John Coltrane First Meditations

     John Coltrane's album First Meditations (for Quartet) is a studio album recorded in 1965 but not released until 1977. It's a Quartet version of a suite John Coltrane would record 2 months later with Rashied Ali (drums) and Pharoah Sanders (tenor sax). This is the last recording made by the classic Quartet of McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums) and Coltrane ( tenor sax). I can't believe this was their last recording! I would've thought they made more but I guess this is last recording in terms of in the studio, not counting the countless live albums you can get of the classic Coltrane Quartet in 1965. The album was released on Impulse!, a great jazz label back in the day that had countless Coltrane recordings to their name.
     First, the album begins with a beautiful tune entitled 'Love'. I've heard a lot of Pharaoh Sanders stuff and it sounds like Sanders, but we all know he got it from Coltrane. But what I mean is that its a beautiful opening over lush piano chords, and the saxophone sometimes engages in over-blowing on the high notes, getting dramatic effect. Basically its a powerful emotional tune with a great saxophone introduction, leading into some great piano arpeggios by McCoy. Then the sax comes back in. I would say that on this Coltrane has a lighter, wispier tone. There's no real tune here but it does sound like a ballad. The music just flows effortlessly, like they just recorded it in one or two takes live in the studio without sheet music. The drums sound like timpani here. Instead of using drumsticks, Elvin Jones used mallets and it sounds great here, adding flair and effect to the atmosphere of the piece. This isn't really a song per se, than it is an attitude, an atmosphere.
     Next, is a tune called 'Compassion', another name with emotional ties. This one starts off with more of bluesy bebop feel, having more of a form than the first tune, but still sounding totally free at the same time. Coltrane makes use of over-blowing on the high notes, making the saxophone squeek and squck like nobody else, although there were other saxophonists doing this technique back then, most notably Sun Ra's sax player John Gilmore. But Gilmore used it more for effect. Coltrane uses the technique in the most musical way possible. The notes sound right even though over-blowing isn't proper saxophone technique. If I was a sax player I would definitely learn to do it. Anyways, in this piece Coltrane really extends himself playing a long solo, while the piano is comping in that standard McCoy Tyner comping way. By that I mean he's playing a steady rhythmic pulse with a strong hand, and soloing with the other hand. Once you hear McCoy Tyner you never forget his style and rhythmic touch. Again, like the first piece, this is more of an atmosphere than a song with structure. This is the beginnings of John Coltrane's free-jazz period and you can tell right away just by listening to this. It's interesting to see how Coltrane sounded before that period and how he developed into playing in such a free manner. You can't teach that at school. I don't even think they can teach you how to play bebop or straight-ahead at colleges. They can try but at best you'll only sound like a Charlie Parker clone. Basically these tunes so far have a darker mellow mood and the musicians play off each other, developing ideas.
     Then, we have the song 'Joy'. This is more upbeat than the others so far and the drumming especially stands out. It's the great drumming of Elvin Jones. There's a lot of syncopation and emphasis on beats 2 and 4 (a staple of jazz), its so complex but sounds great with the whole Quartet. There's a lot of snare and cymbal hits as well. I would say this tune is modal, which I believe the other tunes are as well. Basically they're staying on certain chord changes and improvising on those alone, not changing it up. Coltrane's second sax solo here sounds amazing. He hits a lot of high over-blown notes, and mixes it up with his classic 'sheets of sound', a flurry of notes played in succession that sound very melodic and are phrased in that Coltrane-esque way. He has a certain way of phrasing where he stops and starts again playing groups of notes. It's very bop and straight-ahead, but it's also very free-jazz at the same time if you know what I mean.
      Next, is a tune entitled 'Consequences'. It starts out with some very free drumming before the sax comes in playing these short stabs of music, sounding like complete free-jazz that we would hear more of from Coltrane. The piano playing here is especially free. McCoy sounds like himself but he's playing in a more free way. There's so much going on sonically in this piece even I myself get dumbfounded that this was only 1965 and they were playing like that! They were absolutely killing it here, playing as a unit musically without getting in each others way. The piano solo here is absolutely slaying. After the piano solo, the sax comes back in playing those stabs of sound. I say stabs because that's what hes doing, playing a melody quickly and short. It's really a marvel to hear because with this tune you can really see and hear how he would later play music, in the final year of his life.
