This is one of those albums that is just a pleasure to hear. Every song takes the listener through great variations of themes. This is also the only time John Coltrane was heard singing during a concert as well. When he started singing during the song Leo I wasn't sure if I was listening to the right album on my Itunes, for a second I thought something was wrong. I was taken aback totally. The songs themselves are nothing like the original album versions and although you can hear some bebop licks here and there this is what is called free-jazz, a break away of the norms of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. This is more akin to what Ornette Coleman was doing during this same time, although one could say Coltrane and Coleman were doing free-jazz in their own distinctive ways. To know that the guy blowing the saxophone here is the same guy who made Giant Steps in 1959 is mind blowing! 8 months after this concert Coltrane would be dead and jazz would go onto more free-jazz forms and then into the jazz-fusion of Miles Davis. I would say the greatest thing about this album is the atmosphere that is created by the musicians here. The solos themselves don't speak to me as standing out. Actually what I find that stands out are the rhythms themselves. The drums, in particular really stand out. But when Coltrane blows the horn its with an intensity that goes beyond just hearing it. It really hits home. This was one of the best albums I've ever heard in my life.
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