John coltrane in Jazz Instrumental Music

"Blue Train [Expanded Edition] [Remaster]" (08/05/2003) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Blue Note Records (USA)Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 15, 1957. Originally released on Blue Note (81577). Includes liner notes by Robert Levin and Bob Blumenthal. This Enhanced-CD version of BLUE TRAIN features audio tracks from BLUE TRAIN, interviews with jazz musicians (including Curtis Fuller, who played trombone on BLUE TRAIN), still pictures and video clips from the period, and a multimedia biography of Coltrane. Personnel includes: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); "Philly" Joe Jones (drums). Producer: Alfred Lion. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna. Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster. Personnel: John Coltrane (alto & tenor saxophones); Gene Ammons, Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jerome Richardson (flute); Tommy Flanagan, Red Garland, Mal Waldron (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Paul Chambers, George Joyner, Earl May (bass); Jimmy Cobb, Arthur Taylor (drums). Producer: Bob Weinstock. Compilation producer: Ed Michel. Recorded at the Ven Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey between August 16, 1957 and May 23, 1958. Includes liner notes by Stuart Kremsky. Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1996, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California). Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder. Liner Note Authors: Michael Cuscuna; Bob Blumenthal. Recording information: New York, NY (09/15/1957); Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ (09/15/1957). Photographer: Francis Wolff. With 1957's BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly, not only as individuals, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" ensembles would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly. Nineteen-year-old trumpeter Lee Morgan spins bop lines in a warm tone, belying his age with his extraordinary playing, while drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers keep BLUE TRAIN running with impressive agility. Two of Coltrane's compositions here, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird," contain the seeds of harmonic exploration to be found in his later work. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His unique tone could be warm and sweet or sharp and insistent, but is always amazingly expressive. Throughout this revered album, Coltrane packs more emotion into one phrase than most arists are capable of in a whole tune. Recorded in 1957, BLUE TRAIN is considered by the artist himself to be his finest work. In the mid-50's, Trane played with Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, and he used the experience to propel himself to new heights of improvisational hard bop. The elements that comprise BLUE TRAIN would come to influence every generation of musicians that followed. The bluesy title track kicks in with an extended Coltrane tenor sax solo. Four years later Coltrane would also adopt soprano sax into his fold. This leads into solos by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano and Paul Chambers brings it home on the bass. Philly Joe Jones keeps the beat impeccably throughout, with a slight shuffle. "Moment's Notice" quickens the pace and showcases Jones' more intricate drumming. "Locomotion" takes an almost rock 'n' roll pace with the sax and trumpet playing in perfect tandem. Coltrane then shows his diversity by taking it easy and delicate in "I'm Old Fashioned." "Lazy Bird" is an excellent mid tempo number that

"The Very Best of John Coltrane [Rhino]" (02/15/2000) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Rhino Records (USA)Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly, McCoy Tyner (piano); Paul Chambers, Steve Davis (bass); Elvin Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Art Taylor (drums). Producer: Nesuhi Ertegun. Compilation producer: Patrick Milligan. Recorded in 1959 and 1960. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff. Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (DigiPrep). Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner, Tommy Flanagan, Wynton Kelly (piano); Elvin Jones, Jimmy Cobb , Art Taylor (drums, snare drum). Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: Nat Hentoff. Recording information: 05/05/1959-10/24/1960. The importance of John Coltrane as an inexhaustible, groundbreaking improviser cannot be overstated. His distinctive sound, melodic imagination and storied dedication to the craft remain an inspiration both to other saxophonists, and to later generations of jazz musicians. These landmark sessions--a highly accessible, essential core of the Coltrane legacy--were recorded just after his bracing work with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and signaled Coltrane's emergence as a dominant and enduring musical force. He reshaped standards like "Body & Soul" and "Summertime" into his own heady, harmonic image. The classic recording of "My Favorite Things," probably Coltrane's most popular, introduced his soaring soprano sax and had pianists scrambling to decipher McCoy Tyner's revolutionary chord voicings. Coltrane's trademark "sheets of sound" cover "Central Park West," and the Afro-Cuban bump of "Like Sonny" (a nod to tenor-titan Sonny Rollins), while other original compositions such as the highly influential "Giant Steps" present radical ideas that musicians still grapple with today.

