Branford Marsalis Quartet: Coltrane’s A Love Supreme – Live in Amsterdam

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Alice Coltrane, Branford Marsalis, Charles Ned Goold, David Sánchez, Eric Revis, Jeff Tain Watts, Joey Calderrazzo, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Miguel Zenón

Years had passed since I’d heard John Coltrane’s 1964 recording, “A Love Supreme,” with his classic quartet. Naturally, it would have been ideal to hear it again before watching a 2003 rendition from the Branford Marsalis Quartet, performed at the Bimhuis Jazz Club in Amsterdam.

This 2004 DVD release under the Marsalis Music label provided a sort on seminar on this work, in the sense that all of musicians interviewed discussed the piece as they saw it and “felt it.” In addition to Branford Marsalis (1960-), the performers included Joey Calderazzo (1965-), Eric Revis (1967-) and Jeff “Tain” Watts (1960-). Also interviewed were Michael Brecker (1949-2007), Charles Ned Goold (1959-), David Sánchez (1968-), and Miguel Zenón (1976-).  However, the longest discussion on the disc was Branford Marsalis’ interview of John Coltrane’s widow, Alice (1937-2007), which exceeded 30 minutes. Although her ramblings were not always eloquent, the recollections she provided of her husband were priceless.

The actual performance of approximately 48 minutes was impressive, with particularly noteworthy contributions from Calderazzo and Marsalis. I felt that this set admirably captured the piece. This is the kind of Jazz which “matters,” as it both challenges and inspires. Check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

 

The Red Garland Quintet: Soul Junction

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Arthur Taylor, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Duke Ellington, George Joyner, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Phil De Lancie, Red Garland, Rudy Van Gelder, The Red Garland Quintet, Vincent Youmans

“Soul Junction” was recorded on November 15, 1957,
by the Red Garland Quintet. This album was firmly rooted
in the Hard-Bop tradition of the day, yet strongly influenced
by the Blues. This was evident when hearing the
15-minute title cut, credited to Garland (1923-1984).
The other four tracks include the well-known,
“Woody ‘N You” by Dizzy Gillespie, “Birk’s Works,” also by
Gillespie, the Ben Webster/Duke Ellington penned ballad,
“I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good),” and the upbeat
“Hallelujah” from Vincent Youmans, which was taken at
a very fast tempo.

All five of these tunes provided an ample opportunity
for Garland and his four bandmates to demonstrate their
considerable skills. John Coltrane was on tenor saxophone
at this session. By then, he’d logged many hours with
Garland, as a part of Miles Davis’ first great quintet,
and had also headlined some recordings of his own. All of
these songs featured Coltrane’s unique ability to break
down chords and render strikingly original solos, showing
that he’d “arrived” as a player.

Donald Byrd’s full, crisp tone on trumpet was also a strong
component of these recordings, with drummer Arthur Taylor
and bassist George Joyner ideally rounding out the
rhythm section. This Rudy Van Gelder session would also
yield another disc, “All Morning Long,” as well as part of
“High Pressure,” an album recorded for the Prestige label.
Otherwise, Garland primarily recorded as the leader of
his eponymous trio.

It’s interesting to hear a musician like Garland leading
a session versus performing as a sideman, as he had
with Miles Davis. This record illustrated his solid
stewardship, and resulted in a 43-minute disc that any
Jazzman could point to with pride. I’m looking forward
to hearing the other fruits of this session.

Released under the Prestige label, this recording was
digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie in 1990. It sounds
great and is highly recommended.

John Coltrane: The Stardust Sessions

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Jimmy Cobb, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Wilbur Harden

“John Coltrane: The Stardust Sessions” was originally released
as a double album by the Prestige label in 1975. However,
prior to that, two of the songs on it were from the album
“Bahia,” another two songs were from “Stardust,” and the
remaining four songs were on “Standard Coltrane.” Apparently,
record executives at Prestige decided to combine all eight
songs on one double album, naming the session after the
longest song. All of these songs were recorded on the same
day, July 11, 1958.

At any rate, with the exceptions of Wilbur Harden and
Jimmy Cobb, the band personnel recorded here had played
together many times, primarily as part of Miles Davis’ first great
quintet and sextet. John Coltrane (1926-1967) had already
recorded numerous records as a bandleader, beginning
during the previous year. By the time this session was
recorded, his formidable abilities as a soloist had already
been apparent for a while. There is some superb playing from
Coltrane here, which is replete with many of the fast flurries
of notes through a chord, while en route to the ultimate note,
“sheets of sound” style. He would develop this style
further while recording the following year for Atlantic, before
going in different directions during the 1960’s, under the
“Impulse!” label. Nevertheless, as of July 1958, the playing
he exhibited here was fairly representative of his playing
at the time.

The eight songs on this 69-minute CD are all of the
“Jazz standard” variety; none of them are original compositions
from these band members. These are just superb
extemporization on existing tunes by formidable Jazz musicians.
In addition to the aforementioned Wilbur Harden on trumpet
and flugelhorn and Jimmy Cobb on drums, the disc features
longtime Miles Davis alumni, including bassist Paul Chambers
and Red Garland on piano.

While these renditions certainly don’t “push the envelope”
in terms of innovation, they nevertheless show how standard
Jazz arrangements can sound when topnotch musicians
assemble for a one-day “blowing session” at Rudy Van Gelder’s
Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. This is very tasteful and
enjoyable Jazz, as well as an important page in John Coltrane’s
development as a player.

John Coltrane: The Believer

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John Coltrane, Ray Draper

Originally, “The Believer” was issued in 1964 on LP, by the
Prestige label. Consisting of only three songs, this album
had a running time of less than 30 minutes. The performers
were led by John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Donald Byrd
or Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Red Garland on piano, Paul
Chambers on bass, and Louis Hayes or Arthur Taylor on
drums. Two of the songs were recorded during January 1958
and the third one was recorded in December 1958.

