McCoy Tyner’s death was announced on his Facebook page earlier today. Tyner, most famously linked to John Coltrane, was a gale force of rhythmic complexity and ingenuity on the piano. Joining with Coltrane while still a teen, his double-barreled approach to the aural intricacies of modern jazz cannot be fully appreciated. The genius of Tyner’s musicality is still being deciphered. [Read more…]
John Coltrane’s Cat In The Bag: Blue World
on Impulse!
Reviewed by Henry Cherry
John Coltrane died from liver cancer 52 years ago. Nevertheless, in the last two years, he has released two new recordings. Both were lost: one forgotten in the attack of a relative, the other hidden in a Canadian film archive, protected from the devastating Universal Studios Fire of 2008 that destroyed more than 100,000 master tapes, some Coltrane recordings among them.
This year’s release, Blue World, is the only soundtrack the musician recorded across his entire career. It dates from his most fertile period, recorded in the lead-up to the creation of A Love Supreme, his landmark work. [Read more…]
A Long-Lost Coltrane Soundtrack Recording In New Release: The Lovely “Blue World”
From Blue World (2019)
Originally from the French-Canadian Film Le chat dans le sac (1964)
on Impulse!
Mythological Jazz Asteroids in the Afro Futurist Space Belt
Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery: The Comet is Coming
on Impulse!
Experience by itself, the phenomenological philosopher Edmund Husserl said, is not science. In the hands of London band The Comet is Coming, experience is a strict adherence to improvisation and exploration that filters the scientific process into a musical call and response. It has purified their sound. So perhaps Husserl is only part right. Maybe some experience is scientific. Maybe some music is science. [Read more…]
John Coltrane’s Eternal “Equinox”
Coltrane, who recently saw his latest posthumous release go metaphorically gold — i.e. sanctioned by the Ameri-Grecian/Bacchanalian Gods of Jazz — would have been proud of his dear friend’s latest release: Eric Dolphy’s Musical Prophet, reviewed yesterday by Henry Cherry.
Dolphy’s is indeed a fine and wonderful new release, yet/and with all due respect I hence put forth Zeus, who, yay, sanctioned or obliterated all other sounds of this epic era in Jazz. Here, Coltrane’s “Equinox,” where McCoy Tyner (who, by the gracious hands of those same breath-giving gods, is still with us, and still playing!!) lays down perhaps thee most spare and lovey piano solos ever put to tape, nor to ears nor time fore or since.
Elvin Takes Lead In Coltrane’s “One Up, One Down”
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone McCoy Tyner, piano Jimmy Garrison, double bass Elvin Jones, drums
John Coltrane’s Propulsive “Nature Boy”
on Impluse!
Hank Cherry calls “Nature Boy” the standout track on BDaO. Read his review of Both Directions at Once here
Swimming in the River Coltrane: Both Directions at Once
on Impulse!
Reviewed by Henry Cherry
While much of John Coltrane’s posthumously issued work filters the mysticism of his live performances, those mystic shadows do spread into Both Directions at Once, the newly released studio recording from March 6th 1963. At the time, Coltrane was working out transformative sounds while trying to retain a marketable presence. He wanted to sell more records, but he also wanted to explore the parameters of his band, his horn, and his mind. The two co-led sessions that bookend this album on Coltrane’s studio timeline certify his urge to remain in demand, while live outings like Newport ‘63 and Live in Stockholm 1963 validate his experimental needs. [Read more…]
Sonic Dust Unhanded From The Gods: John Coletrane’s “Slow Blues”
From Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album
Recorded in the Van Gelder Studio, New Jersey. March 6, 1963.
Featuring "The Classic Quartet" John Coltrane — tenor saxophone / soprano saxophone McCoy Tyner — piano Jimmy Garrison — double bass Elvin Jones — drums ♦ on Impulse! Records