John Coltrane - Live at Temple University 1966-official release!

[medjuck]

Very laudatory review in LA Times. Well positioned in paper too.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-coltrane-live-offering-review-20140923-story.html

[Late]

Anyone here listening to this? My first reactions:

• How incredibly logical and composed Coltrane's solos feel. That might sound like damning praise for "free" music, but I think more such music would benefit from Coltrane's type of control and sense of architecture. They (the solos) are bracing in the best of ways. His playing here, I think, is much better than on parallel recordings — I'm thinking ​Live in Seattle or Cosmic Music. (I like those recordings too.)

• How Pharoah's solos need to be about half as long. I'm into the cry and relative rage of his solos, but they seem to exhaust themselves almost in no time. Variety? There's little. I get something from his tenor solos, and virtually nothing from his piccolo playing. The little pipe needs to go.

• I dig Alice's playing, but the recording on this set does her absolutely no favors. The focus, clearly, is John Coltrane. Alice is relegated nearly to place filler — on this recording.

• I can live without the extra percussion. I get it, but it takes away (for me) from Rashied Ali, still one of the most under-examined drummers.

• What do you guys think of Alfred Joyner and Steve Knoblauch's solos? I find Joyner more interesting than Sanders.

Other thoughts? Reactions?

[Late]

Forgot that I even posted on this topic (three years ago). I've been listening to this concert a lot lately — still marveling at Coltrane's solos. But now I've also picked up on Sonny Johnson's soloing (not as rhythmic as Garrison, but different in a good way, and perhaps more engaging). Pharoah's piccolo? Somebody should have hidden it before the gig. I've especially been listening to Rashied's solos. On Disc 2, in his solos he quotes Blakey all over the place! Who would have guessed that. Man, I wish I could have heard him live. Rashied Ali is one of the most under-valued drummers in jazz. He's in no way a "replacement" for Elvin Jones. And forget "poly-rhythmic" or "poly-directional." Listen to his solos, and you'll hear, tucked inside the way he uses the snare, a compressed history of drumming. I can't stand the whole "poly" thing — this guy was dealing with time and repetition in a way that few were in 1966.

[Scott Dolan]

What is the sound quality of this recording? Hopefully better than Olatunji? 

[Pim]

Sound quality is not superb. So not like ‘Live at The Village Vanguard Again’. It has always run as a bootleg but I must say that Resonance has done a fine job. It is very listenable contrary to bootlegs like the 1966 Newport bootleg or the Unissued Seattle performance. It is a must have!

[Late]

17 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

What is the sound quality of this recording?

The saxophones are well-recorded for the most part. When Rashied solos, he's decently recorded. When Sonny Johnson (in his one solo) plays, he's decently recorded. Alice is not well-recorded. So, essentially, soloists are decently recorded. If you like Coltrane from this period, you'll want to own, or at least closely listen to, this recording. I'm glad to have it in the collection. I hope there are more (if any) concerts that are officially released through Ravi and Universal.

Michael Brecker was at this concert. If you listen to his (Brecker's) 80's recordings on Impulse!, you'll hear a vibrato that is nearly identical to Coltrane's. I wonder how much hearing Coltrane at this gig influenced him. His love for Coltrane's playing is at least clear.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Late

[Guy Berger]

Finally got around to listening to this (disc 1) so far.  Coltrane’s playing is GLORIOUS.  Barely paying attention to anything else.