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Jazz Icons - John Coltrane - Live In '60, '61 And '65 [2007]


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Giant steps
Review date: 2008-09-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is the Coltrane live-performance DVD we've all been waiting for. Not only does it include the late saxophonist's famous 1961 German television appearance (in which the musicians play amidst a cool modernist steel-girder studio set), it also boasts ultra-rare footage of the Coltrane Quartet's dynamic set at a 1965 outdoor jazz festival in Belgium, a time when Trane was really pushing the avant-garde envelope. As if that weren't enough, this disc also presents a recently unearthed German TV broadcast from 1960, showing Coltrane playing with Miles Davis' rhythm section, plus guest artists Oscar Peterson and Stan Getz. The DVD is sequenced chronologically, and thus opens with Coltrane in concert with the Davis group (sans Miles). It's interesting to watch Coltrane holding himself back working within a more formal and less adventurous musical setting than the one he would soon adopt. He showcases his angular lyricism on several classic tunes included in the famous trumpeter's repertoire, playing beautifully with Davis' sidemen (Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb), but one can sense his impatience to break free of the group he'd been with for five years and hook up with more forward-thinking musicians. The 1961 TV performance finds him in the company of just such a group--pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Reggie Workman and alto saxophonist/flutist Eric Dolphy--as they burn through inspired renditions of "My Favorite Things," "Every Time We Say Goodbye" and "Impressions." As the camera darts around the expressionistic set, Coltrane and his hand picked musicians lay down the new musical language that was already shaking jazz's foundations. After Dolphy left and Workman was replaced by Jimmy Garrison, Coltrane's sound ascended to an even higher level of experimentation. Tyner's natural lyricism helped balance Coltrane's abstract excursions, while Garrison somehow kept the time and Jones laid down his own fierce polyrhythmic statements. However, this particular group was nearing the end of its run by the time of the Belgium gig--Tyner and Jones left some five months later. And Coltrane would give us just two more years of incredible music before prematurely leaving the planet, which makes these remarkable, rarely seen performances even more important historically and culturally.

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Reviews


Three magnificent John Coltrane films(1960-65)
Review date: 2008-04-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

This 95-minute DVD contains three magnificent John Coltrane performances at Dusseldorf(March 1960), Baden-Baden(December 1961) and Comblain-La-Tour(August 1965) which reveal Coltrane's remarkable musical evolution over a 5-year span.
The 1960 German TV show features Coltrane and Miles Davis's rhythm section of the time with Stan Getz and Oscar Peterson sitting in later for a memorable version of Thelonious Monk's 'Hackensack'.
The 1961 TV recording in Baden-Baden features Coltrane's group with Eric Dolphy on alto & flute performing heartfelt versions of 'My Favourite Things', 'Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye' & 'Impressions'.
The intensity and passion is raised further at the 1965 outdoors concert in Belgium with Coltrane's classic quartet at the height of its powers playing astonishingly fervent versions of 'Vigil', 'Naima' & 'My Favourite Things'. Incidentally, just a few days earlier at the Antibes Jazz Festival the Coltrane quartet recorded the only live performance of 'A Love Supreme' and rumour has it that the concert was also filmed. It would be wonderful if JAZZ ICONS managed to unearth this one day.
Meanwhile, anyone with the slightest interest in John Coltrane's music should get hold of a copy of this marvellous DVD without delay.

Brilliant !
Review date: 2007-11-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

Finally a DVD of full length Coltrane performances. Documentaries are fine but I think the best way to find out about John Coltrane is through his music. There are three performances here, two from German TV broadcasts and one from an open air concert in Belgium. They show Coltrane at different stages of his development from being part of Miles Davis's group to fronting his own "Classic Quartet". So what are the performances on this DVD like ? As they mostly involve the musicians standing still you might think that this would not be a great visual experience. This is not the case mainly thanks to some great lighting and camera work on the German 1960 broadcast and some fabulous close ups on the Belgium 1965 concert. As for the music anyone with even a passing interest in Coltrane's music will love this. The highlight is a piece called "Vigil" from the 1965 concert. Coltrane launches into a blistering, intense tenor solo rocking backwards and forwards whilst Elvin Jones tries to keep pace. This is just one of a number of highlights on this DVD. The 20 minute version of "Ny Favorite Things" (1965) or the duet with Stan Getz (1960) also spring to mind. There is so little filmed material of Coltrane available that this is a must buy for jazz lovers everywhere.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Elvin Jones
McCoy Tyner
John Coltrane
Stan Getz
Eric Dolphy

Creators:
Eric Dolphy (Primary Contributor)
Stan Getz (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Reelin' in the years/Naxos
Manufacturer: Reelin' in the years/Naxos
EAN: 0747313900756
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Mono, Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-01
Universal product code (UPC): 747313900756
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Exempt
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007-09-04
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)

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