Throughout 1964 John Coltrane spent the least period of time within the recording studio of his total solo profession. It wasn’t till April 27 that ‘Trane, along with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones went to the familiar surroundings of Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliff’s studio to start work on the album that got here to be referred to as, Crescent.
They recorded all of the tracks that seem on Crescent, together with “Songs Of Praise,” however not the ultimate variations of the album’s 5 tracks. From that first day’s recording those that make the ultimate minimize are “Lonnie’s Lament,” “The Drum Thing” and “Wise One.” The primary two of those three tracks make up all of facet two of the album and on “Lonnie’s Lament” Coltrane doesn’t solo in any respect, as a substitute it encompasses a lengthy bass solo by Garrison.
Hearken to Crescent on Apple Music and Spotify.
Neither does ‘Trane solo on the closing track, which is an improvisational drum piece by Jones, with sparse accompaniment from Coltrane’s sax and Garrison’s bass at the beginning and finish of the quantity. This concept of drum/saxophone duets continued to be one thing that ‘Trane explored on stay gigs in addition to his album Interstellar Area that got here out after he died.
On June 1, 1964, the quartet returned to Englewood cliffs to re-record the album’s title monitor and “Bessie’s Blues.” “Lonnie’s Lament,” had been within the band’s repertoire since late 1963 and a model that they performed stay in Berlin appeared on a subsequent Pablo album entitled Afro/Blue Impressions.
Crescent was additionally coated by Alice Coltrane on her 2004 album, Translinear Gentle, and by McCoy Tyner on his 1991 album Soliloquy. In keeping with Garrison’s widow, this was the album that he listened to most, together with A Love Supreme, none too shocking when you think about it was solely six months later that he recorded his masterpiece.
Produced by Bob Thiele, Crescent was launched on impulse! as AS-66 in the summertime of 1964 and stays one of many jewels in ‘Trane’s recorded catalogue.
John Coltrane Quartet’s Crescent could be purchased right here.
