There are very few albums I feel worth listening to in a variety of formats. In this case, I can see why the original mono is still noteworthy--you can hear the intake of breath of Cannonball and Trane as they get ready for the melody. Paul Chambers' bass really fills the entire room. Many a PhD. has been written about this record. To me, this record is the "bread and butter" of jazz music. In order to understand or appreciate jazz, this album lays out the foundation. Kelly remembers more than half the tunes, even if she can't remember the names, not just because she's heard the record but because I've played them on the sax at home, or whistled them here and there. I tell myself, even if I could sound half as good as those guys, I will have accomplished something in life.
The next record I reached for tonight is this gem from 1964.
It's easy to overlook Crescent because it often gets overshadowed by A Love Supreme from the following year. I once overheard someone mention this as their favorite John Coltrane album, and I can see why. It doesn't have the "ship lost in a storm" feeling of A Love Supreme's frantic desperation. Instead, what we have here is John Coltrane at his melodic best just before he hit that one hard. Mind you, the title track has its build up and break down, but there is something subdued and hauntingly beautiful. Kelly and I recently saw Pharoah Sanders play at Yoshi's, and he opened with "Crescent," something I've heard him play so many times. I can see why he returns to his Coltrane roots so often, before breaking out just a notch or two on his own.
The John Coltrane Quartet is pretty much my vision of the perfect band. There really isn't any better way to put it than that. Apparently even Henry Rollins agrees with me.
Kind of Blue was the first jazz album I owned...I would love to hear it on vinyl sometime.
ReplyDelete