The Best of John Coltrane [Atlantic]

This pithy yet effective compilation was part of a late-'60s/early-'70s "Best Of..." campaign from that also boasted single-LP installments from the label's elite, including , , and . To modern consumers, the six-song track list may seem a bit wanting. However, co-founder and aficionado knew exactly what he was doing when he gathered the half-dozen prime examples of (tenor sax/soprano sax) at his undisputed peak. If the mandate was to present the artist in as diverse a spectrum as possible, the mission is accomplished with remarkable attention to detail and brevity alike. opens the package with on soprano saxophone. He wisely incorporated a widely familiar and accessible tune as an aural entree into his style to the untrained (as it relates to ) ear. As such, the recording has probably done more to increase the popularity of modern than any other. The support from (piano), (drums), and (bass) are executed with a steady undercurrent of rugged precision. The ballad -- a poetic paean to his wife -- was one of the primary components of the highly recommended (1960) album. can be heard at his most stridently cool. So much so that his lead literally hovers above the rest of the ensemble, with (piano) occasionally interjecting emphatic and melodic chord voicings. No examination of 's era would be possible without as it could well be the biggest "hit" of the entire genre. 's flurries have rarely been as uniformly on target as they are here. He plays like a man on a definite mission as he, quite simply, redefines the art form by example. In less than five minutes, he demonstrates the enormous potential of the next generation of . is a harbinger of things to come from 's later phase as his solos would often expand into quarter-hour, half-hour, or longer forms of self-expression. All that, without one superfluous note. Again, steps up his game by uncannily placing his compact interpolations with telepathic insight. is another illustration of 's haunting romanticism. In doing so, he exposes a wonderfully soulful side to his craft. Particularly enchanting is the warm tonality he infuses into the lines to produce a sound that is practically beyond description due to its simple and evocative beauty. ~ Lindsay Planer