Plays It Cool - John Coltrane

Advantages: Improvisation at it's best
Disadvantages: It's sad that there are only 3 songs in that record(+ 1 bonus track)

...How can someone make a brief description of what John Coltrane was? Well, he can't in my opinion without inevitably using terms as"the tenor king", "John "I almost own jazz" coltrane" and other similar phrases of exaggeration. I guess that for some people such as the one just mentioned a some sort of "brief introduction" is impossible but I will give it a try. John Coltrane began playing clarinet and alto saxophone at the age of seventeen in the city of Philadelphia Officially , his careeer starts pretty late, considering other cats like Charlie Parker for example, at the age 29. Whose sideman was he? Miles Davis. Not too bad for a 29-old guy. He actually played on the legendary Miles Davis "kind of blue" recording. He left the Miles Davis quintet and devoted himself at a new band, with him as a bandleader. From that day until his death... Read review

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Advantages: Some of the all time best jazz saxophone ever.
Disadvantages: Some ommissions.

...The Very Best of John Coltrane Some folks in commenting on a previous review wanted me to review some 'hard jazz'; well here goes. This was just one of the 'best of' or 'greatest hits' type albums, of several that have been issues since the great mans death at the tender age of 41. It seems that the saxophone 'greats' die young and tragically; Charlie Parker, Albert Ayler. Although primarily a tenor player, he also played an awful lot of soprano (as on much of this album) and occasionally alto and clarinet, though I've not heard much of this. He was an absolute giant amongst jazz saxophonists, and along with Parker, probably (though in different ways) the most influential saxophonist ever. He played with many of the greats too, in fact some of his collaborations with Miles Davies (trumpet) such as Bye Bye Blackbird, have become... Read review

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Advantages: The pinnacle of Coltrane's immense contribution to jazz.
Disadvantages: Inaccessible without perseverance.

...When I first listened to this album, I attempted to track what Coltrane was doing musically. This proved useless, for in a way the musical elements of 'A Love Supreme' are subordinate to the profound sense of spirituality. I'm not a religious person myself, but when listening to this album, I couldn't help but be awe-inspired by Coltrane's apparent subservience to God. He states himself that the album is a gift to God, and an expression of gratitude for the incredible talent with which he's been blessed. Coltrane uses his regular quartet on this album (the most staunch member being pianist McCoy Tyner), and although these musicians perform admirable supporting roles this is Coltrane's album from beginning to end. As I've already stated, one shouldn't listen to 'A Love Supreme' attempting to break down the musical elements... Read review

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