Ballads: John Coltrane (Deluxe Ed) (Bonus CD) [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In 1962, John Coltrane found himself at the center of a storm of controversy, his tumultuous, searching music branded "anti-jazz" by one virulent critic. While Coltrane would continue along that exploratory path for the remaining years of his career, part of his response to the critical venom was to record some of the most sweetly lyrical music in jazz history. The LP Ballads established him as one of the great lyric players and set the tone for his collaborations with Johnny Hartman and Duke Ellington. The first CD presents the original album in all its luminous glory, the burnished, silvery sound of Coltrane's tenor meticulously remastered by the original engineer, Rudy Van Gelder. The second CD presents supplementary material from the original sessions as well as material that has only recently come to light. The classic quartet's collective concentration shows in seven complete takes of "It's Easy to Remember," testing its melody again and again until every gesture--from the flute-like tenor sound to Jimmy Garrison's bowed bass and Elvin Jones's triumphant drum crescendo at the conclusion--is sculpted to perfection. There are also several takes of the airy "Greensleeves" and a limpidly beautiful version of "They Say It's Wonderful" with Coltrane in duet with pianist McCoy Tyner. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

They Say It's Wonderful
Dedicated To You
My One And Only Love
Lush Life
You Are Too Beautiful
Autumn Serenade

Amazon.com

This is one of the three all-ballad albums that John Coltrane recorded in late 1962 and early 1963. Johnny Hartman was apparently Coltrane's suggestion, and his deep, dark voice meshes perfectly here with Coltrane's tenor. The material is well-chosen, including definitive readings of "My One and Only Love" and "Lush Life." McCoy Tyner fills out the chords, augmenting the harmonies and keeping the tone of these ballads respectful but not overly sentimental. All the players get to the deep structure of the songs and are not afraid to play in the most essential and elegant manner. This is beautiful jazz. --Michael Monhart

Customer Reviews:

Superb.......2007-07-14

The only reservation with this album is that is sadly very short (about 31 mins), but it's a truly marvellous album.
Hartman is blessed with as clear a baritone voice as you're ever likely to hear. There are a couple of moments on this recording where the Tenor Sax stops and Hartmans voice starts and its completely seamless.

These are all classic ballad songs, so if you're expecting long Coltrane solos forget it. This is mellow, and laid back. Think of Coltrane on the Ballads album but more so. A number of people I've spoken to over the years have used this as springboard to get into Coltrane.

The track listing is:
1. They Say It's Wonderful
2. Dedicated To You
3. My One and Only Love
4. Lush Life
5. You are too beautiful
6. Autumn Serenade

Sadly Hartman doesn't seem to have recorded much else (or its unavailable) but this album from 1963 is an absolute classic.

Essential Listening.......2007-07-04

Separately Coltrane and Hartman are great artists. Together they complement one another so much. This is a must buy.

Smooth with a capital S.......2007-02-24

I feel like I'm in the studio right along with them. What a wonderful addition to my rapidly growing jazz collection. Hartman's vocals perfectly suit the the mood of Coltrane's sexy sax. You can't beat this combination.

They Say It's Wonderful.......2007-01-26

They all say it's wonderful and, wow, it really is...

Showing Coltrane's mellow and romantic side (also seen on his "My Favorite Things"), this album brings the great and precise vocalist Hartman into Coltrane's classical band and together they create something so delicate and subtle I hardly believed it when I heard it. This means that Tyner's intelligent piano and Garrison's and Jones' unobtrusive rhytmical support are also essential for this musical triumph.

Is it modern jazz? Is it musically conservative? Answers to both questions should probably be in the affirmative; great music is often too complex to be placed in neatly divided groups...

Coltrane's tone is, I must admit, far from being among my favorite sounds in jazz, but on this album even that aspect of his music pleases me very much. He is as light and full of innuendos as the tone of Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond and Lester Young at their most breazy and mellow, but at the same time the Trane is still strong and autoritative in creating his solos and obligattos.

If I repeat some words in this clumsy description, it is not just because English is not my mother tongue: no language can trully explain these subtle sounds and emotions; only a lyrical poem could suffice (and I'm no poet).
Just listen how Hartman merges with Coltrane and his band from the beginning of "You are too beautiful ...". A true object of beauty.

Superb Effort.......2007-01-09

Johnny Hartman is the best male vocalist in jazz. Coltrane, Tyner and the rest are at the top of their game. "My One And Only Love" makes it to the top of the list for ballads.

