Coltrane in Bloomington, MN

Considered by many to be his finest single album,
Coltrane
finds
John Coltrane
displaying all of the exciting elements that sparked brilliance and allowed his fully formed instrumental voice to shine through in the most illuminating manner. On tenor saxophone, he's simply masterful, offering the burgeoning sheets of sound philosophy into endless weavings of melodic and tuneful displays of inventive, thoughtful, driven phrases.
also plays a bit of soprano saxophone as a primer for his more exploratory work to follow. Meanwhile, bassist
Jimmy Garrison
, drummer
Elvin Jones
, and especially the stellar
McCoy Tyner
have integrated their passionate dynamics into the inner whole of the quartet. The result is a most focused effort, a relatively popular session to both his fans or latecomers, with five selections that are brilliantly conceived and rendered.
"Out of This World,"
at over 14 minutes in modal trim, is a powerful statement, stretched over
Tyner
's marvelous and deft chords, the churning rhythms conjured by
Jones
, and the vocal style
utilizes as he circles the wagons on this classic melody, including a nifty key change.
"Tunji"
is a mysterious, easily rendered piece in 4/4 which speaks to the spiritual path
tred, a bit riled up at times while
remains serene. Hard bop is still in the back of their collective minds during
"Miles' Mode,"
a sliver of a melody that jumps into jam mode in a free-for-all blowing session, while the converse is to be found in
Mal Waldron
's
"Soul Eyes,"
the quintessential ballad and impressive here for the way
's holds notes, emotion, and expressive intellectuality. On soprano you can tell
is close to taking complete control of his newly found voicings, as a playful, jaunty
"The Inch Worm"
in 3/4 time is only slightly strained, but in which he finds complete communion with the others. Even more than any platitudes one can heap on this extraordinary recording, it historically falls between the albums
Ole Coltrane
and
Impressions
-- completing a triad of studio efforts that are as definitive as anything
ever produced, and highly representative of him in his prime. ~ Michael G. Nastos