Favorite albums by John Coltrane

lazy · October-29th-2004, 05:29 AM

my list

Blue train
Soultrane
Giant steps
A love supreme
My favorite thigs
Prestige 7105
Live at the VV (with Dolphy)
Ascension
Meditations

Squaredancecalling Steve · October-29th-2004, 05:59 AM

Giant Steps
My Favorite Things
Crescent
A Love Supreme
Ballads
Live At The Village Vanguard
Ascension
Sun Ship
First Meditations
Interstellar Space

BaconFat · October-29th-2004, 08:32 AM

Crescent
Stellar Regions
Live At the Village Vanguard Again
Ole
My Favorite Things
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
& The Ultimate Blue Train
John's reading of I'm Old Fashioned is the definition of jazz sax.

drumultima · October-29th-2004, 07:03 PM

The Ultimate Blue Train
...yeah, that's about it at this point.

bluenoter · October-29th-2004, 10:37 PM

Transition
Coltrane Live at Birdland
Dear Old Stockholm
Meditations
A Love Supreme
Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings
Olé Coltrane
Giant Steps

Crescent would be on the list except that it throws me into depression. Other than those, the choices fluctuate too much to list.

Noj · October-29th-2004, 10:45 PM

Africa Brass
Giant Steps
Blue Train
Coltrane's Sound

The above four are my personal favorites so far, with Coltrane's Sound being the latest addition.

John Coltrane & Kenny Burrell
Soultrane
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
A Love Supreme

I only have eight, there's the other four...which I think are excellent. There's still so much to hear, whether that's an advantage or a disadvantage depends on how you look at it.

crawjo · October-29th-2004, 11:58 PM

Hmmm...

First Meditations
A Love Supreme
Crescent
Living Space
Giant Steps
Interstellar Space
Live at the Village Vanguard
Blue Train

SilentKnowledge · October-30th-2004, 04:07 AM

I am a huge fan of is latter avant garde work:

A Love Supreme
Live In Seattle
Meditations
Ascension
Intersteallar Space

stonemonkts · October-30th-2004, 09:01 AM

Giant Steps
Coltrane Jazz
Coltrane's Sound
Live at Village Vanguard 1961 box set
A Love Supreme
First Meditations
Sun Ship
Interstellar Space
Crescent

frankiepop · October-30th-2004, 10:08 AM

om
Live at the Village Vanguard
sun Ship
Ole
Olatunji Concert
KULU SE MAMA

wasabcl11 · October-30th-2004, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drumultima

The Ultimate Blue Train
...yeah, that's about it at this point.

Really? Blue Train's not even my favorite despite Curtis Fuller being on it. Here's me:

1. A Love Supreme
2. My Favorite Things
3. Giant Steps
4. Blue Train
5. Live at the Village Vanguard
6. A bunch of recordings of Trane with Dolphy that I got off a compilation CD
7. Afro Blue/Impressions (A new 2 CD set of 1963 live performances in Europe)

I didn't really like "Interstellar Space." It was still pretty genius, but I'm not too into avant garde.

jazzfiend · October-30th-2004, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

Giant Steps
Coltrane Jazz
Coltrane's Sound
Live at Village Vanguard 1961 box set
A Love Supreme
First Meditations
Sun Ship
Interstellar Space
Crescent

Pat, I find myself in total agreement with your list. Bravo!

bluenoter · October-30th-2004, 01:45 PM

Am I really going to be the only one to list Coltrane Live at Birdland (Impulse, 1963)? No way!

chuckyd4 · October-30th-2004, 04:09 PM

No way, indeed, Rita! I once got into an hour-or-so-long argument about the brilliance of that album, in particular about the merits of the sizzling "Afro-Blue" that leads things off. And it has some of my favorite liner notes of all time, one of the times when I thought Amiri Baraka was really *on*.

drumultima · October-31st-2004, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wasabcl11

Really? Blue Train's not even my favorite despite Curtis Fuller being on it. Here's me:

1. A Love Supreme
2. My Favorite Things
3. Giant Steps
4. Blue Train
5. Live at the Village Vanguard
6. A bunch of recordings of Trane with Dolphy that I got off a compilation CD
7. Afro Blue/Impressions (A new 2 CD set of 1963 live performances in Europe)

I didn't really like "Interstellar Space." It was still pretty genius, but I'm not too into avant garde.

Well, I def like other Trane records, but that one's the one that stands out for me. I feel like his playing is the most tasteful on that record. It just mixes the best in my opinion. It's closely followed by many other individual recordings, but that's the album that I like the best.

SilentKnowledge · October-31st-2004, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Am I really going to be the only one to list Coltrane Live at Birdland (Impulse, 1963)? No way!

Whoa! I cannot believe I excluded it from my list!

That album does indeed rule. Your Lady is my favorite track!

