The Prestige Recordings

Biography

The 16 CDs in this compendium represent nearly everything that John Coltrane recorded for the Prestige label during a 32-month period between May 7, 1956, and December 26, 1958. What's missing are Coltrane's contributions to the mid-'50s Miles Davis band, which are on the equally exhaustive and highly recommended Davis Chronicle box set released in 1990. Otherwise, listeners are treated to the sessions that produced the seminal long-players Coltrane, Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette, Tranei...

The 16 CDs in this compendium represent nearly everything that John Coltrane recorded for the Prestige label during a 32-month period between May 7, 1956, and December 26, 1958. What's missing are Coltrane's contributions to the mid-'50s Miles Davis band, which are on the equally exhaustive and highly recommended Davis Chronicle box set released in 1990. Otherwise, listeners are treated to the sessions that produced the seminal long-players Coltrane, Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette, Traneing In, Soultrane, Lush Life, Settin' the Pace, Standard Coltrane, Stardust, The Believer, Black Pearls, Bahia, and The Last Trane -- all of which highlight the artist as either a leader or co-leader. Not included in that list are an additional 19 albums that boast Coltrane's involvement as a support musician. The music is presented primarily in a chronological fashion -- commencing with a pair of May 1956 outings with pianist Elmo Hope and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Wrapping things up are five tunes cut the day after Christmas of 1958 alongside trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Coltrane's legend is ingrained in the grooves of such indispensable entries as "How Deep Is the Ocean?" flanked by tenor saxophonists Zoot Sims, Hank Mobley, and Al Cohn -- as originally heard on Tenor Conclave. There is also the Tadd Dameron-commanded "Soultrane" and the definitive "The Way You Look Tonight," during one of the many Mal Waldron confabs, plus "Undecided," sporting Red Garland at the helm. And who could forget the Great American Songbook selections "Lush Life," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Lover," "Russian Lullaby," "Why Was I Born?," "Lover Come Back to Me," "Stardust," and "Time After Time"? Accompanying the music is a 32-page liner notes booklet. Inside are a historical essay from Doug Ramsey, a session-by-session breakdown by Carl Woideck (and the occasional notation from producer Orrin Keepnews), and several different cross-references of the contents. Overall, the audio quality is excellent throughout, especially considering that the original tapes were transferred during the infancy of digital audio technology. Since 1991, the majority of the music has been remastered and issued on the individual album titles with even more astonishing results. Tracks are as follows with Album listed in brackets for each track: CD1 Tenor Madness (Sonny Rollins – Tenor Madness – 5/24/56) Weeja (Elmo Hope – Informal Jazz – 5/7/56) Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Elmo Hope – Informal Jazz - 5/7/56) On It (Elmo Hope – Informal Jazz – 5/7/56) Avalon (Elmo Hope – Informal Jazz – 5/7/56) Tenor Conclave (Tenor Conclave – 9/7/56) How Deep is the Ocean? (Tenor Conclave – 9/7/56) CD2 Just You, Just Me (Tenor Conclave – 9/7/56) Bob's Boys (Tenor Conclave – 9/7/56) Mating Call (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) Soultrane (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) Gnid (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) Super Jet (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) On A Misty Night (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) Romas (Tadd Dameron – Mating Call – 11/30/56) Soul Eyes (Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – 3/22/57) CD3 Anatomy (Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – 3/22/57) Interplay (Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – 3/22/57) Light Blue (Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – 3/22/57) C.T.A. (Art Taylor – Taylor's Wailers – 3/22/57) Eclypso (The Cats – 4/18/57) Solacium (The Cats – 4/18/57) Minor Mishap (The Cats – 4/18/57) Tommy's Tune (The Cats – 4/18/57) CD4 Dakar (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Mary's Blues (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Route 4 (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Velvet Scene (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Witches' Pit (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Cat Walk (Baritones and French Horns – 4/20/57) Pot Pourri (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 4/19/57) J.M.'s Dream Doll (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 4/19/57) Don't Explain (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 4/19/57) Falling In Love With Love (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 4/19/57) CD5 Blue Calypso (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 4/19/57) The Way You Look Tonight (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 5/17/57) From This Moment On (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 5/17/57) One By One (Mal Waldron – Mal/2 – 5/17/57) Cattin' (Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette – 5/17/57) Anatomy (Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette – 5/17/57) Vodka (Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette – 5/17/57) Sunday (Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette – 5/17/57) CD6 Straight Street (Coltrane – 5/31/57) While My Lady Sleeps (Coltrane – 5/31/57) Chronic Blues (Coltrane – 5/31/57) Bakai (Coltrane - 5/31/57) Violets For Your Furs (Coltrane – 5/31/57) Time Was (Coltrane – 5/31/57) I Hear A Rhapsody (Lush Life – 5/31/57) Trane's Slow Blues (Lush Life – 8/16/57) Slowtrane (The Last Trane – 8/16/57) Like Someone in Love (Lush Life – 8/16/57) I Love You (Lush Life – 8/16/57) CD7 Dealin' (Take 1) (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) Dealin' (Take 2) (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) Wheelin' (Take 1) (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) Wheelin' (Take 2) (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) Robin's Nest (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Wheelin' & Dealin' – 9/20/57) CD8 You Leave Me Breathless (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio aka Traneing In– 8/23/57) Bass Blues (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio aka Traneing In – 8/23/57) Soft Lights And Sweet Music (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio aka Traneing In – 8/23/57) Traneing In (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio aka Traneing In – 8/23/57) Slow Dance (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio aka Traneing In – 8/23/57) Our Delight (Red Garland – All Mornin' Long – 11/15/57) They Can't Take That Away From Me (Red Garland – All Mornin' Long – 11/15/57) Woody'n You (Red Garland – Soul Junction – 11/15/57) I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (Red Garland – Soul Junction – 11/15/57) CD9 Undecided (Red Garland – High Pressure – 12/13/57) Soul Junction (Red Garland – Soul Junction – 11/15/57) What Is There To Say? (Red Garland – High Pressure – 12/13/57) Birk's Works (Red Garland – Soul Junction – 11/15/57) Hallelujah (Red Garland – Soul Junction – 11/15/57) All Mornin' Long (Red Garland – All Mornin' Long – 11/15/57) CD10 Billie's Bounce (Red Garland – Dig It! – 12/13/57) Solitude (Red Garland – High Pressure – 12/13/57) Two Bass Hit (Red Garland – High Pressure – 12/13/57) Soft Winds (Red Garland – High Pressure – 12/13/57) Lazy Mae (Red Garland – Dig It! – 12/13/57) Under Paris Skies (Ray Draper - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane – 12/20/57) Two Sons (Ray Draper - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane – 12/20/57) CD11 Clifford's Kappa (Ray Draper - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane - 12/20/57) Filide (The Believer) (Ray Draper – The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane - 12/20/57) Paul's Pal (The Believer – 1958) (Ray Draper - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane – 12/20/57) Ammon Joy (Gene Ammons – Groove Blues – 1/3/58) Groove Blues (Gene Ammons – Groove Blues – 1/3/58) The Real McCoy (Gene Ammons – The Big Sound – 1/3/58) It Might As Well Be Spring (Gene Ammons – Groove Blues – 1/3/58) CD12 Lush Life (Lush Life 1/10/58) The Believer (The Believer 1/10/58) Nakatini Serenade (The Believer 1/10/58) Come Rain or Come Shine (The Last Trane – 1/10/1958) Lover (The Last Trane – 1/10/58) Russian Lullaby (Soultrane – 2/7/58) Theme For Ernie (Soultrane – 2/7/58) CD13 You Say You Care (Soultrane – 2/7/58) Good Bait (Soultrane – 2/7/58) I Want To Talk About You (Soultrane – 2/7/58) Lyresto (Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane - 3/7/58) Why Was I Born? (Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane – 3/7/58) Freight Trane (Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane – 3/7/58) I Never Knew (Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane – 3/7/58) Big Paul (Kenny Burrell – Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane – 3/7/58) CD14 Rise 'N' Shine (Settin' the Pace – 3/26/58) "I See Your Face Before Me" (Settin' the Pace – 3/26/58) If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You (Settin' the Pace – 3/26/58) Little Melonae (Settin' the Pace – 3/26/58) By The Numbers (The Last Trane – 3/26/58) Black Pearls (Black Pearls – 5/23/58) CD15 Lover Come Back To Me (Black Pearls – 5/23/58) Sweet Sapphire Blues (Black Pearls - 5/23/58) Spring Is Here (Standard Coltrane – 7/11/58) Invitation (Standard Coltrane – 7/11/58) I'm A Dreamer, Aren't We All (Bahia - 7/11/58) Love Thy Neighbor (Stardust – 7/11/58) Don't Take Your Love From Me (Standard Coltrane – 7/11/58) CD16 Stardust (Stardust – 7/11/58) My Ideal (Bahia - 7/11/58) I'll Get By (Standard Coltrane – 7/11/58) Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? (The Believer – 12/26/58) Then I'll Be Tired Of You (Stardust - 12/26/58) Something I Dreamed Last Night (Bahia - 12/26/58) Bahia (Bahia - 12/26/58) Goldsboro Express (Bahia - 12/26/58) Time After Time (Stardust - 12/26/58) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.