If you asked me, “what is jazz?” I’d say, “Listen to this. This is jazz .” There is no other like John Coltrane, and Afro Blue Impressions, recorded at two live performances in Berlin and Stockholm in late 1963, is a great example of his musical genius. Some of his best work was to follow this and his experimentation and various tonal shifts here are a prelude to some of the sounds found in later music. With McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, this powerful trio pushes Coltrane as he strives to find new places to take his tenor and soprano playing while still maintaining a comfortableness within these tensions. This album gives you a sense of who John Coltrane was, where he was going, and what jazz was about in the early 1960s. From the first time I heard Coltrane’s My Favorite Things when I was a teenager, to today, listening to various versions still feels fresh and exciting to me. Unquestionably one of my favourites.
The 21-minute version of My Favorite Things is such an impressive rendition and Afro Blue seems to carry on some of that same structure but soon finds its feel with Tyner leading the piece in a new direction as Coltrane moves in and out of that foundation. Chasin’ The Trane is, well, just fun – a bit of joy, a bit of angst, but only enough to let you know that everything is all good.
The bonus material offers some different takes on cuts already on the album and includes an equally interesting but somewhat different spin on My Favorite Things. This recording feels like a quintessential jazz concert of the early 60s. Such an incredible quartet and such a strong performance by Coltrane at the time. There are some other great live recordings, maybe even better than this, but Afro Blue Impressions is an excellent window into one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century.
(Original release 1977- Reissue/Remastered with bonus material 2013)
Disc One
1 Lonnie’s Lament (John Coltrane) 10:15
2 Naima (John Coltrane) 8:05
3 Chasin’ The Trane (John Coltrane) 5:45
4 My Favorite Things (Rodgers & Hammerstein) 21:07
5 Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaria) 7:34
6 Cousin Mary (John Coltrane) 9:55
Disc Two
1 I Want To Talk About You (Billy Eckstine) 8:20
2 Spiritual (John Coltrane) 12:29
3 Impressions (John Coltrane) 11:36
(BONUS TRACKS – Not On Original Album)
4 Naima (John Coltrane) 6:39
5 I Want to Talk About You (Billy Eckstine) 9:52
6 My Favorite Things (Rodgers & Hammerstein) 13:57
Notes
Disc 1 and Disc 2, #1 recorded live in Berlin; November 2, 1963.
Disc 2, #2-6 recorded live in Stockholm; October 22, 1963.
Bass – Jimmy Garrison
Drums – Elvin Jones
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – John Coltrane