styne | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (6:16) |
| Good Bait | Count Basie, Tadd Dameron | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (12:08) |
| I Want to Talk About You | Billy Eckstine | Red Garland, John Coltrane | (10:54) |
| Lyresto | Kenny Burrell | Kenny Burrell | (5:44) |
| Why Was I Born? | Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II | Kenny Burrell | (3:13) |
| Freight Trane | Tommy Flanagan | Kenny Burrell | (7:20) |
| I Never Knew | Gus Kahn, |
Kenny Burrell | (7:06) |
| Big Paul | Tommy Flanagan | Kenny Burrell | (14:04) |
CD 14
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Rise 'n' Shine | Vincent Youmans, Buddy DeSylva | John Coltrane | (7:15) |
| I See Your Face Before Me | Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz | John Coltrane | (9:58) |
| If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You | Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz | John Coltrane | (9:21) |
| Little Melonae | Jackie McLean | John Coltrane | (14:05) |
| By the Numbers | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (12:06) |
| Black Pearls | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (13:10) |
CD 15
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Lover, Come Back to Me | Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II | John Coltrane | (7:26) |
| Sweet Sapphire Blues | John Coltrane | (18:16) | |
| Spring Is Here | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | John Coltrane | (6:57) |
| Invitation | Bronislaw Kaper, Paul Francis Webster | John Coltrane | (10:23) |
| I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All | Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Ray Henderson | John Coltrane | (7:02) |
| Love Thy Neighbor | Mack Gordon, Harry Revel | John Coltrane | (9:24) |
| Don't Take Your Love from Me | John Coltrane | (9:14) |
CD 16
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Stardust | Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish | John Coltrane | (10:42) |
| My Ideal | Leo Robin, Richard Whiting, |
John Coltrane | (7:35) |
| I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) | Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk | John Coltrane | (8:12) |
| Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | John Coltrane | (5:13) |
| Then I'll Be Tired of You | E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Arthur Schwartz | John Coltrane | (9:30) |
| Something I Dreamed Last Night | Sammy Fain, Herbert Magidson, Jack Yellen | John Coltrane | (10:50) |
| Bahia | Ary Barroso | John Coltrane | (6:17) |
| Goldsboro Express | John Coltrane | John Coltrane | (4:44) |
| Time After Time | Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne | John Coltrane | (7:43) |
