News

John Coltrane’s all-time hard-bop classic, January 1958’s Blue Train, is coming back around the vinyl bend. To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16, 2022, as part of Blue Note’s Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series.

A 1LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2LP stereo collection dubbed Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format.

To get a taste of The Complete Masters, check out “Blue Train (Alternate Take 8)” below. . .

The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI.

The recording facts are these: On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, and recorded his first great masterpiece, Blue Train. The fulfillment of a handshake deal Coltrane made with Blue Note co-founder Alfred Lion, this would be the saxophonist’s sole session as a leader for Blue Note Records, a locomotive-paced five-track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic sextet consisting of Trane on tenor sax, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

Blue Train established Coltrane as a force of nature, setting him on a course towards becoming one of the most revered and influential jazz artists of all-time. (Remember what followed, just 2 years later? February 1960’s even more seminal Giant Steps.)

According to producer Joe Harley, Blue Train is an all-time masterwork (and I must concur). “Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes — mono, stereo, and alternate takes — of Blue Train,” Harley observed. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

Blue Train came at a pivotal moment in Coltrane’s career. Earlier in 1957, the saxophonist had hit bottom when his heroin addiction caused him to be fired from the Miles Davis Quintet. After kicking his habit, Coltrane returned with a fervor, inspired by an extended summer residency with Thelonious Monk at the Five Spot Café, located at 5 Cooper Square in New York City (a.k.a., the Bowery). By the end of the year, Coltrane had been rehired by Davis and had produced Blue Train, an album even he was admittedly deeply proud of.

As Ashley Kahn recounts in the included essay, “Blue Train was a recording that Coltrane, ever self-critical and modest, held in high regard. In 1960, while on tour with Miles Davis for the last time, a Swedish deejay asked Coltrane what he favored from his catalogue and he immediately responded: ‘Oh, I like Blue Train myself. It’s a good band on there, you know. It was a good recording.’” (Now, there’s an understatement, if ever I’ve heard/read one. . .)

JOHN COLTRANE
BLUE TRAIN: THE COMPLETE MASTERS
2LP Stereo (Blue Note)

Side A
Blue Train (Coltrane) – 10:43
Moment’s Notice (Coltrane) – 9:10

Side B
Locomotion (Coltrane) – 7:14
I’m Old Fashioned (Kern-Mercer) – 7:58
Lazy Bird (Coltrane) – 7:07

Side C
Blue Train false start * – 0:21
Blue Train alternate take 7 * – 7:09
Moment's Notice alternate take 4 * – 7:19
Lazy Bird alternate take 1 – 9:22

Side D
Blue Train alternate take 8 – 10:27
Moment's Notice alternate take 5A (incomplete) * – 5:08
Lazy Bird alternate take 2 – 7:29

* previously unreleased

updated with corrected side breaks (Side C & Side D) per Blue Note, 08.02.2022

JOHN COLTRANE
BLUE TRAIN
1LP Mono (Blue Note)

Side A
Blue Train (Coltrane) – 10:43
Moment’s Notice (Coltrane) – 9:10

Side B
Locomotion (Coltrane) – 7:14
I’m Old Fashioned (Kern-Mercer) – 7:58
Lazy Bird (Coltrane) – 7:07

ALBUM CREDITS
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone
Lee Morgan, trumpet
Curtis Fuller, trombone
Kenny Drew, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Philly Joe Jones, drums

Original session produced by Alfred Lion
Recorded on September 15, 1957, at
Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey
Recording Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Cover Design: Reid Miles
Photography: Francis Wolff
LP Supervision: Joe Harley
LP Mastering: Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio