Coltrane: The Impulse! Albums Volume Four

[Pete C]

My guess is Transition, Seattle, Sun Ship and Infinity.

Is that the order of original release? It looks like that's the M.O.

Infinity is another one I can live without ever hearing again.

[Chuck Nessa]

Order of release.

[felser]

My guess is Transition, Seattle, Sun Ship and Infinity.

Is that the order of original release? It looks like that's the M.O.

Infinity is another one I can live without ever hearing again.

On the other hand, Transition is absolute killer. Means as much to me as any of his albums.

[Pete C]

My guess is Transition, Seattle, Sun Ship and Infinity.

Is that the order of original release? It looks like that's the M.O.

Infinity is another one I can live without ever hearing again.

On the other hand, Transition is absolute killer. Means as much to me as any of his albums.

Me too. I think the title track really captures the essence of Trane, sort of Impressions meets Love Supreme.

[ep1str0phy]

One of my favorite performances of Trane's in any format is the 1965 Downbeat Jazz Festival hit (with the classic quartet and Shepp). Trane's solo on that is literally out of control. On the recording that has been circulating, you can literally hear the audience react to the beginning of late Trane (some random heckling, nervous laughter, disbelief, then ecastatic cheering). I think that, of the actual albums, Transition and Sun Ship might come closest to matching that sense of mania and wonder, but Transition gets a minor edge on that tally for the eloquence of its construction (both compositionally and improvisationally) and the huge surprise elicited from the apeshit Ayleresque histrionics like halfway through.

[Chuck Nessa]

I attended the DB festival and the performance was incredible.

[ep1str0phy]

Oh man.

[Chuck Nessa]

That fest needs a thread. I also heard Cecil, Lyons, Grimes and Murray at the event.

[J.A.W.]

That fest needs a thread.

Why not start one?

[Chuck Nessa]

Don't have the time right now - trying to finish all the files on 2 new releases before we leave town to witness the birth of our first grandchild.

[GregK]

I think Om and Transition may be the only Coltrane that I haven't heard yet (official releases, at least). Guess I'll have to get the boxes.

[Chuck Nessa]

For my taste, Om is crap and Transition is wonderful.

[Peter Johnson]

before we leave town to witness the birth of our first grandchild.

This "festival" deserves a thread of its own! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[felser]

For my taste, Om is crap and Transition is wonderful.

My thoughts/feelings exactly.

[jostber]

Respect for "Om":

http://improvisedsolo.blogspot.com/2010/06/john-coltrane-om.html

Understanding "Om":

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14286

[Pete C]

Respect for "Om":

http://improvisedsolo.blogspot.com/2010/06/john-coltrane-om.html

The Love Song to Om of Stacia Proefrock.

I don't bother with Simon Weil's pretentious writing.

Edited August 25, 2011 by Pete C

[Clunky]

This thread has had meion exploring my late Coltrane, what i've got is limited to LPs of Transition, Ascension, and Jupiter (Variation).

I noticed on amozon that Interstellar Space, Stellar Regions and Living Space are about to be issued on ShM- Cd, these seem pretty expensive at around £20 per disc. What's the deal with this format- something special or garbage ??

[felser]

Respect for "Om":

http://improvisedsolo.blogspot.com/2010/06/john-coltrane-om.html

Understanding "Om":

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14286

Weil got it right in this case: "There are moments, particularly during the closing unison passages, when it feels like one is getting beaten over the head with a blunt instrument. It becomes unbearable.". And it's not that I don't have ears for later Trane. Really like 'Meditations' and 'Interstellar Space' and some others. There was a period at the end of the classic group where Tyner and Jones seemed absolutely out of sorts. The two albums that has always seemed evident to me on are 'Live in Seattle' and 'Om', and they were recorded on consecutive days (9/30 and 10/1 1965). 'Meditations', from 11/23/65, seems much more together, but 'First Meditations' had been recorded on 9/2, so maybe they already knew to a degree what they were going to do on that. For better or worse, the changes in Coltrane's music from the spring of 1965 to the end of the year, only about a six month period, is almost unfathomable. Not an original thought, I realize. Just ruminating on it.

Edited August 25, 2011 by felser

[Chuck Nessa]

My set was delivered today. The box is a bit sturdier than the previous issues - the discs are in jewel boxes rather than digipaks like the earlier sets. The printing and folders are disappointing to me. I will probably keep a couple of earlier issues for the print quality - the Vanguard scan sucks. Very mixed feelings about the set right now.

small typo edit

Edited September 7, 2011 by Chuck Nessa

[jazzbo]

Thanks for the info Chuck. Disappointing that there are jewel cases and bad printing. ARGH. Hopefully this set sounds really good.

[GregK]

Why change up the packaging at this point? I kind of like the digipaks for the mini-LP look of the earlier sets. I still have to get this one and the next one, though.

[colinmce]

Yeah, I'm disappointed to hear that. Maybe the jewel cases account for the doubled price ... : /

[king ubu]

So this box has no additional booklet and stuff - none of the reasons why I after all do pay some more for Hip-O releases now and then? Sounds entirely skippable then... not out over here anyway, it seems.

As for Seattle: releasing that in original album form makes little sense to me, really... yeah, I know: part of your biography, you heard it like that in 1783 or whenever, I understand that... but still: the old 2CD set had some GREAT additional music and there's even more, so I'd rather be for a new 3CD edition with all of that music, separately!

[jazzbo]

The one plus that I can see to this set is. . . I think it sounds significantly improved than earlier releases of the material. The same will hold true for the next. I'm used to having multiple versions of Coltrane items, and enjoy listening sometimes to the original release form, and another to an expanded. When the original release sounds this good, I end up grabbing it often enough to justify having it.

[king ubu]

But do I get it right: this is a flimsy cardboard wrapped around five regular jewel cases that contain the albums and (lousy - see Chuck's post) reproductions of the original folout covers? That's it?

Btw: I don't mind if the cardboard it flimsy or sturdy... I enjoy the 7" Hip-O packages and love the larger Impulse/Creed Taylor set - if they did Coltrane that way, I'd love it!