Average customer rating:

Great CD
Silky and Sentimental Smooth Jazz
Milk Trane
soul eyes
Oh So Soothing

Coltrane for Lovers
John Coltrane
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000560JD
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Tracks:

My One And Only Love
Too Young To Go Steady
In A Sentimental Mood
It's Easy To Remember
Dedicated To You
You Don't Know What Love Is
After The Rain
My Little Brown Book
Soul Eyes
They Say It's Wonderful
Nancy (With The Laughing Face)

Amazon.com

John Coltrane has always been best known for stretching the limits, creating titanic, extended improvisations filled with exploding, cascading flurries of notes, but he was also one of the most lyrical of musicians, capable of the most heartfelt and touching ballads. The material here is taken from his Impulse! recordings made between 1961 and 1963, drawing largely on Ballads, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, albums that showcased his sensitive side. Coltrane's silvery sound brought an utterly new dimension to tenor saxophone balladry, a metallic clarity in which each note is given its own luster and nuance. Listening to these ballads gathered together, Coltrane seems to touch on every mood of romance, from longing to rapture to reflection, imbuing each song with an ineffable grace. His theme statements are sublimely beautiful, while his improvisations add new depths with their unique mix of strength and delicacy. "In a Sentimental Mood," with Ellington's shimmering, bell-like piano figure and Elvin Jones's animated drums perfectly complementing Coltrane's tenor, is simply one of the most memorable ballad performances ever recorded, but it's surrounded here by other gems. "Soul Eyes" is wistful reverie, while "You Don't Know What Love Is" has touches of an unsettled, passionate incantation. The tracks with Johnny Hartman are a rare meeting between a singer and a musician who are profoundly attuned to one another, with Coltrane's flutelike fills on "My One and Only Love" or his solo on "They Say It's Wonderful" conversational expansions on the lyrics' sentiments. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2007-03-08

This my first Coltrane CD. I don't listen to jazz a lot but I really enjoy relaxing to this one.

Silky and Sentimental Smooth Jazz.......2007-01-07

"If I should write a book for you. That brought me fame and fortune too. That book would be like my heart and me. Dedicated to you. And, if I should paint a picture too. That showed the loveliness of you. My art would be like my heart and me. Dedicated to you."

The sensual mood of "Coltrane for Lovers" dips into sentimental beauty throughout and creates a dreamy romantic world of smooth jazz. The entire album is slightly more than intoxicating, with the feeling that you have just fallen in love and are living in some jazz haze.

Don't be surprised if you start to look for songs by Ella Fitzgerald or listening to songs with lyrics like "I think of you night and day." ;). The cover of "Dedicated to You" leads in that direction. The entire album has an old-fashioned appeal with a modern mood.

~The Rebecca Review

Milk Trane.......2006-10-25

Coltrane For Lovers is thoroughly agreeable, and highly recommended, but only for those with limited knowledge of Coltrane's oeuvre. It's a compilation, all the tracks are readily available elsewhere, so in no sense is it "essential." What's best about it is that, in addition to being a soothing audio bubble bath that brings its own candles, it may lead neophytes deeper into the ballad side of Trane, for example, Coltrane and Hartman, Crescent, and Ballads.

Coltrane was a man of incredible surprises, but the greatest of them may be his genius around a ballad - stunning contrast to the explosive "sheets of sound" that put him on the map and secured his place in history.

The folks at Impulse! - with characteristic marketing savvy - have done their cherry-picking wisely, the CD is almost an assortment of "big hits," if such a thing is possible in jazz. Coltrane stalwarts are here including McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the amazing Elvin Jones on drums. There's also the treat of hearing Coltrane and Duke Ellington together, arguably a more historically important pairing than the much trumpeted, recently released, Trane and Monk collaboration.

Aside from Sentimental Mood, with Duke Ellington, and One And Only Love, with Hartman, the jewel that shines most brightly in this crown is After The Rain, an original Coltrane composition. (The slow descent and brooding atmosphere are reminiscent of Naima.) Tyner's piano is especially choice. After The Rain is simply one of the most beautifully evocative songs ever recorded by anyone.

One might say Coltrane For Lovers is for people who want the hipness of owning a Coltrane CD without the trouble of listening to him - the "rose without the thorn" syndrome. However, if, in the middle of making out with this music on in the background, they learn a little and are encouraged to dig further - where's the harm?

The more interesting question, or objection, is, to what extent is woozy, cocktail lounge music ideally suited to lovers? I would argue that this CD is perfect for couples in the first 6 weeks of love - while CDs like A Love Supreme, Ascension, and The African Brass Sessions paint out a more three-dimensional, passionate, and realistic portrait of love. Let's hope the neophytes dig that deep.

soul eyes.......2005-01-26

I love tis cd, it is soooo perfect for a candle light dinner with you lover. I can't stop listening to it.

Oh So Soothing.......2002-03-23

Now this Coltrane CD is a true feast for the ears. Unlike Stellar Regions, Coltrane For Lovers is soothing and filled with several catchy songs. Coltrane's saxaphone is front and center, however the piano, bass, and drums interwine very nicely. Vocalist John Hartman contributes nicely on three tracks. Its a shame there is not more of his work on this release.

The tone is pretty constant on the eleven tracks. However that is probably the only drawback. Because this collection most certainly can set a romantic mood. Pick it up and play it for your special someone. You'll certainly charm his or her heart.

Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
Average customer rating:

Stick to the changes

Glad I started here

gets the job done, but lacks something

Karrin Allyson is the REAL DEAL

Has it all!

Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
Karrin Allyson
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005J716
Release Date: 2001-05-22