John Coltrane | A Man Called Trane

Released in 2008 as a strong jazz entry in the affordable Starbucks/Rhino Special Products Opus Collection series, "A Man Called Trane" is a worthwhile and accessible introduction to the powerfully moving music of saxophonist John Coltrane. Drawing upon the Blue Note, Atlantic, and Impulse catalogs, this ten-track sampler spans a timeline from September 1957 to December 1964, revisiting his live performances at the Village Vanguard and the Newport Jazz Festival, dipping into the albums Blue Train, Coltrane's Sound, Giant Steps, Coltrane Plays the Blues, and My Favorite Things, and reaching a logical conclusion with the profoundly beautiful opening movement of his extended prayer and magnum opus "A Love Supreme." While literally dozens of equally fine Coltrane collections exist, "A Man Called Trane" is a welcome addition to the discography. Hopefully the producers accomplished their goal which was clearly to expose as many people as possible to the majesty of Trane's spiritually informed and often restlessly ambitious artistry. This has been achieved for decades, however, by A Love Supreme in its entirety, as an album unto itself, the way it was originally conceived and presented to the world, which is still perhaps the ideal choice for introducing people to Coltrane's music. Indeed the truncation of his soul-baring masterpiece "A Love Supreme" is the only conceivable drawback to this otherwise excellent collection. We get the "Acknowledgement" but no "Resolution," no "Pursuance," and no "Psalm."

 

1	Alabama	John Coltrane	5:10
		2	Blue Train	John Coltrane	10:41
		3	Softly As In Morning Sunrise	John Coltrane	6:37
		4	Central Park West	John Coltrane	4:14
		5	Naima	John Coltrane	4:23
		6	Mr. Day	John Coltrane	7:56
		7	Giant Steps	John Coltrane	4:46
		8	My Favorite Things	John Coltrane	13:43
		9	I Want To Talk About You	John Coltrane	10:53
		10	A Love Supreme, Part I: Acknowledgement	John Coltrane	7:47

blue highlight denot

AllMusic