     Then, the last tune is 'Serenity'. This one starts off as kind of melancholy and haunting, but also beautiful at the same time. It almost sounds like a classical piece of music, especially because Jimmy Garrison is using a bow on his bass, adding this great orchestral ambiance to the piece. McCoy's piano playing here is very classical sounding too. It's like classical meets jazz, but it sounds like free-jazz. It's super cool. Coltrane's sax playing on this piece is the most far out on the whole album. There's melodic lines and moments but there are also chaotic and intense moments as well. This was probably my favorite piece on the whole album.
     Lastly, because this is a remastered CD and not a vinyl record there is an extra bonus track. The bonus track is another version of 'Joy'. The thing that really stands out about this alternate version is that there is a bass solo in the beginning of the track. Jimmy Garrison sounds bass-y and melodic but his bass has that woodiness sound to it, like it was recorded un-amplified and just maybe amplified by a mike or something. It's a great sound. He does some interesting things in his solo, like hitting harmonics and making the strings sound detuned, adding great effect. I would say Jimmy Garrison is a very characteristic bass player. All of these guys are. They sound like themselves, which is probably the hardest thing to do as a musician, especially as a jazz musician. I have to say that this is one of the best jazz albums I've heard in a while. It's my style of jazz. It's straight-ahead of the 1960's but it sounds modern to my young ears. I could hear people playing like this today in New York or Chicago. I hear Pharaoh Sanders playing like this today, although he's getting up there in age. This is an album that straight-ahead, blues, and bebop guys can like as well as fans of improvised music, avant-garde, and free-jazz. This is basically the beginnings of free-jazz and boy does it sound beautiful. You really can't beat this band. Everything they did together was great. For me, this band rivals Miles Davis's classic Quintet. Check this one out.

Ornette Coleman, The Art of the Improvisers

Ornette Coleman just died last week but I'm still listening to this cat. He's a great inspiration for an aspiring musician like myself. This album features Ornette Coleman on sax, Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden (on 1959 and 1960 tracks) on bass, Billy Higgins (on 1959 tracks) on drums, Ed Blackwell (on 190 and 1961 tracks) on drums, Scott LaFaro (on 'The Alchemy of Scott LaFaro') and Jimmy Garrison (of Coltrane Quartet fame on 'Harlem's Manhatten') on bass.  It should be noted that the group of Coleman, Cherry, Haden, and Higgins is one of the most popular periods of Coleman's career, and it was a critical time for Ornette's music and for the jazz world. In addition, that lineup is my favorite Ornette Coleman band and I would say they did the best job playing his music. Although Coleman would go on to work with many other musicians it was these guys that got to really know and understand Coleman's musical freedom of expression.

     The first song is 'Circle With A Hole In The Middle', an abstract name for an abstract tune. It starts with a kind of bop motif played by the sax and trumpet at the same time. It goes by so fast and sounds pretty technical. Then Ornette goes off into some great alto saxophone solo, accompanied by a kind of free-form bass and drum playing, although the bass sometimes plays some walking bass lines in between melodic droning notes. The tone of the saxophone here kind of reminds me of Eric Dolphy, another great alto saxophonist who played with an almost free-jazz vibe. After the sax solo, Don Cherry comes in with a trumpet solo. I wouldn't say that Cherry is technical in a technical sense, but his phrasing and musical vocabulary on the instrument certainly are original and inspired. He sounds like himself and nobody else. After the trumpet solo, they repeat the motif from the beginning, its super fast and boppish. Short and sweet tune.
     The next tune is 'Just For You', which sounds like a sweet ballad. It's a slow mammoth of a number, especially the slow walking bass part. Ornette's saxophone tone here is a bit rounder here. I could see the Art Ensemble of Chicago playing a tune like this. It's still a structured kind of blues and bop inspired tune but it has the makings of free-jazz all over it and this song was recorded from 1959 to 1961, very early for free-jazz. All the songs on this album were recorded from 1959 to 1961. Although it was recorded earlier, this album wasn't released until 1970. All the compositions were written by Ornette Coleman. Anyways, this song doesn't really have a main melody or theme, but many, and they are slow, melodic, and sweet. Another short tune as well.
