Coltrane Jazz
Coltrane Jazz is the sixth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in early 1961 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1354. Featuring Coltrane alongside his former Miles Davis bandmates- pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb- with the exception of "Village Blues", a landmark recording in Coltrane’s career as it marks the first session of the classic John Coltrane Quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis and drummer Elvin Jones. Background. In 1959, Miles Davis' business manager Harold Lovett negotiated a contract for Coltrane with Atlantic, the terms including a $7000  annual guarantee. After having recorded most of "Giant Steps", Coltrane started having bridge problems, and did not return to a recording studio for six months. In the late fall, he employed the rhythm section from the Miles Davis Quintet for two Atlantic sessions, which yielded the bulk of this album and the track "Naima" for "Giant Steps". "Like Sonny" is a tribute to colleague Sonny Rollins, whose playing Coltrane greatly admired. Having left the Davis band for good in the spring of 1960, Coltrane formed his first touring quartet for a residency at the Jazz Gallery club in Manhattan, eventually  settling on the line-up of Tyner, Jones, and bassist Steve Davis in September. This group entered the studio on October 21, recording "Village Blues" at the beginning of the week of sessions that produced "My Favorite Things". On June 20, 2000, Rhino Records reissued "Coltrane Jazz" as part of its Atlantic 50th Anniversary Jazz Gallery series. Included were four bonus tracks, two of which had appeared in 1975 on the Atlantic compilation "Alternate Takes", the remaining pair earlier issued on "" in 1995. Two bonus tracks, the alternate versions of "Like Sonny", had been recorded at the March 26, 1959  sessions that were not used for "Giant Steps".