"New Thing at Newport" (06/06/2000) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Impulse!John Coltrane Quartet: John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones. Archie Shepp Quartet: Archie Shepp, Bobby Hutcherson, Barre Philips, Joe Chambers. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island on July 2, 1965. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff. The original Impulse! LP A NEW THING AT NEWPORT did not include Shepp's "Gingerbread, Gingerbread Boy"--the full version (10:15) is included here. Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Bryan Koniarz. Recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Freebody Park, Newport, Rhode Island on July 2, 1965. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff. Digitally remastered by Kevin Reeves (Universal Mastering Studios-East). JOHN COLTRANE: Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); Father Norman O'Connor (spoken vocals); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). ARCHIE SHEPP: Personnel: Archie Shepp (spoken vocals, tenor saxophone); Billy Taylor (spoken vocals); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Barre Phillips (bass); Joe Chambers (drums). Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bobby Hutcherson (bass voice, vibraphone); Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Elvin Jones, Joe Chambers (drums). Liner Note Authors: Michael Cuscuna; Nat Hentoff. Recording information: Freebody Park, Newport, Rhode Island (07/02/1965); Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI (07/02/1965). Photographers: Joe Alper; Chuck Stewart; Charles Stewart. In 1965, a breakthrough year for John Coltrane, the great saxophonist began a fervent period of exploration--acting not only as a lightning rod for the emerging free jazz movement, but becoming something of a free jazz patron. Much as he championed the music of Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy, Coltrane now used his enormous popularity to midwife the work of firebrands such as Albert Ayler and young horn players featured on ASCENSION. Few players benefitted from Coltrane's patronage as much as Florida native Archie Shepp. Coming of age in Philadelphia, Shepp was a veteran of numerous blues and R&B bands when he first came to prominence with Cecil Taylor. Coltrane got him his first contract with Impulse!, leading to Shepp's debut as a leader, FOUR FOR TRANE. A NEW THING AT NEWPORT documents the original Coltrane Quartet, a few months before its dissolution, and a fine edition of the Shepp Quartet. Coltrane's set straddles stylistic periods, and the aesthetic tension is plain to hear. When Coltrane solos on the elliptical theme to "One Down One Up" and the lyrical incantations of "My Favorite Things," the band takes on a fierce, freewheeling demeanor. The saxophonist stretches his melodic lines to the breaking point, reaching out for the intuitive brand of freedom his younger acolytes were then pursuing. But when Tyner solos, you can hear Garrison and Jones coalesce into the kind of rhythmic juggernaut that initially established the quartet's reputation. As for Shepp's set, despite the loose ensemble trappings, the saxophonist comes across as a provocative composer with a dark romantic conception--equal parts free jazz, blues and modern theater (check out his recitation on "Skag," the brooding lyricism of "Le Matin Des Noire," the contrasting delicacy and bite of "Call Me By My Rightful"). As the jagged stops and starts of his opener "Rufus" demonstrate, his amorphous melodic conception is firmly rooted in the blues, and his subtle manipulations of embouchure, inflection and pitch paved the for David Murray (and inevitably drew comparisons to Ben Webster).

