TOMMY FLANAGAN — The Cats (with John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, and Idrees Sulieman) (review)

TOMMY FLANAGAN — The Cats (with John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, and Idrees Sulieman) album cover Album · 1959 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Amilisom
Best album name ever.

"The Cats." Its the album you know you want to own just for the sake of being able to say you "got 'The Cats'," in which as a result you will no longer have any doubt in your mind that you are, in fact, cool. The question of whether the album is good or not is entirely irrelevant. If somehow you don't seem to be in awe of the greatness of "The Cats" and insist on knowing what the music itself is like regardless of the album title, then a review of sorts will suffice.

"The Cats" is a hard bop album credited to tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and Pianist Tommy Flanagan. Also included in the lineup are Idrees Sulieman on trumpet and Kenny Burrell on guitar. The four of them take solos on every track with the exception of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" which features Tommy Flanagan in a piano trio with Doug Watkins and Louis Hayes. The solos themselves are certainly the works of professionals, but compared to other albums this particular one doesn't have many memorable moments or what I would consider masterwork solos. Otherwise the music isn't bad, as I have certainly enjoyed listening to this at times.

It would do to mention that there is an incredible moment in the middle of Flanagan's solo in Solacium where he quotes the beginning of Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu.

6.5/10, rounded up
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

Bow Code Post-Fusion Contemporary
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anthem For No Man’s Land Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ANDREAS SCHAERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Living Ghosts Post-Fusion Contemporary
MICHAEL WOLLNY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Live at Donte's, Vol. 1 Vocal Jazz
MIKE CAMPBELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 9 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 23 hours ago
Con Alma
GENE BERTONCINI
js· 1 day ago
Our Walk (Live)
BEN MARKLEY
js· 1 day ago
Solar (feat. Vicente Archer & Otis Brown III)
JERRY LÉONIDE
js· 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