Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, meaning that his centennial began a little over a month ago. Sadly, he died at a relatively early age on July 17, 1967. Ironically, this was right around the time that I was just beginning to get my head around his particularly adventurous approaches to both composing and playing jazz. Fortunately, after the transition from vinyl to CD, there were a generous number of albums of Coltrane performances, several of which involved performances in settings that had not been available during the vinyl years.
Cover of the album being discussed (from the Amazon.com Web page)
This past September saw the latest release of previously unheard recordings. The album is a three-CD set entitled The Tiberi Tapes; and (fortunately) it now has its own Amazon.com Web page! The title refers to Frank Tiberi, who began recording Coltrane performances in both Philadelphia and New York in 1960. Tiberi ultimately captured 26 hours of music over the course of over 100 performance; and it has already been announced that next year will see the release of The Tiberi Tapes: The Complete Recordings, processed into high-resolution audio.
The current release is limited to only eleven tracks. The first two are two different takes on “Giant Steps.” The titles of the remaining tracks are as follows:
- Thing in D Flat
- Lover
- West 42nd St.
- Impressions
- Untitled Original in F Minor
- Satellite
- Good Bait
- Resolution
- It’s Easy to Remember
As was often the case with Coltrane performances, this involves alternations between familiar tunes and Coltrane originals. In other words, listening to this album took me back to what it had been like to listen to the gigs themselves.
Audiophiles should be warned that the sound quality of the tracks on this album are not of the best quality. However, one listens to Coltrane for the wide scope of approaches to invention. That scope can be appreciated on every track of this album. As far as I am concerned, listening to this album is an excellent way to celebrate Coltrane’s centennial year!