     Next is the 'Fifth of Beethoven'. It features a head played by both sax and trumpet at the same time at an upbeat tempo but not as fast as the first tune. It sounds like bop to me. This later became a tune that Coleman played at his gigs later in life, even before his death recently. After the head, Coleman takes off on an adventurous alto sax solo. His playing has lots of bebop references, especially Charlie Parker type stuff, but there is something that is inherently bluesy about Coleman's playing that hits you when you hear him playing saxophone solos. He has good phrasing in his solo, stops at certain moments, and then begins again. Then, Cherry comes in with a trumpet solo. Cherry sounds like a bebop player in his solo, but one who can't play as fast or technical as Dizzy Gillespie. In his solo, he sticks to short bop lines, stringing many together. His trumpet tone is pretty clear and concise but still has a throaty ruggedness to it. After the trumpet solo, there is a drum solo that is on point. After that they play the head again. It's a really interesting melody with cool phrasing that you really have to work to get spot on playing with sax and trumpet together.
     The next tune is 'The Alchemy of Scott LaFaro', named for the bass player who plays on this track. There's an opening fast head, and then some crazy bass stuff. Then the sax goes into a solo while Scott LaFaro plays some real fast walking bass lines, you know, the kind of bass lines that everybody hears in jazz all the time. But he plays it so fast and his bass tone sounds so good. It's thin but very clear in the mix. In the alto sax solo there's a point where Coleman hits a really high note and it almost sounds like squeaking. In fact, he squeaks a few times in his solo! It's pretty great although for the most part his solo is comprised of bop and blues runs. This one sounds like more of a free-form piece because the drums interact with the sax lines, hitting the snare here and there for extra emphasis of beats and stuff. After an extended sax solo, the trumpet really goes at it. Cherry starts off playing really fast technical phrases but soon ditches them for more simpler lines at a fast speed instead. Then there's this part in the song where everything gets quiet and there's just sax and trumpet lines, sounding like today's kind of free-jazz. They're playing together and playing off each other, and it's really a moment to remember on this record. It goes on for quite a while before the head comes back in, signaling the end of the tune.
     Then, we have 'Moon Inhabitants'. A great science fiction name for a tune. It has another bebop type head that is pretty fast but is so syncopated and rhythmic, it kind of reminds me of Thelonious Monk, just the extreme rhythmic aspect of it. Then Ornette plays a short and sweet solo with lots of bop lines, but also incorporating some nice melodious lines as well. Then Cherry comes in on trumpet(on all these tracks he's playing either pocket trumpet or coronet). During Cherry's trumpet solo Ornette is play sax lines. Pretty free aspect. Then there's this break in the song where the bass plays these weird kind of out of tune notes, trading licks with the drummer. Then the head repeats, ending the tune.
     Next, is 'The Legend of Bebop'. It has a nice mellow head played in unison with the sax and trumpet. It sounds like something Charlie Parker would write and play. The sax solo here is bluesy and the tempo is at a slow pace, maybe something like 80-90 beats per minute, something like that. After a while Coleman starts playing some fast lines, ripping on the sax with a great tone. His tone sounds very warm and classic on the alto saxophone. Afterwards, the trumpet lays down a solo under the slow rhythm section. After the trumpet solo, they repeat the head, ending the tune.
     Then, the next tune is 'Harlem's Manhatten'. Like pretty much all the other tunes, it features an opening head that is bop influenced, and then the saxophone goes off in a solo. At this point in Coleman's career I think he still wrote out charts with chord changes above the music. You can tell because of the way he and the other musicians improvise on the music. What's astounding about the sax playing isn't really the lines or the technique, but the phrasing and use of silence. He stops at such precise moments, and then starts playing again, giving you a chance to absorb the music you just heard. At some point there's a switch from alto to tenor saxophone and you can tell it right away because the whole tone of the saxophone changes. Then Cherry comes in with a cool kind of instrument known as the pocket trumpet. It's basically just a really small trumpet that has a charismatic kind of tone. The tone is really noticeable and you can tell the difference from a regular trumpet quite easily. His solo is melodic at heart but he does have some 'hot licks' thrown in there as well. Then Coleman comes back with his tenor saxophone. His tenor sounds pretty similar to his alto sound, except a bit lower in tone.