AntManBee · October-31st-2004, 01:37 PM

Live in Japan
Sun Ship
Olé
JC Quartet Plays
Impressions
Transition
Ascension
Coltrane
A Love Supreme
My Favorite Things

john williams · October-31st-2004, 05:04 PM

First Meditations
Sun Ship
Interstellar Space
Live at the Village Vanguard
Transition
Crescent
Afro Blue Impressions
Live At Birdland
Ascension
Coltrane

November-1st-2004, 11:41 AM

First Meditations

Sun Ship

Village Vanguard box set

Live At Birdland

Coltrane Jazz

Living Space

Ole'

Ballads

Crescent

Transitions

Uli · November-1st-2004, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Transitions

finally!

jazzy mary · November-1st-2004, 11:58 AM

"Crescent" is one of the MOST beautiful Trane albums. The opening notes of "Transitions" are amazing, deeply soulful.

November-1st-2004, 12:06 PM

Actually, if all I could have were all of his albums from 1965, I would still die a happy man.

Pete C · November-1st-2004, 02:53 PM

First, some naysaying:

I think A Love Supreme is an excellent album, but way overrated given its iconic status--it's no better than much of his contemporary work.

I find My Favorite Things, overall, to be one of the weakest Atlantics.

I like Blue Train, but don't find it essential, though it definitely has a Blue Note flavor that sets it apart from his Prestige output.

My 10 personal favorites:

Transition
Stellar Regions
The Stardust Sessions
The Village Vanguard box
Coltrane's Sound
Giant Steps
First Meditations
Crescent
A Love Supreme
Kulu Se Mama (a recent addition to my favorites)

November-1st-2004, 04:15 PM

Quote:

I think A Love Supreme is an excellent album, but way overrated

Yep.

Quote:

I find My Favorite Things, overall, to be one of the weakest Atlantics.

I find it to be THE weakest of the Atlantics.

john williams · November-1st-2004, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Actually, if all I could have were all of his albums from 1965, I would still die a happy man.

Yes, that'd do me too. It's probably my all time favorite 'block' of music in my collection.
A 1965 Coltrane poll from way back-
http://www.jazzcornertalk.com/speake...=coltrane+1965

It's nice to see that First Meditations won by two votes as it would be at the, or close to, the top of any desert island list I'd make.

I also agree re: ALS. It's great but what followed is more exciting.

Blue Train is a great track but the album as a whole falls short of its reputation IMO.

Gary Sisco · November-2nd-2004, 08:03 AM

Crescent
A Love Supreme
First Meditations
Live At VV
not really an album but a compilation -- The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane

chuckyd4 · November-2nd-2004, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

I find My Favorite Things, overall, to be one of the weakest Atlantics.

I can completely agree with this sentiment - I reach for so many other Coltrane albums these days before MFT. And yet, the simplicity and familiarity of the melodies on that album (to say nothing of the brevity of its overall length), keep it an important choice for me when I'm throwing on something for someone who doesn't listen to much or any jazz. It's one of those funny albums that more often than not gets people hooked.

Ryan B. · November-14th-2004, 11:30 PM

Surprised that there has been no love for either the Johnny Hartman
or Duke Ellington collaborations. Duke more for history's sake (and the sentimental mood is perfection) but Hartman, I believe, stands with Ballads musically. I'd want it in my pile. Also, Live in Seattle!

Theoretical 1965 Boxed Set (one pick: Meditations)
ALS
Expression
Johnny Hartman
Interstellar Space

Gentle Giant · November-19th-2004, 02:20 PM

The thing with A Love Supreme and My Favorite Things are that they're short. I mean, so much of ALS is really transcendent, but then it ends and you're like, "what, already?" I tend to get lost in the bass solo, too.

Similarly, MFT has some nice playing throughout, and of course the title track is classic, but overall the album doesn't take you very far.

I'm really surprised to see only one mention of Africa/Brass, which I think is brilliant and exciting (it was also my first exposure to Coltrane). And the CD reissue that combines the two volumes is a great value.

Also love Blue Train, Coltrane Jazz, Giant Steps, and The Major Works of John Coltrane when I want my head ripped off in 30-minute increments!

JaSt · November-20th-2004, 11:28 AM

First come the ”live” recordings:

- J.C. Live in Europe - (W.I.F. 101)
- Rare Broadcast Performanes - (Ozone 21)
- J.C. Group with Eric Dolphy - (Beppo 504)
- Impassioned Tenor-Man - (Alto 724)
- The Legendary Masters – Unissiued or Rare - (RareLP 11- 15)
- To The Beat Of A Different Drum - (Impulse)
- Concert In Japan (Peace On Earth) - (Impulse)
- The Other Village Vanguard Tapes - (Impulse)

Studio:

- Interstellar Space - (Impulse)
- Traneing In - (Prestige)