Listening Room – “Coltrane Playlist #2″

John Coltrane Playlist #2

Syeeda’s Song Flute from “Giant Steps” : 1959 : Atlantic LP 1311
Bye Bye Blackbird
from “‘Round About Midnight” : 1955: Columbia CL 949
Trane’s Slow Blues
from “Lush Life” : 1957 : Prestige PRLP 7188
Super Jet
from “Mating Call” : 1956 : Prestige PRLP 7070
Impressions
from “Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings” : 1961 : Impulse 4-232

John Coltrane – “Syeeda’s Song Flute”

Miles Davis – “Bye Bye Blackbird”

John Coltrane – “Trane’s Slow Blues”

Tadd Dameron / John Coltrane – “Super Jet”

John Coltrane – “Impressions”

Rashied Ali – R.I.P.

Rashied Ali

Just got word that drummer Rashied Ali passed away August 12th at the age of 74.  Probably most well known for his tenure with The John Coltrane Quartet (he replaced Elvin Jones in 1965 and played with Trane until his death in 1967) where he seemingly created the technique of free jazz drumming.  In 2003 Ali formed The Rashied Ali Quartet with whom he released two critically acclaimed albums.

[In 1967 Coltrane and Ali recorded an album of duets, "Interstellar Space", which was released on Impulse in 1974.  I have previewed the track Saturn below, a fitting tribute to a great drummer who helped push the limits of where jazz could go.]

John Coltrane – Saturn from “Interstellar Space”

Listening Room – “Lush Life”

Lush Life

John Coltrane – “Lush Life”

John Coltrane – “Like Someone in Love”

From “Lush Life” : 1958 : Prestige Records

This is early Coltrane from 1958 when he was recording for Prestige Records.  His reading of Lush Life is considered a classic and the trio tracks that make up the rest of the records are just as strong.

Players:
John Coltrane – Tenor Sax
Earl May – Bass (Like Someone in Love)
Art Taylor – Drums (Like Someone in Love)
Red Garland – Piano
Donald Byrd – Trumpet
Paul Chambers – Bass
Louis Hayes – Drums

Listening Room – “Soul Junction”

Red Garland – “Birk’s Works”

Red Garland – “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”

From “Soul Junction” : 1957 : Prestige Records

Red Garland was just finishing up his stint with Miles Davis’ first great quintet when he recorded this 1957 album on the Prestige Records label. Coltrane and Donald Byrd are in great form as is the rest of the group while performing one Garland original (the title track) as well as standards of the day including Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks Works” and Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good).

Players:
Red Garland – Piano
John Coltrane – Tenor Sax
Donald Byrd – Trumpet
George Joyner – Bass
Art Taylor – Drums