     Then, we have 'Music Always'. These last two tunes might not be on the original vinyl versions of this album but I have the remastered CD version so I think these last two tunes are add on tunes that didn't originally appear on the album. Anyways, this tune is very mellow, the sax solo and the rhythm section. I could imagine this song being played in a cafe or at a cool coffee place. Not Starbucks, but some hole in the wall coffee place that plays jazz. It would just fit the environment well there. The rhythm section here is pretty conservative; with the bass mainly playing walking bass lines and the drums just play cymbal and snare hits. But this gives plenty of room for the improvisation of the sax and trumpet. 
      Finally, the last tune on my CD version of this album is called 'Brings Goodness'. It opens with a bop head that is played at a moderate tempo. Again, the rhythm section is conservative, leaving the improvisers free to play.
    Lastly, I would say that although this album has some major bebop influences and isn't totally wild and free-jazz, it is very musical and soulful. Most of the solos here aren't about fast technical playing but are about really feeling the spirit of the moment, and that's what jazz is really all about, not just licks and grooves. I've listened to this album twice and I just bought it from the record store just the other day. I think my favorite song on the album was 'Just For You'. I really dug the groove on that track, it just seems to have a somber vibe that is very relaxing yet musically appealing at the same time. It sounds as fresh today as it probably sounded in 1970 when it first came out. This is the kind of jazz that has gotten lost amongst the smooth-jazz and fusion type jazz that is so prevalent today. One can only hope that it will never be forgotten.

Coltrane's Sound

     

     "Coltrane's Sound is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1964 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1419. It was recorded at Atlantic Studios during the sessions for My Favorite Things, assembled after Coltrane had stopped recording for the label and was under contract to Impulse Records. Like Prestige and Blue Note Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s Atlantic used unissued recordings and released them without either Coltrane's input or approval" (Wikipedia)
     The album was released in 1964, but it was recorded in 1960, during the My Favorite Things record era. One thing I can say about this album is that I initially first heard it online because I heard a 30 minute version of the song 'Liberia' on YouTube, then I noticed that there's an actual studio version of the song on this album with this kind of abstract painting of Coltrane, and I saw that it was called Coltrane's Sound. Sure enough, every track on the album was on YouTube, but today I actually saw it at this store called CD Trader nearby my house, and I decided to buy it. So be like me folks! Once you hear something great on the internet, make sure you go out and buy the record. Support your artists. Support your local music stores. Support Jazz. Anyways, let's talk about the actual music.
     The album starts with 'The Night Has a Thousand Eyes', a descriptive and kind of creepy (to me) title for a song. It has a strong opening theme that Trane keeps coming back to. It seems to be based off repetitive chord sequences, and then going back in and out to the main theme. Its very blues based and Trane's tone is very warm if you get what I mean. The piano is a little drowned out in the mix but you can hear the comping pretty well in the choruses than Trane takes with his saxophone solos. After the sax solos, there is a piano solo but I wish it was louder in the mix like Trane's sax. For some reason on these old recordings from the 50's and early 60's its sometimes very hard to hear the piano and bass. The bass playing here is very melodic and sounds great in the mix. Although this song is an old standard, it sounds almost modern by today's standards, like it could still be played today by straight-ahead artists.
     Next, is 'Central Park West', which I guess is a tune dedicated to Central Park. This one sounds like a ballad, and is in a minor key. It has a nice melody that you can sing easily and tap your toes to. This one, like the first song sounds like something old but could be played today and made modern by straight-ahead players. Again, here the bass sounds great and is very melodic and soulful. I think on this tune Trane is playing soprano saxophone, the tone sounds like more of a higher pitched instrument, almost like a clarinet, especially on the high notes. The drums play with brushes on this track. It's a beautiful track man.
