The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of John Coltrane
John Coltrane not only made his reputation once and for all during his brief 1959-61 stay at Atlantic Records; he cut enough material to allow the label to continue releasing "new" albums (the Don Cherry collaborationThe Avant-Garde) until a year before his 1967 death.The Heavyweight Championcollects those masters plus revealing alternate takes and false starts in a typical handsome Rhino box that is also packed with informative notes and greatLee Friedlanderphotos. While the sheer volume of music and emotion Coltrane and cohorts throw at the listener might make purchases of individual discs likeMy Favorite Things,Giant Steps, andColtrane's Sounda wise choice, those committed enough to jump right in won't regret adding these seven CDs to their collections. Coltrane had kicked his multilayered sonic and spiritual quest into fifth gear by the time of his Atlantic debut, and to say he scorched plenty of earth while under the care of staff producer Nesuhi Ertegun is only the beginning of an ample description of his achievements at the label. Though he was to go even further at Impulse!, where he ended his career,Champion's tracks rate in the very small beyond-five-stars category.--Rickey Wright