John Coltrane

[Rev. Robb]

What is the best John Coltrane album?

[Open Sky]

Obviously it depends on your taste. For me it used to be "A Love Supreme," but then I heard "Crescent."

There are a few distinct stylistic periods. His most acclaimed is from roughly 1961 to 1965 with his classic quartet. Both the above albums were made during this time. Obviously his time spent with Miles was equally important. For that check out "Kind of Blue."

Gotta go!

[zarembo]

ole' Coltrane
Lush Life with Johnny Hartman
Transitions
Live In Seattle
Live In Paris
plays Duke Ellington

are a few that I like a whole bunch.


hard to pick just one.

[henryrobinett]

You've got to be kidding, right? Let'd see, there's Crescent, Love Supreme, Quartet Plays, Transition, Giant Steps, Coltrane Sound, Intersteller Space, Coltrane, Soultrane, . . .

Best!?? There ain't no best. They're all the best.

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by Rev. Robb

What is the best John Coltrane album?

none of them

[Rev. Robb]

Thanks to all...

Originally Posted by allencollins

none of them

Where is your culture?

[picksail]

Anyone ever notice that Billy Idol's White Wedding sounds like a reworking of Giant Steps?

Is it just me?!!

[hopeless_opus]

Crescent and A Love Supreme are my favorites too..

I'd also recomend Live at the Village Vanguard - the Master Takes, you get to hear him play with Eric Dolphy on this one as well.

[Dzoing]

There are a lot of great, wonderfull, incredible, stellar, ... recordings of John Coltrane. Coltrane as leader, Coltrane as sideman playing with Monk, Miles, Mr PC (Paul Chambers) and many other giants. There are hours and hours of "best recordings" of Coltrane. But you realy can't go wrong with Giant Steps, Crescent, Live at village vanguard... as a starter. Not only are they of the best Coltrane recordings, but also of the best jazz recordings ever!

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by allencollins

none of them

Okay, I went through a period where I turned on Coltrane. During that time I listened to a lot of Miles, Ellington, Bird, Anthony Williams, Monk, etc.

I don't think I listened to Coltrane for a couple of years.

Then I came back around.

My call is "Duke Ellington and John Coltrane" with Elvin Jones. Cool.

[Dzoing]

Originally Posted by hopeless_opus

Crescent and A Love Supreme are my favorites too..

I'd also recomend Live at the Village Vanguard - the Master Takes, you get to hear him play with Eric Dolphy on this one as well.

same time posting, same recommendation!

[Stizz]

Wow .... depends what you are looking for - if you are not a big jazz fan, it might be best to start with Coltrane's "Ballads", or "Kind of Blue" by Miles - which should be the only Jazz album you own if you only own one .

A Love Supreme is great, but very linear, and Crescent; Giant Steps is great for the post bebop stuff...

My Favorite Things is cool too, sort of a transition into the later styles.

The later albums with dcolphy and Paroh Saunders do go far out into unexplored musical territory to say the least; but that might be what you are looking for!

[Open Sky]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

You've got to be kidding, right? Let'd see, there's Crescent, Love Supreme, Quartet Plays, Transition, Giant Steps, Coltrane Sound, Intersteller Space, Coltrane, Soultrane, . . .

Best!?? There ain't no best. They're all the best.

They really are all great. But, man, I tried to like interstellar space, I really did. It is just too much. WOW, that is some out sh*t, indeed! Have you heard the Kenny Garrett/Brian Blade duet of "Countdown," though? That's pretty happening, too, but unlike the Coltrane/Ali duet, I can actually almost approach understanding it!

[atropos]

Originally Posted by allencollins

none of them

I used to think this too.

Maybe it'll happen for ya. Maybe not.

The guy was, IMO, a genius.

[eligit]

if i absolutely had to pick just one....crescent. AMAZING recording quality on that one as well.

[Dzoing]

Originally Posted by eligit

if i absolutely had to pick just one....crescent. AMAZING recording quality on that one as well.

agreed

[blaugruen7]

i very much like some live concert albums from him.
short before his free period.
or there is a live album from miles davis with coltrane.
i think something like "miles davis live in stockholm"

[doorknocker]

They're all great but 'Coltrane's Sound' on Atlantic is the one I probably listened to the most. 'Equinox' is just amazing, Coltrane always had incredible bass lines.

[Stisse]

Apart from the usual suspects being mentioned here I thought I'd give a thumbs up for 'Coltrane Plays The Blues', recorded on the same sessions as 'My Favorite Things'. Both are wonderful recordings.

Cheers,

Stefan
SingSing

[blaugruen7]

"john coltrane plays ballads" is just wonderful.

[shaggseb]

OLE COLTRANE

the tune "Olé" is 18:05mn of pure genius

[CrazyBeast]

Originally Posted by eligit

if i absolutely had to pick just one....crescent. AMAZING recording quality on that one as well.

ditto

then love supreme, giant steps, and on and on...

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by shaggseb

OLE COLTRANE

the tune "Olé" is 18:05mn of pure genius

My personal fave, for sure.

But it was the first "serious" jazz record I bought -- when I was around 16 or so.


I'd been listening to bossa-jazz (Getz, the Gilbertos) for a few years and I felt I wanted to branch out. I'd wanted Miles' Sketches of Spain for a while but it was always pretty much full price (around $5 then) the only places I could find it.

One day I was at the local market flipping through the cut-out bin (found some of my favorite artists that way... of course, no one's ever heard of most of them ) and I came across Coltrane's "Olé" album.

I knew 'Trane had played with Miles -- and the price was right, $1.79, IIRC... so I decided to go for it.

It took a while for me to stretch out there. It was a jump from either the bossa jazz I'd been listening to (and still have a big ol' soft spot for) or the polite, mainstream jazz on the one commercial jazz station LA had back then (and now it's NONE... "America's music"... [sigh]... ).


But it was also the era when acid rock was drawing me back to pop music (I stopped listening to pop/rock when I got into junior high... it all seemed so... juvenile... ) -- and 'Trane's explorations fit well with that sense of discovery and revolutionary art.

I actually ended up like "Olé" MUCH more than Miles' "Sketches"... the muses work in odd ways, my friend.


BTW... my late cat, Duke, (named after David Bowie 'cause when I found him he was thin and white -- and he had one blue eye and one green) LOVED the early 60's collection "Coltrane for Lovers" (which has some of his mellower tracks, including a few with the thoroughly wonderful Johnny Hartman*)... This picture is him listening to Coltrane:



I'm hopin' he's sitting on Trane's lap in heaven.


(Hope 'Trane wasn't allergic to cats... )


* (First time I heard the Coltrane/Hartman stuff I was a wild-eyed acid-drenched hippie and I was dumfounded... how could the ultra-hip, outside-trippin' 'Trane hook up with someone so corny [ ]... I was so much older then... I'm younger than that now. I love Hartman's singing.)

[Jetblack]

Best Coltrane BEFOR or AFTER the drugs?

Post drugs is when things got pretty intense:
Ascension
Ascension
Ascension

Mr Van Gelder is pure genius...

The 4 cd boxset Live In Japan is also really great. But basicly, all the posters recommendations are bang on.

As for the guy who thinks that Coltrane is no good... dude... come on... isn't that the Sepultura guy as your avatar? I guess Coltrane doesn't come close to the genius that Brazilian metal is.

[noiseflaw]

Originally Posted by allencollins

none of them

Dude your so 'Rad' - I bet you are real rock 'n' roll eh.........

Lately I've been listening to "The quiet Side of John Coltrane' - a bunch of the mellower tunes, for when you don't want to squawky louder stuff (which I like too!).