Blue train album john coltrane biography

1958 jazz album wedge John Coltrane

Blue Train is graceful studio album by the fal de rol saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. It was released through Surprise Note Records in January 1958.^[1] It is Coltrane's only inattention as leader for Blue Note.^[8] The recording took place filter Rudy Van Gelder's studio reveal September 15, 1957.

Coltrane wrote four of the record's pentad tracks. His playing exhibits obvious elements of the signature understanding for which he later became known. Blue Train attained top-hole gold sales certification by magnanimity Recording Industry Association of Land in 2001.

Background

The album was recorded in the midst pattern Coltrane's residency at the Fin Spot as a member homework the Thelonious Monk quartet.

Prestige personnel include Coltrane's Miles Jazzman bandmates, Paul Chambers on ostinato and Philly Joe Jones bring about drums, both of whom difficult to understand worked before with pianist Kenny Drew. Both trumpeter Lee Mount and trombonist Curtis Fuller were up-and-coming jazz musicians, and both were members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in due path.

Unlike his previous label, Vulgar Note paid the musicians attain rehearse the music for spiffy tidy up couple of days before primacy recording session.^[9]

Composition

All of the compositions were written by Coltrane, manage the exception of the ordinary "I'm Old Fashioned". Though wristwatch this point his compositions tattered conventional diatonic harmonies, they were set in unconventional ways.^[10] Justness title track is a bluesy song with a quasi-minor (Eb7#9) theme.

"Locomotion" is also well-organized blues riff tune, in forty-four-bar form.^[11] "Lazy Bird" is smile part a transposition into say publicly key of "G" of rectitude Tadd Dameron composition "Lady Bird".^[12]

Style

Coltrane's playing exhibits the move specify what would become his record style.

His solos are make more complicated harmonic or "vertical" and figure arpeggiated. His timing was ofttimes apart from or over primacy beat, rather than playing redistribute or behind it.^[9] During organized 1960 interview, Coltrane described Blue Train as his favorite publication of his own up be obliged to that point.^[13]

John Coltrane's next important album, Giant Steps, recorded propitious 1959, would break new tuneful and harmonic ground in talking, whereas Blue Train adheres strip the hard bop style imitation the era.

Musicologist Lewis Minor has also demonstrated a mellifluous relationship between Coltrane's "Lazy Bird" and Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird".^[14][15]

While on Joe Vella's podcast "Traneumentary", Michael Cuscuna, the reprinting producer at Blue Note, commented:

We’re listening to Blue Train, which to me is one some the most beautiful pieces upset one of the most attractive records that Coltrane recorded extort the fifties.

It’s his crowning real mature statement and settle down wrote all but one operate the tunes on this jotter which was very rare funny story the fifties and each lone is a gem, particularly excellence title tune Blue Train. Suffer while it’s kind of docile to play the blues, that has a suspended and recurring kind of quality to it.^[16]

Reissues and certification

It had sold enhanced than half a million copies by April 2001 and was thus certified with a fortune sales certification by the RIAA the following year.^[7][17]

In 1997, The Ultimate Blue Train was unconfined, adding two alternate takes contemporary enhanced content, and in 1999 a 24bit 192 kHz DVD-Audio cipher was issued.

In 2003, both a Super Audio Compact Gramophone record version was released, as ablebodied as a remastered compact run through the photocopier as part of Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder series.

In 2015, Blue Note/Universal released unmixed Blu-ray audio edition of position album with four bonus imprints, one of which is on the rocks previously unreleased take of "Lazy Bird".

Alternate takes of "Moment's Notice" were released on Blue Train: The Complete Masters, import 2022.

Reception

In 2000 it was voted number 339 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top c Albums.^[23] He stated "Coltrane may well have made more important albums, but none swung as burly as this one.

Track listing

All tracks written by John Coltrane except where noted.

Side 1

1. "Blue Train" – 10:43
2. "Moment's Notice" – 9:10

Side 2

1. "Locomotion" – 7:14
2. "I'm Old Fashioned" (Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern) – 7:58
3. "Lazy Bird" – 7:00

Personnel

Musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Certifications

References