John Coltrane: The Tiberi Tapes

Even for those out there not prone to dwelling or pondering on the minutiae of history and myth, a brief crash course on this most necessary of historical recordings is warranted. Recorded on a now primitive (but once top-tech) portable Concertone TR-100 three-inch, reel-to-reel tape recorder, journeyman tenor saxophonist Frank Tiberi— Tiberi roamed the bandstands with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie—recording nightly performances of John Coltrane and various line-ups of the Classic Quartet as they blazed their way through New York and the Center City centered Showboat in jny:1960—'61 on their way into musical history and cultural consciousness.

For the past sixty-five years, those tapes, on various brands and quality (it would appear Tiberi got what his wallet allowed) as good, bad, or indifferent as they may be, have been the stuff of great, grand legend. And now, in celebration of Coltrane's centennial, we have The Tiberi Tapes, a reverie that serves as a noisy, clangorous, harmonic, and, more importantly, challenging listen into Coltrane's glorious pursuit of the divine.

With the unidirectional mic pinned to his jacket or shirt lapel, (if not immediately picking up history, at least the inspirational moment) Tiberi followed the Classic Quartet—Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones, duly supplemented by or augmented by alto saxophonist and spiritual twin Eric Dolphy, bassists Reggie Workman, Steve Davis, and drummer Pete La Roca—and two guttural, yet holy takes on "Giant Steps" erupts in a run of notes and response to those notes that is hard to pin down, but points to the shape of jazz to come.

Tiberi's ooohs, ahhhs, chuckles of revelation and overall audience appreciation only add to the vibe. An unrecorded Coltrane "Thing In D Flat," or what Tiberi scrawled "Tune? But Good" on the tape box, rips the July 1, 1960 Jazz Gallery night open. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Lover" strikes the romantic poise and pause after the preceding frenzy, but frenzy soon finds its merry way back to the foreground with Wilbur Hart's "West 42nd St." Hart was an unusual addition to the setlist and a once-in- a-lifetime performance that finds Coltrane stating his case intensely but with the most lyrical of koans. Then an explosive, possessed Coltrane performance of  "Impressions." An implosive "Untitled Original In F Minor" rocks the house. So too "Satellite." Then "Good Bait." "Resolution" and "It's Easy to Remember" follow in form.

A lot of educational material is dedicated to this set, courtesy of Ashley Kahn, Lewis Porter, Lauren Du Graf, and hardworking engineer Kevin Reeves. And it is truly super great to read and learn about The Tiberi Tapes. But maybe the numero uno lesson from these never-again-in-real-time recordings is even how, with Coltrane the loudest of his cohorts due to the limitations of the mic, the mix unveils that, no matter where in soul relevance, sound spectrum, or audience mind Tyner, Garrison, and Jones found themselves standing, they were forever side by side with Coltrane. That alone is a miracle.

Then comes the realization: for three hours nothing else exists but The Tiberi Tapes. That too is a miracle.