John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion, The Complete Atlantic Recordings [1995] (7 x CD's)

 

JAZZ SUNSDAY

JOHN COLTRANE

John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion, The Complete Atlantic Recordings [1995] (7 x CD's)

Peak solo output years for the master tenor sax man supported by a host of insanely talented musicians. The Heavyweight Champion set that chronicles the "Giant Steps" that John Coltrane took as a saxophonist and an artist during his hallowed 1959-61 stint with Atlantic. Here is every note he recorded for the label in chronological order, all documented inside a 72-page hardcover book. Landmark jazz!

John Coltrane not only made his reputation once and for all during his brief 1959-61 stay at Atlantic Records; he cut enough material to allow the label to continue releasing "new" albums (the Don Cherry collaboration The Avant-Garde) until a year before his 1967 death. The Heavyweight Champion collects those masters plus revealing alternate takes and false starts in a typical handsome Rhino box that is also packed with informative notes and great Lee Friedlander photos. While the sheer volume of music and emotion Coltrane and cohorts throw at the listener might make purchases of individual discs like My Favorite Things, Giant Steps, and Coltrane's Sound a wise choice, those committed enough to jump right in won't regret adding these seven CD's to their collections. Coltrane had kicked his multilayered sonic and spiritual quest into fifth gear by the time of his Atlantic debut, and to say he scorched plenty of earth while under the care of staff producer Nesuhi Ertegun is only the beginning of an ample description of his achievements at the label. Though he was to go even further at Impulse!, where he ended his career. (Amazon)

The Heavyweight Champion is a box set that lives up to its title. Collecting all of John Coltrane's Atlantic recordings, including a fair number of unreleased takes as well as an entire disc of alternate tracks and studio chatter, the seven-disc box set documents a pivotal moment in Coltrane's career, as he was moving from hard bop and sweet standards to a more daring, experimental style of playing influenced by the avant-garde. Much of the music is hard bop (Giant Steps) or lushly melodic (My Favorite Things), but the latter discs show the saxophonist coming to terms with the more experimental movements in jazz. The scope of this music is, quite simply, breathtaking -- not only was Coltrane developing at a rapid speed, but the resulting music encompasses nearly every element that made him a brilliant musician, and it is beautiful. (AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

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Pt.1    Pt.2      Pt.3 

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Track lists

CD1

01 John Coltrane Stairway To The Stars 3:29

02 John Coltrane The Late Late Blues 9:33

03 John Coltrane Bags & Trane 7:24

04 John Coltrane Three Little Words 7:28

05 John Coltrane The Night We Called It A Day 4:19

06 John Coltrane Be-Bop 7:58

07 John Coltrane Blues Legacy 9:02

08 John Coltrane Centerpiece 7:06

09 John Coltrane Giant Steps (Alternate Version) 3:41

10 John Coltrane Naima (Alternate Version) 4:28

11 John Coltrane Like Sonny (Alternate Version) 6:02

CD2

01 John Coltrane Spiral 5:57

02 John Coltrane Countdown 2:21

03 John Coltrane Countdown (Alternate Take) 4:32

04 John Coltrane Syeeda's Song Flute 7:00

05 John Coltrane Syeeda's Song Flute (Alternate Take) 7:04

06 John Coltrane Mr. P.C. 6:57

07 John Coltrane Giant Steps 4:43

08 John Coltrane Cousin Mary 5:45

09 John Coltrane Cousin Mary (Alternate Take) 5:44

10 John Coltrane I'll Wait And Pray 3:31

11 John Coltrane I'll Wait And Pray (Alternate Take) 3:25

12 John Coltrane Little Old Lady 4:24

CD3

01 John Coltrane Like Sonny 5:55

02 John Coltrane Harmonique 4:13

03 John Coltrane My Shining Hour 4:52

04 John Coltrane Naima 4:22

05 John Coltrane Some Other Blues 5:36

06 John Coltrane Fifth House 4:41

07 John Coltrane Cherryco 6:47

08 John Coltrane The Blessing 7:53

09 John Coltrane Focus On Sanity 12:13

10 John Coltrane The Invisible 4:12

11 John Coltrane Bemsha Swing 5:04

CD4

01 John Coltrane Village Blues 5:21

02 John Coltrane Village Blues (Alternate Take) 6:14

03 John Coltrane My Favorite Things 13:41

04 John Coltrane Central Park West 4:11

05 John Coltrane Mr. Syms 5:20

06 John Coltrane Untitled Original (Exotica) 5:19

07 John Coltrane Summertime 11:31

08 John Coltrane Body And Soul 5:35

09 John Coltrane Body And Soul (Alternate Take) 5:56

10 John Coltrane Mr. Knight 7:31

CD5

01 John Coltrane Blues To Elvin (Alternate Take) 10:58

02 John Coltrane Blues To Elvin 7:50

03 John Coltrane Mr. Day 7:53

04 John Coltrane Blues To You (Alternate Take) 5:32

05 John Coltrane Blues To You 6:26

06 John Coltrane Blues To Bechet 5:43

07 John Coltrane Satellite 5:48

08 John Coltrane Everytime We Say Goodbye 5:38

09 John Coltrane 26-2 6:10

10 John Coltrane But Not For Me 9:34

CD6

01 John Coltrane Liberia 6:49

02 John Coltrane The Night Has A Thousand Eyes 6:48

03 John Coltrane Equinox 8:32

04 John Coltrane Olé 18:12

05 John Coltrane Dahomey Dance 10:49

06 John Coltrane Aisha 7:36

07 John Coltrane Original Untitled Ballad  (To Her Ladyship) 8:58

CD7

01 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 1 [Incomplete] 4:28

02 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 2 [False Start] 0:06

03 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 3 [Incomplete] 2:34

04 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 4 [Incomplete] 1:07

05 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 5 [Alternate] 3:26

06 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 6 [False Start] 0:18

07 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 7 [Incomplete] 3:51

08 John Coltrane Naima - Take 1 [Incomplete] 3:08

09 John Coltrane Naima - Take 2 [Incomplete] 3:07

10 John Coltrane Naima - Take 4 [False Start] 0:11

11 John Coltrane Naima - Take 5 [Alternate] 3:20

12 John Coltrane Naima - Take 6 [Alternate] 3:13

13 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Rehearsal 1 [False Start] 0:06

14 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Rehearsal 2 [Incomplete] 1:19

15 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 1 [False Start] 0:06

16 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 2 [Incomplete] 2:53

17 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 3 [Incomplete] 0:55

18 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 4 [False Start] 0:04

19 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 5 [Alternate] 8:10

20 John Coltrane Like Sonny - Take 6 [Incomplete] 1:02

21 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 3 [Incomplete] 3:55

22 John Coltrane Giant Steps - Take 6 [Alternate] 4:49

23 John Coltrane Blues To Elvin - Take 2 [False Start] 0:06

24 John Coltrane Blues To Elvin - Take 3 [Alternate] 5:51

25 John Coltrane Blues To You - Take 2 [Alternate] 5:30

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