     Moving on, 'Liberia' is the whole reason why I listened to this album. It starts off with a bluesy kind of riff, not unlike something Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers would do, then it goes into this kind of ethnic (but I'm not sure what kind of ethnicity) melody that kind of sounds flamenco inspired but still has blues roots. It's such a fantastic melody and theme! Trane and the gang kill it on this track! Once Trane gets going in his solo, he plays up and down the sax, playing bebop lines along the changes, sounding much like he did on the album Giant Steps, displaying what would become his classic trademark 'sheets of sound', a flurry of saxophone lines that are fast, technical yet soulful, and harmonically complex. This is the John Coltrane that every saxophone player dreams they can sound like. After the sax solo, the piano comes in with a solo over the changes. You can really notice the bass when the sax isn't playing. The bass plays some walking bass lines over part of the theme, and then plays some droning notes during the kind of flamenco type melody line. Then Trane comes back in with the main theme and they go through these interesting changes again. This one is a special tune for sure. Such interesting rhythms and changes. One for the history books for Jazz 101.
     Then, we have a great jazz standard that pretty much everyone knows, 'Body and Soul'. I really dig Trane's take on it. He plays it a little bit faster than most jazz musicians do it. Usually, because its a ballad, people play it at a slower tempo than this kind of upbeat version. Everyone knows this melody and the changes, it's a great old jazz standard. But what really stands out here is the piano playing by McCoy Tyner. The piano is really clear, and the comping hand with the chords is very strong! They always say McCoy has a strong right hand, well hear you can hear how hard he's hitting the keys. I really like how he colours the changes in his solo with his chord-solo. This tune shows how versatile Trane was. He could do anything; ballads, standards, as well as great original tunes with the influence of bebop.
     Next, is another tune that has become famous with Coltrane's name and stature, 'Equinox'. This one has a bluesy theme that is simple and repeats, but it is soulful and hits you hard after hearing all this fast technical stuff from the beginning cuts. It's slow and brooding, just like how a blues should be. Hear you can also hear how Trane really has his own style. He's playing a blues but he has such a unique style and original licks, that it sounds like something more complicated than just a blues vamp. This is one of those songs that makes you think about how great Coltrane was during this period, this intense musical period for him, probably the point where he reached critical fame as a band leader and recording artist. The critics practically loved him, compared to his later period before his death when he started playing free-jazz, which is almost the opposite of this music, based on melodies and changes. I would say this song is legendary because everyone that knows Coltrane's music knows it, but perhaps that would be going too far. It's just another great straight-ahead song that is still played to this day.
     Lastly, the last song on the album is a tune entitled 'Satellite'. This song starts and sounds like a tune that could have been on the album Giant Steps, which I believe was recorded in 1960 as well. There's no real opening theme or head or anything, it just kind of starts, and doesn't stop. The sax just goes off, playing lots of lines that sound inspired by Charlie Parker, but with the strength and gravitas of John Coltrane. This is where modern bebop was at its peak in my humble opinion. At some point in the song, there's a break that sounds exactly like the melody from 'Giant Steps', I swear he's using the same changes and everything! But it sounds great, and it sounds refreshing that he was using the template for Giant Steps for other tunes as well. He created a series of chord changes in Giant Steps that became known as the Coltrane Matrix, which is really just a fancy term for changes that are a little bit more complicated than the standard jazz II-V's. Anyways, on my remastered CD version there's two extra tunes. One is called '26-2', and the other is another version of Body and Soul. 26-2 takes off from where Satellite left, a kind of bebop piece that lacks a melody and theme, but has lots and lots of variations of many themes. It features a nice piano solo that doesn't sound anything like McCoy, I think its this other guy credited on the album named Steve Davis. After the piano solo, there's more sax stuff but this time on a soprano. Trane loved soprano sax. And the other version of Body and Soul is more relaxed, a kind of slower tempo, and has less melody, more notes if you will. Good version but I liked the other version better. This one is more of a live in the club feel though.
