JOHN COLTRANE — The John Coltrane Quartet Plays (review)

JOHN COLTRANE — The John Coltrane Quartet Plays album cover Album · 1965 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
Another typical Impulse! Post bop album that Trane had us become used to expect from him on that very label. Indeed, despite the relatively innocent title, implying at least a few covers, TJCQP is another solid piece of advanced jazz, often bordering modal music. Produced and engineered by the Thiele and VanGelder team, the album’s scope is relatively wide-ranging, despite remaining rather focused in its intention on intensity (in ten cities).

Opening on Chim Cheree (based on a Disney musical theme), the mood is definitely modal and expansive, and surprisingly enough, despite its inspiration); and it might often be more intense than the following 13-mins Brazilia. Indeed, past the softer start, the second tier of Brazilia plunges in the shallow waters of dissonance, but you’d feel in deep in the Mariana Trench depths, where only Elvin’s skin-banging keeps us afloat. On the flipside, the Anbez-penned Nature Boy has McCoy laying his usual bed of piano tickling , thus leaving Trane to open slowly, before going amok in dissonance and Art Davis bowing a contrabass. Great stuff, light years ahead of any Blue Note albums. The closing 10-mins Song Of Praise appears to be on a rocky middle-of-the-winter start, with Garrison’s choppy bass takes its bloody sweet time to finally let Trane’s solemn sax and McCoy’s piano take on the praise over the edge of sanity. Amazing stuff

Definitely another very worthy Impulse! label album, TJCQP can somewhat be drowned in a sea of Impulse! masterpieces, and be overlooked by most jazzheads. Even with the lesser-know Trane albums in its catalogue, it’s easy to understand why Thiele and the Impulse! label owner forked out a fortune to have Trane fly its artistic and spiritual freedom. Awesome stuff, really!!!
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