John Coltrane - Ken Burns JAZZ Collection John Coltrane (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Probably not the best place to start

Joseph D. Martin | Oakland, CA United States | 02/02/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a long-time devotee of Coltrane, I'm often asked which recordings serve best to introduce newcomers to this great musician. Unfortunately, despite the best intentions and general good taste of the folks doing the Burns compilations, I would have to say there is still no single disc that adequately represents Trane. That's because his music went through a series of stylistic periods, and when you try to throw them together on a single disc, it's more frustrating than enlightening. I would suggest, if you're new to jazz and considering buying some Coltrane, you might want to start with the "Blue Train" CD--it's a classic hard bop session, features some of Coltrane's best compositions, and is just a very enjoyable record that's well within the mainstream jazz tradition. Next up might be "Giant Steps," which features what is arguably Trane at his virtuouso best. His playing on that CD is often unbelievably fast and clean, and very harmonically sophisticated yet not "out" at all. From there, you might take the plunge and explore the more hard core stuff: either the "Live at the Village Vanguard" material or "A Love Supreme." Both feature Coltrane playing much more wildly, and while the music may seem a little abrasive and over-the-top to new fans, you may ultimately enjoy it best of all. From there, you may decide whether you want to hear more of the early, hard bop period, the "sheets of sound" period of the later '50s, or the modal and free playing of the '60s. They're all very interesting and ultimately rewarding, but I suspect most newcomers will want to get used to the '50s stuff before they're going to like the freer period. If you buy the Burns CD, you'll probably feel less than satisfied, since it offers only a small glimpse at each period. Better, I think, to explore them chronologically via the above listed CDs and take it from there.Oh, one more thing: Some of Coltrane's best playing was done on Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" and Thelonious Monk's "Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane." If you don't already own any Monk, Davis or Coltrane, you might want to start there, and check out Miles and Monk while you're getting into Trane.Hope this helps. Man, I almost envy those of you who will be hearing this stuff for the first time. It sure knocked me out!"

The legacy of John Coltrane...from serene to turbulent!

J. Lund | SoCal, USA | 11/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recall that I took a jazz appreciation course a number of years ago in which the instructor used John Coltrane's music as an example of how modern jazz artists had hatred in their heart and contempt for their listeners. That shallow assessment was completely at odds with everything I had heard--and read--about Trane, whose music seemed to come from a deeply spiritual place, albeit one capable of being both serene and turbulent (sometimes in the same performance).A single-disc collection such as this can only hope to give the novice listener a peak at Coltrane's brief but prolific career, but it does so probably as well as possible. There is the fluid complexity of GIANT STEPS, the melodically-rich soul of NAIMA (I sure don't hear any hatred here!), the modal serenity of MY FAVORITE THINGS, the non-verbal political protest of ALABAMA, and a heart-felt ability to revive such classic ballads as IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD. Perhaps some listeners will be floored by JUPITER, a free-form sax-drums duet recorded shortly before Trane's untimely death in 1967. Yet even here what is in evidence is a musician relentlessly pushing his own boundaries for aesthetic purposes, rather than a bitter attempt to alienate anybody within earshot."

Great for the Jazz newbie

Jared Orth | PGH, PA | 01/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this for the introduction to Coltrane. That is why, unlike other reviewers, I like the wide range of Coltrane's style on this disc. Some reviewers knock this album for not having this song, or that song. Well, if you had them all already, why did you need to buy this album, too?If you're looking for an introduction to John Coltrane, this album is a great bet. I wasn't sure which to try in the whole gammut of albums, and chose this for the number of tracks, and the fact that they were dispersed on the numerous other albums. The 'wisdom' of my choice led me to buy Ken Burns' Thelonious Monk album, and add others to my Amazon wish list."

A sparse collection

Ian M. Whitney | Minneapolis, MN USA | 02/16/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I think the Coltrane collection is really, hmmn, not very good. Each of the discs in the Jazz collection comes with an essay. The writer about Coltrane, Carl Woideck, seems to be pretty ambivalent about Coltrane all together. You get the impression that he doesn't think all that highly of Coltrane and that he has very little to say. On top of that, the collection is sparse. "Giant Steps" is not included (the booklet explains that they wanted to include it, but could not due to "licensing restrictions"), nothing is included from "Blue Train" and very little is included from his later period. Only "Acknowledgment" is included from "A Love Supreme". All told, there are only 10 songs on the CD. Compare that to 16 songs on the Dizzy Gillespie disc, or 14 song on the Thelonious Monk disc. And it's not just song length that is dictaing how many tracks are included. The length of the Coltrane songs doesn't vary that much from the Gillespie tracks. I find it odd that they would put out this CD since I got the impression that they put very little effort into it.There are better collections or you could start with Coltrane albums like "Blue Train" or "Giant Steps""

Coltrane Retrospective

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 01/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The four previous reviewers have summed up this CD from every angle and I concur with their opinions. Basically this is a career time capsule of what Ken Burns feels is exemplary of the different stages the late, great, Trane went through. Beginning with his early years as a sideman with Miles Davis and concluding with his example, of the spacey, exploratory, period piece, "Jupiter." It would be nearly impossible to get a retrospective reflective of his work based on the sheer volume of this genius, prolific, saxman. However Burns has attempted to do just that and for the most part succeeds. These are only glimpses into Trane, further exploration is needed for those interested in jazz. This is just perfect though, when you have to have that Trane fix. Several things are missing from this retrospective worth mentioning. The absence of his work with Eric Dolphy and his further exploration of multiple saxes with Pharoah Sanders should have been included as representing a stage in his development. The influence he had on Pharoah Sanders is documented on his own recordings and his renditions of "Naima" are almost identical, the difference in phrasing is practically undectable. The fact that this has all of my most favorites makes up for any shortcomings, especially since "My Favorite Things" is here. I've listened to Tranes version since it came out originally and never get tired of it. Great music to listen to for those moments alone, knowing you're still here appreciating some good jazz, a part of the soundtrack of urban life, in the now past, 20th century."

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