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John Coltrane

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: John Coltrane

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: John Coltrane Tracks
1. 'Round Midnight
2. Giant Steps
3. Naima
4. My Favorite Things
5. Chasin' The Trane
6. Alabama
7. Afro Blue
8. In A Semtimental Mood
9. Bessie's Blues
10. Acknowledgment (From A Love Supreme)
11. Jupiter
John Coltrane - Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: John Coltrane
Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: John Coltrane Review
John Coltrane spent little more than a decade of his career in the public eye before his death in 1967, but during that time his work was in a state of constant, often turbulent change. In the process, he would create one of the most influential bodies of work in jazz. Many of Coltrane's greatest recordings were long, and it's no easy task to create a single CD that reflects his creative range. However, this remarkably good selection manages to include several extended performances, while charting his work's moments of both profound meditative beauty and creative onslaught. On "Giant Steps," Coltrane pressed the boundaries of chordal improvisation, creating a high-speed maze of harmonic extensions. In perhaps his most famous vehicle, he recrafted "My Favorite Things" in the image of Indian music, spinning scalar improvisations on his soprano saxophone over a repeating piano figure and the molten drums of Elvin Jones. "Chasin' the Trane," from his great 1961 Village Vanguard recordings, uses simple blues to launch an extended solo that tests the tenor's expressive limits. "Jupiter," a duet with drummer Rashied Ali recorded in the final months of Coltrane's life, finds the same intensity still burning within him, his tone compressed to a tight vibrato and his circular lines spinning in still fresh directions. Along the way are those serene islands that always marked Coltrane's work, some of the most beautiful and direct ballad and blues playing in jazz, from his own "Naima" to an ethereal version of "In a Sentimental Mood" with its composer, Duke Ellington, at the piano. --Stuart Broomer


Users's Reviews
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Well-Selected Set
5
This is a great introduction to John Coltrane. With 'Round Midnight, Giant Steps, My Favorite Things, Alabama alone it tells you why Coltrane was great. It covers all periods, and every selection is a classic. Only quibble is I might try to fit Ogunde (a short track) as his most beautiful late track. No matter - if I gets folks down with JC, they'll buy the other albums.
Posted by Anonymous, on 2007-03-03
Halfway Beautiful, Tainted by Variety of Style
3
"A Love Supreme, A Love Supreme." It's this refrain from Bono that appears on U-2's Rattle and Hum that first drew me to Coltrane. Being a jazz neophyte and wanting to hear what made Bono rave, I figured a good place to start would be a greatest hits type compilation of Coltrane ala Ken Burns Jazz series. Contrary to being a greatest hits collection though, this is more of an "everything Coltrane tried to do in a span of career" compilation. It's downfall, in my ears lie in two tracks, the slightly annoying "Chasin' the Trane" and the wholly unlistenable "Jupiter."

Despite that some of the other tracks are some pretty divine music. There's no arguing with the musical virtuosity of his work with Miles Davis on "Round Midnight". "Mr. P.C." hops right along. "My Favorite Things" is incredible taking a show tune and turning it into some of the most catchiest jazz songs I've heard. Coltrane makes you forget about the "Sound of Music" version and simply owns it. "Alabama" is dark and rolling, mysterious like the state embroiled in the civic conflict of the time. It's becoming one of my favorites. But what holds this collection back is the tracks included to show some of the styles Coltrane went through were he experimented with dissonance making the sax howl and screech and the notes clash against each other and consequently your ear. Its not a CD you can leave alone to play through...you'll find yourself annoyed. Doing something different doesn't always mean doing it better. And then alas Coltrane's more important songs, "Giant Steps" doesn't even appear on this version though it's raved about in the liner notes.

Deeply hidden within "Acknowledgment" is the Coltrane chant "A Love Supreme, A Love Supreme" and it leaves me intrigued. I suspect if you want to find the supremeness of Coltrane look for the CD titled such...but don't go here.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2002-04-12
Great for the Jazz newbie
5
I bought this for the introduction to Coltrane. That is why, unlike other reviewers, I like the wide range of Coltrane's style on this disc. Some reviewers knock this album for not having this song, or that song. Well, if you had them all already, why did you need to buy this album, too?

If you're looking for an introduction to John Coltrane, this album is a great bet. I wasn't sure which to try in the whole gammut of albums, and chose this for the number of tracks, and the fact that they were dispersed on the numerous other albums. The 'wisdom' of my choice led me to buy Ken Burns' Thelonious Monk album, and add others to my Amazon wish list.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2003-01-14

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