Impressions
One of John Coltrane's great LPs of the early '60s,Impressionsmight seem like a hodgepodge, with tracks from three  different sessions in three different years. The two long  tracks--"Impressions" and "India"--come from Coltrane's November 1961 stand at  the Village Vanguard, and together they represent the poles of  Coltrane's conception at the time. "Impressions," a personal variant of  "So What" that Coltrane had long explored as a member of theMiles Davisquintet, is an uptempo tenor onslaught, a blistering, sustained  exploration in which Coltrane and drummerElvin Jonesestablished new parameters for intensity and sheer physicality.  "India," a variant on the earlier "Mr. Knight," has Coltrane's soprano  andEric  Dolphy's bass clarinet keening over two pulsing basses, piano, and  drums, pressing jazz toward hypnotic depths. Balancing those  extraordinary live performances are more compact studio recordings. "Up  'Gainst the Wall," from 1962, is a tautly convoluted blues without  piano. "After the Rain," a gorgeous original ballad, and "Dear Old  Stockholm" come from a 1963 session when drummerRoy Hayneshad  temporarily replaced Elvin Jones. The material is also available on the  definitive box sets,Complete 1961 Village  Vanguard RecordingsandClassic Quartet--Complete  Impulse! Studio Recordings, but for listeners not ready for  those investments, this is a superb portrait of a multifaceted artist.--Stuart Broomer