John Coltrane Plays The Blues

Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (acoustic bass); Elvin Jones (drums).
Recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, New York on October 24, 1960. Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg.
Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (acoustic bass); Elvin Jones (drums).
Producer: Nesuhi Ertegun.
Reissue producer: Patrick Milligan.
Recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, New York on October 24, 1960. Originally released on Atlantic (1382). Includes liner notes by Neil Tesser and Joe Goldberg.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (DigiPrep).
One of THE great jazz quartets of all time: Coltrane (tenor & soprano), McCoy Tyner (piano), the earth-shaking Elvin Jones (drums) and Steve Davis (bass, though 'Trane's band would most often feature Jimmy Garrison and sometimes Reggie Workman), playing a blues-inspired program of originals. This band had an empathy shared by only the best bands in jazz: the Brubeck and Miles Davis groups, the Modern Jazz Quartet--and it shows here, with warmth, confidence, economy and relaxed interplay.
Coltrane is clearly center-stage here, his distinctive tone--and soon to become one of the most influential in jazz & beyond, as this was recorded in 1960--weaving through a set a of earthy yet thoughtful blues-based original compositions. The "wail" of early '60s Coltrane was in its embryonic stage here, but his playing is potent and soulful (without wearing his heart on his sleeve). A great place to begin with for The Man's post-bop/post-'50s music for the curious; fans will want it for the previously unreleased "Untitled Original."

• Released: 04/16/2015
• Format: Vinyl