01	Cherryco						06:47
	02	Focus On Sanity						12:15
	03	The Blessing						07:53
	04	The Invisible						04:15
	05	Bemsha Swing						05:05
	06	Ole						18:18
	07	Dahomey Dance						10:52
	08	Aisha						07:45

The Avant-Garde [Atlantic]
John Coltrane With Don Cherry
Date of Release Jun 20, 1960 - Jul 8, 1960 (recording)
Styles Avant-Garde, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz


This album is rightfully co-credited to Don Cherry (trumpet), who ably trades blows with John Coltrane (tenor/soprano sax) throughout. The Avant-Garde also boasts the debut studio recording of Coltrane playing soprano sax - on "The Blessing" - in addition to his continuing advancements on tenor. Although these tracks were recorded during the summer of 1960, they remained shelved for nearly six years. Joining Coltrane and Cherry are essentially the rest of the members of the Ornette Coleman Quartet, Ed Blackwell (drums) and Charlie Haden (bass) on "Cherryco" and "The Blessing," as well as Percy Heath (bass) on the remaining three selections. This is fitting, as over half of the album consists of early Coleman compositions. Coltrane's integration into this band works with some extraordinarily fresh results. Neither Cherry nor Coltrane makes any radical departures on this album; however, it's the ability of each to complement the other both in terms of modal style and - perhaps more importantly - texture that lends heavily to the success of these sides. Cherry's brisk and somewhat nasal intonations on "The Blessing" mimic those of Miles Davis, albeit with shorter flourishes and heavily improvised lines. When combined with Coltrane's well-placed - if not somewhat reserved - solos, the mutual value of both is dramatically increased. Blackwell - the only other musician besides Cherry and Coltrane to be featured on every track - provides some non-conventional percussive accompaniment. His contributions to "The Blessing" and workout on the aptly titled "Focus on Sanity" are primal. - Lindsay Planer

1. Cherryco performed by Coltrane / Don Cherry - 6:47
2. Focus on Sanity performed by Coltrane / Don Cherry - 12:15
3. The Blessing performed by Coltrane / Don Cherry - 7:53
4. The Invisible performed by Coltrane / Don Cherry - 4:15
5. Bemsha Swing performed by Coltrane / Don Cherry - 5:05

Don Cherry - Trumpet, Cornet
Percy Heath - Bass
Greg Allen - Design
Ed Blackwell - Drums
Hugh Brown - Art Direction
John Coltrane - Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Tom Dowd - Engineer
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer, Supervisor
Charlie Haden - Bass
Dan Hersch - Remastering
Phil Iehle - Engineer
Ilhan Mimaroglu - Coordination
Ted Myers - Assistant
George Piros - Remastering
Chuck Stewart - Photography
A.B. Spellman - Liner Notes
Bob Defrin - Art Direction, Design
Rachel Gutek - Art Direction
Patrick Milligan - Supervisor
Brian Schuman - Assistant
Bob Carlton - Assistant
Jim Hughes - Assistant
Vanessa Atkins - Supervisor
Curtice Taylor - Coloring
Lee Tanner - Back Cover
Loring Eutemey - Cover Design
Giuseppe Pino - Photography
Rick Brodey - Assistant
Lori Carfora - Assistant
Abidine - Cover Art

CD Atlantic 90041-2
Atlantic 1451





Ole Coltrane
Date of Release May 25, 1961 (recording)
Styles Post-Bop


The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Ole are evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick - over and beyond his appreciable musical skills - guides works such as this to new levels, ultimately advancing the entire art form. Historically, it's worth noting that recording had already commenced - two days prior to this session - on Africa/Brass, Coltrane's debut for the burgeoning Impulse! label. The two discs complement each other, suggesting a shift in the larger scheme of Coltrane's musical motifs. The assembled musicians worked within a basic quartet setting, featuring Coltrane (soprano/tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), and Elvin Jones (drums), with double-bass chores held down by Art Davis and Reggie Workman. Added to that are significant contributions and interactions with Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) and Eric Dolphy (flute and alto sax). Dolphy's contract with another record label prevented him from being properly credited on initial pressings of the album. The title track is striking in its resemblance to the Spanish influence heard on Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain. This is taken a bit further as Coltrane's combo stretches out with inspired improvisations from Dolphy, Hubbard, Tyner, and Coltrane, respectively. "Ole" likewise sports some amazing double-bass interaction. The combination of a bowed upright bass played in tandem with the same instrument that is being plucked has a sinister permeation that assuredly excited Coltrane, who was perpetually searching from outside the norms. The haunting beauty of "Aisha" stands as one of the finest collaborative efforts between Tyner - the song's author - and Coltrane. The solos from Hubbard, Dolphy, and an uncredited Tyner gleam from within the context of a single facet in a multi-dimensional jewel. The CD reissue also includes an extra track cut during the Ole sessions. "Original Untitled Blues (To Her Ladyship)" is likewise on the seven-volume Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings box set. - Lindsay Planer

