Jazz Articles about John Coltrane

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall

by Samuel Chell
October 6, 2005

I don't recall a jazz CD ever receiving as much pre-release publicity as this one, Newsweek even referring to it as the “musical equivalent of the discovery of a new Mount Everest." Consequently, a listener couldn't be faulted for some anticlimactic sentiments, if not outright disappointment, at having the product in hand. Not to worry. Even upon an initial play, the recording is capable of commanding undivided attention from the first through the last track.

Monk has never ...

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall

by Chris May
September 26, 2005

The hype surrounding the discovery and release of this concert recording has been considerable, but now the actuality is upon us, every breathless adjective proves to be justified and then some: it's only September, and this beauty must already qualify as the Buried Treasure Discovery Of The Year, no contest.

Just in case you've been off-planet recently and missed it, here's the back story.... It's '57 and the legendary, and legendarily under-recorded, Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane, ...

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall

by John Kelman
September 23, 2005

The impact of the late pianist/composer Thelonious Monk on modern jazz is almost impossible to quantify. First emerging as part of the crew of New York musicians spearheading the bebop movement in the 1940s, including saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, he quickly differentiated himself with an idiosyncratic and seemingly unschooled approach. Coupled with his somewhat eccentric personal behaviour, his playing alienated those more steeped in convention--even a development as recent as bebop having its own rigid definition.

While ...

The Gospel of St. John

by Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius
August 16, 2005

As stated last month, kids, I'm going to spend a portion of this year on in-depth profiles of some of the greatest forces in jazz history. I had originally intended to go in chronological order, beginning with some great pioneer like Jelly Roll Morton or the ubiquitous Louis Armstrong, but a recent experience convinced me to do whatever in the hell I want because it's my column.

Which is to say.

I was talking with a hard-working college student lately ...

John Coltrane: Live at Birdland

by C. Michael Bailey
August 10, 2005

John Coltrane Live at Birdland MCA/Impulse! 33109 1963 In the early morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, a gaggle of malcontents planted 12 sticks of dynamite in a window well outside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The dynamite exploded eight hours later killing Denise McNair, 11, and Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins, all 14, in the process galvanizing the Civil Rights Movement. Three months later, on ...

The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

by C. Michael Bailey
August 10, 2005

The top two live Jazz recordings in this ongoing series were recorded at the Village Vanguard within six months of each another in 1961. They represent the polar opposites of jazz. One is melodically searching, the other harmonically searching. One is quiet and exact, the other is loud and torrential. They were equally influential and visionary and stand greatly for the potential of jazz. John William Coltrane and Franz Schubert have much in common. Both created a huge ...

Shout Factory Strikes Gold in Bethlehem Vault

by Charlie B. Dahan
August 3, 2005

Shout Factory begins its Bethlehem reissue program with three of jazz's true stalwarts and true originals. One of the recordings contains a collection of John Coltrane's recordings on two compact discs. The other two are Duke Ellington's Duke Ellington Presents, originally released in 1956, and Charles Mingus' East Coasting, which was released right after in 1957. All three packages contain superior sound, detailed liner notes and essays. Also, jazz fans will be happy with the bonus tracks on the Coltrane ...