"Blue Trane: John Coltrane Plays the Blues" (12/03/1996) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Prestige RecordsPersonnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 15, 1957. Originally released on Blue Note (81577). Includes liner notes by Robert Levin and Bob Blumenthal. This Enhanced-CD version of BLUE TRAIN features audio tracks from BLUE TRAIN, interviews with jazz musicians (including Curtis Fuller, who played trombone on BLUE TRAIN), still pictures and video clips from the period, and a multimedia biography of Coltrane. Personnel includes: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); "Philly" Joe Jones (drums). Producer: Alfred Lion. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna. Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster. Personnel: John Coltrane (alto & tenor saxophones); Gene Ammons, Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jerome Richardson (flute); Tommy Flanagan, Red Garland, Mal Waldron (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Paul Chambers, George Joyner, Earl May (bass); Jimmy Cobb, Arthur Taylor (drums). Producer: Bob Weinstock. Compilation producer: Ed Michel. Recorded at the Ven Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey between August 16, 1957 and May 23, 1958. Includes liner notes by Stuart Kremsky. Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1996, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California). Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Jerome Richardson (flute); Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone); Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Mal Waldron, Red Garland, Tommy Flanagan (piano); Jimmy Cobb , Art Taylor (drums). Audio Remasterer: Joe Tarantino. Liner Note Author: Stuart Kremsky. Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ (08/16/1957-05/23/1958). With 1957's BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly, not only as individuals, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" ensembles would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly. Nineteen-year-old trumpeter Lee Morgan spins bop lines in a warm tone, belying his age with his extraordinary playing, while drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers keep BLUE TRAIN running with impressive agility. Two of Coltrane's compositions here, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird," contain the seeds of harmonic exploration to be found in his later work. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His unique tone could be warm and sweet or sharp and insistent, but is always amazingly expressive. Throughout this revered album, Coltrane packs more emotion into one phrase than most arists are capable of in a whole tune. Recorded in 1957, BLUE TRAIN is considered by the artist himself to be his finest work. In the mid-50's, Trane played with Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, and he used the experience to propel himself to new heights of improvisational hard bop. The elements that comprise BLUE TRAIN would come to influence every generation of musicians that followed. The bluesy title track kicks in with an extended Coltrane tenor sax solo. Four years later Coltrane would also adopt soprano sax into his fold. This leads into solos by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano and Paul Chambers brings it home on the bass. Philly Joe Jones keeps the beat impeccably throughout, with a slight shuffle. "Moment's Notice" quickens the pace and showcases Jones' more intricate drumming. "Locomotion" takes an almost rock 'n' roll pace with the sax and trumpet playing in perfect tandem. Coltrane then shows his diversity by taking it easy and delicate in "I

"Sun Ship" (10/10/1995) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Impulse!Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producers: Bob Thiele, John Coltrane. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at RCA Studios, New York, New York on August 26, 1965. Originally released on Impulse!/ABC Records (AS 9211). Includes liner notes by David A. Wild All tracks have been digitally remastered using 20-bit technology. Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Elvin Jones (drums). Liner Note Author: David Wild. Recording information: RCA Recording Studios, New York, NY (08/26/1965). Photographer: Chuck Stewart. Following the release of A LOVE SUPREME, John Coltrane entered upon a year of furious creation, including such shamanistic works as ASCENSION and MEDITATIONS. While many of his old fans couldn't make the leap of faith required for a sojourn into Coltrane's emotive new sound, those who surrendered to the psychedelic interplay of his classic quartet bore witness to spiritual transformations of enduring grandeur. Recorded August 26, 1965, SUN SHIP is one of Coltrane's most intense performances, and a testament to the maturity and resourcefulness of his rhythm section. With nearly four years of experience under their belt, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones had achieved a vital collective identity, yet each man was an innovator in his own right. When Coltrane evolved a metrically free style of rhythm and melody, the quartet's basic rhythmic pulse and style of collective interplay evolved accordingly. Bassist Garrison and drummer Jones are featured on "Ascent" and "Attaining," where they unveil bold new solutions for coming in and out of tempo and manipulating dynamics, while maintaining the amorphous ebb and flow of the pulse. The opening track, "Sun Ship" begins auspiciously with a splintered chanting theme--a call to arms, as it were. Garrison and Jones regroup dramatically around the leader's clarion calls, then rhythmically abstract the jazz pulse, moving away from strict tempos and linear swing, towards a furious implied pulse, as Tyner crafts a monumental solo full of crashing modulations and heated single lines. Trane re-enters at full tilt, alternating throttled upper register cries with crunching bass declamations, as the levitating rhythm boils around him. The gyrating, oceanic pulse of "Dearly Beloved" suggests earlier ballad explorations such as "Alabama," with Trane's keening tenor providing a taut melodic focus for the multi-layered, ritualistic rhythms surrounding him. Tyner's great waves of chords and contrary motion build to a surging climax, before Trane re-enters to bring them all home. And with "Amen," Trane announces a spare modal theme that evokes both a sense of the older swing and the new freedom. Garrison walks, then strums, surging forward, pulling backwards, elongating and elasticizing the pulse, as Tyner essays swift, sweeping lines and rumbling chordal fanfares--a fervent prelude for Trane's perilous transformations.