1. Ole (Coltrane) - 18:18
2. Dahomey Dance (Coltrane) - 10:52
3. Aisha (Tyner) - 7:45
4. To Her Ladyship [*] (Frazier) - 9:00

Art Davis - Bass
Eric Dolphy - Flute, Sax (Alto)
Elvin Jones - Drums
McCoy Tyner - Piano
John Coltrane - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer, Supervisor
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Dan Hersch - Remastering
Ted Myers - Project Assistant
Phil Ramone - Engineer
Reggie Workman - Bass
Ralph J. Gleason - Liner Notes
Neil Tesser - Liner Notes, Reissue Liner Notes
Patrick Milligan - Reissue Supervisor
Brian Schuman - Project Assistant
Jim Hughes - Project Assistant
Vanessa Atkins - Editorial Supervision
Lee Tanner - Cover Photo
Sevie Bates - Reissue Art Director
Rick Brodey - Project Assistant
Lori Carfora - Project Assistant
Shawn Amos - Editorial Coordinator
Daniel Goldmark - Editorial Research
Steve Woodland - Project Assistant

2000 CD Rhino 79965
1992 CS Atlantic CS-1373
1992 CD Atlantic SD-1373-2
1990 CS Atlantic 1373
CD Atlantic 1373
Rhino 1373




Artist: JOHN COLTRANE
Title: OLE COLTRANE
Date: May 25, 1961
Release: Rhino #79965


MUSTHEAR REVIEW:

John Coltrane never stopped wondering what he wanted from music, and never stopped pushing the boundaries. Trane genuinely strove to be saintly in his devotion to the divine, creating a body of deeply spiritual music that has come to be regarded as holy by his many devotees. His musical legacy was officially consecrated in 1971, when the Church of Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane was founded in San Francisco. A gentle and enigmatic man of many voices, Trane was an often fiery, shockingly original musician. Put on any of his records, and the sounds emanating from his saxophone crackle with life. While his music was criticized by some as being too "aggressive," Trane knew (as some people "knew" in the 1960s) that love was the answer. His albums gained in momentum, one after the other, until his death in1967, when perhaps he finally went even further beyond. When he recorded Ole Coltrane in 1961, Trane was already transitioning over to Impulse! Records, and his playing reflected the greater freedom that the new label afforded him. In the original liner notes, he is quoted as saying (in a classic understatement), "I like to play long." On the18-minute showpiece, "Ole", one can imagine the profound satisfaction he must have felt, when for the first time, he was free to let his playing stretch out across the record grooves. This is trance music of the highest order. Recorded one year after his former boss Miles Davis released Sketches of Spain, Trane's "Ole" resonates with the mystical sounds of the North African Moors who once ruled the Iberian Peninsula. While Sketches of Spain is big on Gil Evans' sweeping orchestrations and flamenco grandeur, "Ole" explores the Eastern-influenced musical modes of Islamic Spain in a more stripped down and earthy manner. Just two days after recording Africa/Brass, his stunning debut album for Impulse!, Trane took old band mates McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones into the studio for a rendezvous with some talented new friends. Joining them there were Trane's equally intense and innovative counterpart, Eric Dolphy, the very young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and bassists Reggie Workman and the Art Davis. This dream team provided a great deal of musical empathy, liberating the conception and size of Coltrane's solos, spurring him to unknown heights. Everyone except Elvin Jones solos on "Ole," shaping the song with ever increasing freedom into the masterpiece that it is. Eric Dolphy's flute solo is unforgettable, communicating genius in a voice that no one could fail to identify. The interplay of the two basses lends an eerie mysticism to the song, with Art Davis' strong rhythmic bow-work suggesting the entrancing dance of Istanbul's Whirling Dervishes. "Dahomey Dance" is a more traditional sounding blues, with Trane switching to tenor sax. If not for the double-bass frontline and Dolphy's blissfully unconventional solo, this song could easily be mistaken for a missing gem from Miles' Kind Of Blue sessions. The album closes out with two beautifully lush songs. "Aisha" burns with such sensuality that it's hard to understand why it was one of the few McCoy Tyner compositions Trane ever recorded . The final track, a Billy Frazier composition entitled "Original Untitled Ballad (To Her Ladyship)," was not released until 1970. A lovely and delicate tune, it was excluded from the original release for some strange reason. A transitional record, Ole Coltrane successfully navigates the line between Trane's sonically challenging later years and his earlier accessibility. A magnificent milestone in Trane's artistic growth, this is an essential recording for any collection.
---John Ballon (email)


Tracks:
1. Ole (Coltrane) - 18:18
2. Dahomey Dance (Coltrane) - 10:52
3. Aisha (Tyner) - 7:45
4. Original Untitled Ballad (To Her Ladyship) [*] - 9:00

Players:
John Coltrane - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Eric Dolphy - Flute, Sax (Alto)
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
McCoy Tyner - Piano
Reggie Workman - Bass
Art Davis - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums