Album Reviews

Never mind that the tape has some occasional serious dropout, never mind that the legendary performance of the title track “One Down, One Up” commences mid way through the tune during a Jimmy Garrison bass solo, never mind that these performances are station dubs from live radio broadcasts, never mind Alan Grant’s radio announcements sprinkled throughout, and never mind that this treasure trove is probably not in the same league historically as the Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane Carnegie Hall concert unearthed at the National Archives and issued by Mosaic on vinyl recently (MQ1-231).

Never mind all of that because this is still one of the most exciting jazz finds in recent years, though it’s been available as a crappy sounding bootleg and circulated by musicians and fans for some time.

Here are two performances of such monumental fury and passion that they are almost frightening to listen to 41 years after the fact. You get to hear the classic John Coltrane Quartet unleashing a torrent of controlled energy and exploratory fervor that one rarely hears in concert anymore as jazz has seemingly turned inward and become a more reflective musical form. The MJQ were ahead of their time.

The two LP, double CD set includes two Half Note performances: one broadcast on March 26th 1965, one on May 7th. Coltrane’s solo on the title track is considered to be one of his greatest, and it blazed an improvisational trail that generations of musicians have followed as did Coltrane himself for the next two years until his tragic death in 1967.

But there’s so much more here, including a gorgeous reading of the familiar “Afro Blue,” an inspired twenty plus minute “Song of Praise,” and a reading of “My Favorite Things” that makes the original on Atlantic Records sound cautious and mannered by comparison, which it was.

This set seethes with energy, passion, and an almost reckless restlessness as the quartet gets to stretch and abandon all semblance of traditional “showmanship” in the 130 seat Spring Street NYC dive owned by a jazz lover whose main interest was in giving musicians a place to play unhindered by commercial considerations.

For Coltrane fans, this is indispensable. For non-jazz fans, especially rock aficionados looking for a way into jazz, this is the way.

The gorgeous gatefold double LP packaging and full sized, full color booklet will make you think you’ve woken up in 1965. The music will take you back. By the way, the double LP set sounds big and full as life despite the tape defects. The CD sounds like a small, mousy facsimile, but either way, this is a “must have” document. Highly recommended.