"Ascension [Remaster]" (06/06/2000) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Impulse!Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); John Tchicai, Marion Brown (alto saxophone); Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard, Dewey Johnson (trumpet); McCoy Tyner (piano); Art Davis, Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Bryan Koniarz. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 28, 1965. Originally released on Impulse (95). Includes liner notes by Lewis Porter and A.B. Spellman. Digitally remastered by Kevin Reeves (Universal Mastering Studios-East). Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); John Tchicai, Marion Brown (alto saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (tenor saxophone, trumpet); Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone); Dewey Johnson (trumpet); McCoy Tyner (piano); Elvin Jones (drums). Liner Note Authors: Lewis Porter; A.B. Spellman. Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (06/28/1965). Photographers: Chuck Stewart; Charles Stewart. The album ASCENSION played a profoundly important role in John Coltrane's final period. Recorded in June 1965, almost exactly two years before his death, this session marks Coltrane's final stepping off point into free jazz. The album also marks a division for Coltrane's fans, as there are some that applaud his final escape from jazz tradition while others simply couldn't follow him into the great unknown. One way or another, ASCENSION refuses to be ignored. A stunning list of colleagues joins the legendary saxophonist on his final quest. Besides his famed regular quartet, avant-garde saxophonists Pharaoh Sanders and Archie Shepp, extra bassist Art Davis, and even trumpet star Freddie Hubbard, among others, produce an intense sonic assault. If you're sensitive to dissonant noise and uncontrolled barrages of sound, ASCENSION will offer you no comfort. However, the unbridled emotional onslaught that Coltrane unleashes here dwarfs any other artist's entire output. Love it or hate it, this is one disc that's sure to stay on your mind long after its din has faded.

"Crescent [Remaster]" (09/24/1996) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Impulse!John Coltrane Quartet: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 27 and June 1, 1964. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff and Michael Cuscuna. Digitally remastered by Eric Labson (MCA Studios). Like the legendary A LOVE SUPREME, John Coltrane's CRESCENT is one of the most revered albums of his career. The classic Coltrane quartet is in prime form as Tyner, Garrison and Jones form a tight bond with their leader in a stunning display of expression and musical interaction. Coltrane stretches and contorts his sound to construct solos of mesmerizing beauty as on the opening title track. The brooding ballad "Wise One" is a free-form lilt that meanders its way through the haunting melody while Jones' cymbals surge and swell in support. The classic blues of "Bessie's Blues" and the exceptional "Lonnie's Lament" provide examples of this group's ability to express powerful moods on both ends of the emotional spectrum. The grand finale "The Drum Thing" reflects a Middle Eastern influence as Coltrane's snaking melody floats above Jones' churning solo that eventually erupts into an explosive torrent of sound.

