Live Trane: The European Tours
The music on this seven-CD set was recorded during three European tours, capturing Coltrane live as he was becoming the most compelling, most influential musician in jazz. His working relationships with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones were already solidly in place on the 1961 tour, which also had Eric Dolphy on reeds and Reggie Workman on bass. For the '62 and '63 tours, the classic quartet with Tyner, Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison had found its form. There are multiple performances of Coltrane's favorite vehicles here, tunes to which he could return nightly with different results: "Impressions," the springboard to some of his most explosive tenor explorations; "My Favorite Things," the soprano signature that could summon floating bliss or coiled intensity; "Mr. P.C.," a rapid-fire trip through his evolving harmonic approaches. There's fascinating contrast, too, between some of the same pieces played by the different bands. The earlier group is more fluid, and it's extraordinary to hear the added stimulus Coltrane gets from Dolphy's cascading invention. There are other gems here as well, like "Lonnie's Lament" and "Spiritual," original anthems that Coltrane imbued with a keening, magisterial power, and the equally beautiful balladry of "I Want to Talk About You."This is a treasure trove for those who love Coltrane, a fine complement to the Impulse studio and live recordings of the same period. Roughly half of this music, generally the later material, has been available on a series of Pablo CDs. Much of the earlier material has surfaced on bootlegs, usually with very inferior sound and an absence of recording data.Live Traneis the first time this great material has received the treatment it deserves.--Stuart Broomer