     Anyways, this album is really great! I would recommend this album to anyone who wants to get more into the world of straight-ahead jazz, the old school cutting edge stuff after Miles' Kind of Blue, Dizzy and Charlie Parker, and Monk. Also, listening to this jazz will prepare you for the avant-garde. In my case it did. But I've seen on other occasions where they're people who love this era of John Coltrane but can't stand listening to his free-jazz stuff in like 1964-1965. There are some people who say that jazz ends with this kind of stuff. But for me jazz continued evolving and this was one of the most important developments, especially in John Coltrane's career. The guy was a helluva sax player. And his band (McCoy Tyners, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones) were probably the best Quartet in modern jazz.

John Coltrane Infinity

    

     I bought this album at the local record shop for $7.99 thinking it would be some great late period John Coltrane album. Little did I know, because I didn't check, the music was supervised and inspired by Alice Coltrane. This isn't bad but this is kind of not really a full Coltrane album. First of all this is a remix album, featuring overdubs with strings of Coltrane's pieces recorded in 1965 and 1966. This album was released on Impulse! Records in 1972. Her controversial "re-imagining" of her husband's late works was criticized by both fans and critics, as she took his original performances and superimposed them over lush orchestral backgrounds and re-dubbed rhythm section parts, as well as recording new solos on piano, organ, harp and timpani.(Wiki)
     The most Coltrane-like thing other than the saxophone playing is a short piece Coltrane wrote: To perceive again and this time it must be said, for all who read to know that no matter what, it is all with God. He is gracious and merciful. His way is in Love, through which we all are. Wherever and whoever you are, always strive to follow and walk in the right Path and ask for aid and assistance.....herein lies the ultimate and eternal happiness in which is ours through His grace. I could say that I disliked this album but really the only thing I don't like about it is the fact that there are goddamn strings and harps all over the place. A string section is not jazz! I don't like it. Even Charlie Parker with strings to me is really lame jazz. Also, the fact that Alice Coltrane, (John's wife who performed with him on piano during his last years) overdubbed strings and added piano solos and harps doesn't bother me. Frank Zappa would later do this, often mixing live concert performance with studio performances. In addition, Miles Davis would make a career out of just looping music and overdubbing solos and stuff, during his fusion period, which was just coming up because this album was released in 1966.
     The names of the tunes are really John Coltrane. The tunes are as listed: 'Peace on Earth', 'Living Space', 'Joy', and 'Leo'. These were all Coltrane cuts that he performed late in his career and are featured on other albums as just plain Coltrane tunes. It should also be known that this period so close to Coltrane's death was his free-jazz period, where he reached beyond the harmonic restraints of blues, bebop, and the straight-ahead music of his time. It should also be known that tracks 2 and 3 were recorded by the original Coltrane Quartet (Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison), while tracks 1 and 4 were recorded by Coltrane's later ensemble (Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali, Pharoah Sanders). I would say that the classic Quartet plays the music in a more straightforward bebop straight-ahead direction, but Coltrane was still pushing the envelop with his iconic and distinctive 'sheets of sound'. In addition, the classic Quartet is more of an equal unit where everyone gets a say, especially in terms of solos. You can always tell on which song is the classic Quartet and which is the later period with Alice Coltrane simply because of the piano playing. Alice Coltrane plays with a lighter touch and plays with more simpler harmonic vocabulary than McCoy Tyner. Also, her right hand doesn't hit the keys as hard! The best thing about this album are the classic Quartet cuts in my opinion.
     What else can I say of the music? Well, because there's a string section there seems to always have and opening and closing theme, played by the string section. And then there's Coltrane's saxophone playing, which is just phenomenal. The last track, 'Leo' has Pharaoh Sanders on tenor sax and flute. This one was a Coltrane favorite that he played on a lot of other albums. It's as wild and crazy as free-jazz gets without yelling and screaming into the microphone. This tune is a great one because it sounds fresh and exciting, almost as if it could have come out today. Even Alice Coltrane's piano playing comes across great here, managing to bridge the gap between harmonic and free playing.
     Lastly, I can't help but say I was a bit disappointed in the album because I thought it was a late period Coltrane album. But I gotta say that the actual music ain't bad. I hate the strings and the harps and stuff, but Alice Coltrane did what she thought was a great homage to her late husband. Some would say this is a disgrace and that it sucks, but I think it's actually quite good. Not quite Coltrane. But not bad.