"The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane [Box]" (05/04/2004) Jazz Instrument Davis, Miles, Columbia (USA)THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA RECORDINGS contains tracks recorded from October 1955 to March 1961. Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Red Garland, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb (drums). Producers: George Avakian, Cal Lampley, Teo Macero, Irving Townsend. Compilation producers: Michael Cuscuna, Bob Belden. Engineers include: Frank Laico, Harold Chapman, Buddy Graham. Recorded at Columbia Studio D, New York, New York on October 26, 1955; Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, New York between June 5, 1956 and March 21, 1961; live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Rhode Island on July 3, 1958; live at the Persian Room, Plaza Hotel, New York, New York on September 9, 1958. Includes liner notes by Jimmy Cobb, George Avakian, Michael Cuscuna, Bob Blumenthal, Bob Belden, Ken Vail and Bill Evans. Digitally remastered by Mark Wilder. THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA RECORDINGS won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Boxed Recording Package. The set also won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Album Notes. This massive set is the first in a series of Columbia boxed collections of the many periods in the career of Miles Davis. It encompasses the first great quintet, which included John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, and the subsequent sextet with Cannonball Adderley, Wynton Kelly or Bill Evans, and Jimmy Cobb. Covering what is for some the most fruitful of the Davis eras, it features such classics as "Round Midnight," "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Bye Bye Blackbird," and the entire KIND OF BLUE album. While many may already own these essential recordings, it's the included extras that make this set so enticing--over the course of the six discs, 18 tracks have never before been issued. Most of these include alternate takes and trial runs of the golden cuts that any Miles Davis fan knows by heart, often with drastic changes in tempo and direction. Also included are a few behind-the-scenes studio discussions, including one between Davis and Leonard Bernstein. Finally, for the aficionado, the tremendous packaging that is this series' trademark serves as an excellent accompaniment to the musical treasures it contains.

"To Go: Stick it in Your Ear [EP]" (09/19/2006) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Verve (USA)This entry in Verve's series of budget-priced CD EPs designed for "people on the go" features a brief overview of the work of the groundbreaking jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, including his impassioned "Alabama," the beautiful ballad "After the Rain," and the astonishing first movement of his pioneering suite, A LOVE SUPREME.

"Reflections" (04/18/2006) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Passport AudioThe three extended compositions on REFLECTIONS find John Coltrane in full improvisational mode. The first track, "Up and Down," makes good on its name as the legendary saxophonist unfurls ascending and descending modal lines that seem to form their own strands of DNA. The frantic "Impressions" cooks along at a breathtaking pace, and features fine solos from the members of the quartet. The last track, the sprightly "Chim Chim Cheree," tops out at nearly 20 minutes. Recorded live on what sounds like inferior equipment, the sound quality is poor, but it is a small sacrifice to make for the opportunity to hear Coltrane and company inventing at full gallop.

"The Bethlehem Years" (08/02/2005) Jazz Instrument Coltrane, John, Shout! FactoryPersonnel: John Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Frank Rehak, Al Cohn, Eddie Costa, Freddie Green, Oscar Pettiford, Gene Quill, Philly Joe Jones, Idrees Sulieman, Bill Hardman, Ray Copeland, Melba Liston, Jimmy Cleveland, Sahib Shihab, Bill Graham, Bill Slapin, Walter Bishop Jr., Wendell Marshall, Art Blakey. Recorded in New York, New York from October-December 1957. Originally released on Bethlehem (6066, 6027). Includes liner notes by Art Lange. Digitally remastered by Tom Moulton (Frankford Wayne Mastering Labs, New York, New York). Personnel: John Coltrane; Donald Byrd, Eddie Costa, Frank Rehak, Freddie Green, Gene Quill, Idrees Sulieman, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Cohn, Melba Liston, Oscar Pettiford, Philly Joe Jones, Ray Copeland , Sahib Shihab, Art Blakey, Walter Bishop, Jr., Wendell Marshall, Bill Graham, Bill Hardman, Billy Slapin. In the 1960's, John Coltrane challenged the very essence of what it means to play jazz. However, THE BETHLEHEM YEARS displays the genius of the reed man in his earlier years. In fact, this CD comprises three sessions, called simply A, B, and C, and all recorded in 1957, the year which marked the beginning of Coltrane's solo career. THE BETHLEHEM YEARS finds this jazz legend shining with poise and virtuoso grace. Session A features what amounts to a big band, including Al Cohn and Freddie Green, best known for their work in the Count Basie Orchestra. Session B, consists of a beefed up version of the Jazz Messengers, including, of course, its inimitable leader, Art Blakey on drums, while on session C, we hear Coltrane with a quintet, again featuring Blakey on drums, but also spotlighting the piano skill of Walter Bishop Jr. Highlights include "Pristine" and "Midriff," the latter showcasing one of Coltrane's most inspired recorded solos.