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Jazz Articles about John Coltrane
Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Himself
by Stuart Broomer
When producer Orrin Keepnews undertook this album for Riverside in 1957, Thelonious Monk had recorded relatively little as a solo pianist--nine tracks for French Vogue in 1954 and single tracks on Prestige and Riverside LPs. While the Vogue had emphasized Monk's originals and the single tracks were all old tunes, Thelonious Himself (Riverside/OJC, 1957) balanced his unique approach to standards with striking performances of originals. Whether fragmented, dissonant or oddly hesitant, Monk's probing (the usage is literal, heard in the ...
Continue ReadingJohn Coltrane: Dakar
by Chris May
Often cited as saxophonist John Coltrane's first album as leader, Dakar--recorded on April 20, 1957--is a usurper. Originally credited to the Prestige All Stars (and released as part of a short-lived experiment with 16-rpm discs), it was only credited to Coltrane on its re-release in 1963, when the saxophonist's star was firmly in the ascendant. The Dakar session was one of several Coltrane appeared on as a sideman that week--on the 16th with pianist Thelonious Monk, on the 18th with ...
Continue ReadingJohn Coltrane: Turning Point
by Nic Jones
The music collected here comes from a period of Coltrane's career, namely the closing years of the 1950s, which so many tenor sax players have latched on to in the decades since. At that stage in his own musical evolution Coltrane's playing was developing that singular edge that was to be the hallmark of the final decade of his life, albeit whilst working within the hard bop parameters he was destined to move well outside of. He ...
Continue ReadingJohn Taylor's Jazz Caricatures: John Coltrane
by John Taylor
John Coltrane About John Taylor For me, art and music flow into a creative confluence. Encouraged by my family to draw and play the drums at an early age, I continue to find expression in these art forms.Motivation for a career in art and music developed in the 1960's as I observed theme park caricaturists at work and listened to recordings of the inimitable Buddy Rich. Gifted editorial caricaturist, David Levine, ...
Continue ReadingTwo Ways of Bookending John Coltrane
by Norman Weinstein
Reviewing a massive reference volume about saxophonist John Coltrane alongside a jazz journalist's personal overview of Coltrane and his legacy might at first seem like comparing an apple with an orange--but bear with me. This is really like comparing an apple painted by Cezanne with a lemon painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Arcimboldo was a 16th century Italian painter with the skill to paint a glowing lemon as a grotesquely dissociated ghost of itself. In Coltrane: The Story Of A Sound, ...
Continue ReadingJohn Coltrane: My Favorite Things: Coltrane at Newport
by AAJ Italy Staff
Tornano, ghiottamente appaiate in un solo disco, due celebri apparizioni del quartetto di John Coltrane al Festival di Newport, la prima nel 1963 - era in Newport '63 - e la seconda due anni più tardi - era in New Thing at Newport. Si tratta di lavori sui quali è già stato detto molto, la cui relativamente breve distanza temporale contiene in realtà evoluzioni espressive di portata detonante - da A Love Supreme a Ascension, registrata appena prima del secondo ...
Continue ReadingJohn Coltrane: Live in '60, '61 & '65
by Jim Santella
John Coltrane Live in '60, '61 & '65 Jazz Icons 2007
Filmed in black & white for television, these three European sessions, featuring saxophonist John Coltrane in his prime as leader, run approximately 30 minutes each. One of the most seminal improvisers in jazz, he's represented well here with powerful sound and clear videography.
In Düsseldorf, West Germany, Coltrane delivers five tracks with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy ...
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