Track Listing

1. Soul Eyes - John Coltrane, Waldron, Mal
2. What's New? - John Coltrane, Haggart, Bob
3. Welcome - John Coltrane, Coltrane, John
4. Nancy (With the Laughing Face) - John Coltrane, Silvers, Phil
5. My Little Brown Book - John Coltrane, Strayhorn, Billy
6. Wise One - John Coltrane, Coltrane, John
7. Lush Life - John Coltrane, Strayhorn, Billy
8. Alabama - John Coltrane, Coltrane, John
9. My One and Only Love - John Coltrane, Mellin, Robert
10. After the Rain - John Coltrane, Coltrane, John
11. In a Sentimental Mood - John Coltrane, Ellington, Duke
12. Dear Lord - John Coltrane, Coltrane, John
13. I Want to Talk About You - John Coltrane, Eckstine, Billy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33208 in Music
• Released on: 1991-10-15
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
In the early '60s, John Coltrane was pressing the expressive edge of jazz, playing solos of daunting length, astonishing speed, and blistering intensity. But while his more exploratory work fueled controversy, the saxophonist had also matured into one of the finest practitioners of the jazz ballad, as great a lyric player as Ben Webster or Miles Davis and possessing a beautiful sound, a kind of unknown precious metal that remains distinctive after decades of imitation. He often included ballads in LPs of more daunting material, and he also devoted three LPs to his gentler side, Ballads and collaborations with singer Johnny Hartman and Duke Ellington. This CD compiles both Coltrane's versions of standards and a selection of his own gentler compositions, creating a series of slower-tempo masterpieces that range from the serene to the pensive. As well as highlights from those three LPs, there is also the superb rendition of Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes," a jazz standard, and Coltrane's own "Wise One," "After the Rain," and the somber "Alabama," melodies of almost unearthly beauty. The version of Billy Eckstine's "I Want to Talk About You," taken from a live recording at Birdland, possesses an unaccompanied tenor cadenza that stands as one of the most remarkable technical feats in jazz history. The version of "In a Sentimental Mood," with Ellington at the piano, is simply as beautiful as any recording ever made. So good is the selection that dedicated Coltrane fans who own the material in other forms may want to acquire it.--Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

The real Magical Mystery Tour
Much as I love The Beatles, this is the real Magical Mystery Tour. Drawing from his "Ballads" album and his work with Johnny Hartman and Duke Ellington, it is essentially a perfect record. No need to go into a lot of detail, just get a copy and listen.

Coltrane pulls back the curtain and gives a deeper look at the nature of beauty and the mystery of life than most people will ever achieve on their own. I have played this album hundreds of times and never once failed to be stunned by what I was hearing.

trane delivers
In my opinion this CD contains some of the finest jazz ever recorded. This material also features Coltrane's finest band. The interplay between the musicians is phenomenal. They are so good they can drop the concept of a syncopated rhythm and still function as a tight and cohesive unit. Coltrane's playing has more feeling than any horn player I have ever heard. To me he is greatest of all sax players, including Dexter, Lester, Coleman et al. That's a big statement, but one listen through this CD will reveal it to be true.

A Sumptuous Expression Of Fine Jazz Music
"The beauty and the spirit of John Coltrane will forever live in the souls of those whom he had touched with his music. He was, first of all, a fallible human being. Secondly, he possessed a great talent, not a gift, but a talent. I stress the difference because no one worked harder at perfecting his art and his mind and his aesthetic sense thru the years than John Coltrane." ~ Michael Cuscuna ~

I received an e-mail from a good friend of mine asking me: "What's in your CD player now?" And it turned out that we both have John Coltrane's CDs in our respective CD changers. I have two -- this CD, "The Gentle Side of Coltrane" and "My Favorite Things" while he has "A Love Supreme." These albums are amongst the countless jazz albums we shared an admiration for.

This is without a doubt one of the greatest albums ever produced in the history of jazz. My appreciation to Mr. Coltrane for his incredible talent on this recording extends to his fellow musicians McCoy Tyner and Duke Ellington (piano), Jimmy Garrison and Aaron Bell (bass), Elvin Jones, Sam Woodward and Roy Haynes (drums), and the silky and smooth vocals of Johnny Hartman on "Lush Life" and "My One And Only Love," two of my all-time favorite songs.

Mr. Coltrane's genius lends elegance and pristine smoothness to the gorgeous music of Billy Strayhorn, Mellin and Wood, Haggart and Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen, Billy Eckstine and Mal Waldron. His very own compositions "Wise One," "Alabama," "After The Rain" and "Dear Lord" showcase his great talent as a composer.

"My One And Only Love" is as enchanting and magical as the moonlight. "In A Sentimental Mood" is as sparkling and dazzling as a summer sunset. "What's New?" is as warm and brilliant as the sunlight. "Lush Life" is as lovely and smooth as the petals of a pink rose. So wrap yourself in the enjoyment of listening to exquisitely beautiful jazz music as performed by a great saxophonist, John Coltrane, in his most gentle moments.

To sum it up . . . this album is a sumptuous expression of fine jazz music.

Wholeheartedly recommended for your listening pleasure of a lifetime!