For this 1996 reissue under the Prestige label, two bonus
tracks from a December 1957 recording session were included.
The songs were taken from the album, “The Ray Draper
Quintet Featuring John Coltrane” (New Jazz 8228). These
last two songs were particularly interesting to me. They were
a curiosity, because it was the first time I’d heard a tuba as
part of a two-horn front line in a Jazz combo, or used for
solo improvisation in a Jazz setting.

The results are interesting if not particularly successful, due
to the fact that at this stage in their respective careers,
Ray Draper’s tuba playing wasn’t nearly on the same
level as John Coltrane’s saxophone playing. The tuba
also tended to sound a bit lost in the mix, in both the
ensemble passages and solo ones, while Coltrane’s tenor
saxophone sounded typically strong and brilliant. To be fair,
Ray Draper (1940-1982) was only 17-years old at that time.

The other players for these sessions were Gil Coggins on
piano, Spanky DeBrest on bass and Larry Ritchie on drums.
The two additional songs that were performed were “Filidia”
by Draper and “Paul’s Pal,” a Sonny Rollins tune, the main
riff of which definitely bore his signature. To my ears, this
was fairly straight ahead Jazz of the period, with “sheets of
sound” playing from Coltrane, who was starting to assert
himself as a soloist. Like I said earlier with regard to the
tuba/saxophone front line, these were interesting
instrumentation choices.

The other three tracks on this disc were also fairly standard
for the time. For these tunes, the main drawing card was
Coltrane’s playing. He had clearly “arrived” as a soloist,
and his assertiveness on his instrument commanded the
listener to sit up and take notice. His playing was by turns,
both exciting and compelling.

It should also be noted that Donald Byrd and Freddie Hubbard
were no “slouches.” They both performed admirably, and were
good fits in these ensembles. Hubbard’s playing on
“Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” was his first
collaboration with John Coltrane (1926-1967) in the
recording studio, and it left me with a desire to hear
more of their work together. The rhythm section was also
rock solid and tasteful.

I do have one question about this disc. The back
cover of this CD credits the composition of the title piece,
“The Believer,” to McCoy Tyner, while the accompanying
booklet of liner notes by Dan Morgenstern (reproduced
from the original 1964 LP) refers to the song as “…an original
by ‘Trane.” I’d like to see this discrepancy rectified.

Nonetheless, “The Believer” is another worthwhile disc,
particularly for those interested in charting the development
of John Coltrane.

Trane Tracks: The Legacy of John Coltrane

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John Coltrane

“Trane Tracks: The Legacy of John Coltrane” is a 78-minute
film that chronicles the life of saxophone great John Coltrane
(1926-1967), complete with lengthy clips of his performances
of some of his most famous songs. These include two versions
of “Impressions” and “My Favorite Things,” which feature
Eric Dolphy (1928-1964) in one version of each of these
songs. Other tunes included are “Afro Blue,” “Naima” and
“Alabama,” among others.

The chronological narration touches upon key events in
Coltrane’s musical development through discussion and
interviews with key musicians, including trumpeter Benny Bailey
and drummer Eddie Marshall. Other contributors include pianist
McCoy Tyner, a member of Coltrane’s classic quartet from
1961 to 1965.

While most, if not all of the generous musical clips were
available elsewhere, I was satisfied that they were included
within this narrative. The highlights of this Jazz giant’s
musical career were documented and I was also treated to
archival footage of various other Jazz greats, such as
Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker.

On the other hand, I could have done without the “bookends” of
this documentary, consisting of clips from a church service,
conducted by Bishop Franzo King of the African Orthodox
Church of Saint John Coltrane. It’s interesting to learn that
Coltrane inspired a particular religious “sect,” but I believe
that the Bishop’s lack of eloquence and tendency to ramble
does this film a disservice.

In addition, the back of the DVD cover states that the running
time of this disc is approximately 80 minutes. While the special
features are mentioned, their running times are not provided
on the cover; therefore, the viewer has no indication of the
time commitment required to view the entire disc. Under normal
circumstances, this wouldn’t be a problem. However, the special
features alone run an additional 86 minutes, with 26 minutes
devoted to Bishop King’s ramblings, much of which does not
directly pertain to John Coltrane. Bishop King stated that he
received a “Baptism of Sound” from John Coltrane, which
inspired him to found this special “offshoot” of the African
Orthodox Church. The remaining 60 minutes of exclusive
interviews include 30 minutes with McCoy Tyner, 24 minutes
with Eddie Marshall and six minutes with Benny Bailey. Of
these contributions, I found Tyner’s input to be the most
valuable, because he worked directly with John Coltrane
and knew him best.

In addition to the aforementioned interviews, the back cover
of this DVD indicated that Ron Carter and fellow Coltrane
band member, drummer Elvin Jones, were also granted
exclusive interviews. They were not on the DVD, and I was
disappointed with this error. Therefore, even the statement
on the front of the cover,  “…featuring revealing
interviews with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones…” is only
partially accurate.

Nevertheless, this is a generously filled disc, albeit with a
lot of the aforementioned “padding” in the bonus features.
I would have preferred longer segments with Ron Carter and
Elvin Jones, as their segments are minuscule clips in the main
body of the 78-minute film. Suffice it to say that the interview
footage with Carter and Jones falls far short of the generous,
exclusive treatment that is publicized. I still believe that
“Trane Tracks: The Legacy of John Coltrane” is a worthwhile DVD;
however, the wraparound cover and/or DVD sleeve need
revision. This 2005 release by the EFORFILMS label is a part
of their “Jazz Movie Classics” series.