Short, reader-focused brief on two Free Jazz Collective pieces that reflect different sides of Coltrane: a relaxed sideman appearance on Soul Junction and a transitional quartet document on First Meditations, plus a personal encounter with Elvin Jones.
Soul Junction (Red Garland Quintet, recorded 1957, released on Prestige in 1960) is presented as comfort music: relaxed, bluesy, and piano-driven with Coltrane in an early, detectable-but-developing voice.
The author values the quieter, human side of these records and connects them to a personal memory of meeting drummer Elvin Jones, which adds emotional context to First Meditations.
Soul Junction & First Meditations Thursday, September 24, 2026 John Coltrane 100 1 comment By Richard Blute The Red Garland Quintet Featuring John Coltrane and Donald Byrd. Soul Junction (Prestige, 1960) Culinary writers frequently refer to comfort food. I go to this album when I'm not in the mood to be blown away by wild flights of improvised fury or complex compositions or arrangements.
Donald Byrd doesn't get much mention on this website, but I love a lot of his Blue Note music. Garland wisely gives the two of them lots of space to play, and they take every advantage of it. John Coltrane- First Meditations (For Quartet) (Impulse!, 1977) As far as I'm concerned, A Love Supreme is the greatest jazz album of all time and Coltrane's classic quartet the greatest group.
Listen to Garland's piano on the opening title track. George Joyner's bass is understated perfection. Recorded in 1957, Trane hadn't perfected his style yet.
By Nuno Catarino Like many others, my gateway into the Coltrane universe was the inevitable Blue Train , a 1997 CD reissue, with the cover altered with different tones from the original edition. I was beginning to discover jazz and, beyond the variations on the title track, it was the vertigo of “Moment’s Notice” that
John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live At the Half Note (recorded 1965, released 2005), My Favorite Things: Coltrane At Newport (recorded 1963 and 1965, released 2007), Offering: Live At Temple University (recorded 1966, released 2014), A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle (recorded 1965, released 2021), Evenings At the Vil
DUKE ELLINGTON & JOHN COLTRANE - s/t (Impulse!, 1963) By Ferruccio Martinotti Sunday morning. We weren't even looking through Trane’s records, we already had a clear plan for the centenary. Then we spotted it. Or rather, it was almost as if IT was looking at us. There it was, humble and elusive amidst some truly gigant
By Brian Earley When John Coltrane died in 1967 the jazz world felt a startling void. With the release of Expression , Coltrane’s final studio album, it must have felt like a narrative had been cut short of its intended ending. After all, unless Trane had recorded material that had never been released, that was it: no
By Paul Acquaro John Coltrane - Olé (Atlantic, 1961) In the mid-1990s I had just graduated from undergrad with a degree in Journalism and absolutely no idea what to do next. I spent the following summer living in a shared house with five other people about my age, one of whom was a good friend and musical partner in ou
Honoring the music and legacy of John Coltrane the day after his 100th birthday. In addition to the artists named in the title interpreting his music, we've included music about Coltrane ("Lady Day and John Coltrane," Giacomo Gates) and music not written by him but associated strongly with him ("Afro Blue" and "Bemsha
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