JOHN COLTRANE — First Meditations (for quartet) (review)

JOHN COLTRANE — First Meditations (for quartet) album cover Album · 1977 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
There have been many excellent Trane posthumous releases (commercialized in 77), but this one might just be the best ever. Graced with an unusual sleeve (especially for the Impulse! label), First Meditations was recorded in the last days of the first quartet, but obviously shelved, and later re-worked during the transition with the second quartet, with two drummers and two saxes. As this release’s name might indicate, this is the first version of the Meditations album that Trane recorded and released with his second classic quartet, but the tracks are played by the Tyner, Elvin and Jimmy quartet, and believe me, this is a much friendlier train of thoughts than the “official” album.

If the opening Love doesn’t change very much from the “official” version, Compassion is indeed more accessible than its original (not) version, with some haunting drumming and piano-key tickling. You’ll find that the movements of the Meditations suite are not in the same order as the album had them, but it doesn’t hurt at all the flow of the music in the present running. Joy is probably the closest to the sextet version, along with the up-coming Consequences, at least in the intention and spirit. The hardest track on the FM album is also the hardest one of Meditations: Consequences is definitely toying with the limits of sanity and dissonance, yet it’s still kinder to your eardrums that the double sax-drums version. Actually, I find this first version more cohesive and coherent than the sextet version, because the addition of Pharoah and Rashied are not always happy ones, the compability of some musicians not being obvious for the benefit of the composition. The closing Serenity is rather longer thn the sextet version, but refers less (IMHO) to the ALS composition.

As you’ll guess, the major difference between M and FM is the quartet’s members, with Tyner’s always perfect piano, and Elvin’s ever present awesomùe drumming, botgh of whom surpass (IMHO) Pharoah and Rashied Ali’s contributions on the Meditation release. If you have room for only one version of Meditations, this is the present that I’d suggest you, because if less spectacular, it certainly is easier to digest and will most likely get much more spinning time on your hi-fi.

Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

6 Eclectic Fusion
KROKOFANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Spring In Stockholm Live At Konserthuset, 1959 Cool Jazz
GERRY MULLIGAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed