John Coltrane: Interplay

John Coltrane

Interplay, Prestige Records’ new 5-CD set (release date – September 18), containing early collaborative recordings of the peerless tenor saxophonist and visionary John Coltrane, serves two distinct purposes. The first is to offer an extraordinary collection of music that provides an excellent overview of the modern jazz scene during the fertile 1956-1958 period. The other – and arguably more important purpose to the legions of Coltrane faithful – is its rich delineation of the evolutionary process behind one of the most profoundly important and emotionally compelling artists this planet has ever seen.

Interplay is comprised of seven complete albums and three tracks from two others. All but one of the recording sessions took place between September of 1956 and September of 1957; the final one in March of 1958. In the prevalent style of this period, the sessions all contain a certain jam session context; and in fact, five of the albums were released without any specified leader – Tenor Conclave, Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors, The Cats, Wheelin’ & Dealin’ and Modern Jazz Survey 2 (reissued as Dakar under Coltrane’s name). The other two – Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette, essentially a jam session “co-led” by Trane and Paul Quinichette; and Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane, Trane’s last Prestige date not under his own leadership – retained the basic jam session feel. But actually, piano great Tommy Flanagan directed The Cats, and the brilliant pianist/composer Mal Waldron was not only musical director for Interplay and Wheelin’ & Dealin’, but his presence on Dakar and Cattin’ also provided much of the cohesiveness to those dates.

Following up on Prestige’s heavily acclaimed 6-CD set Fearless Leader, which collected all of Coltrane’s Prestige recordings as leader, Interplay is beautifully produced by Patrick Milligan and Cheryl Pawelski, featuring an extensive 60 page booklet with liner notes by noted historian Nat Hentoff, album notes by reputed Coltrane scholar Lewis Porter, the original album notes, and many rare photographs. The original sessions, produced by Bob Weinstock (except for Dakar by Teddy Charles) and recorded by the peerless Rudy Van Gelder have been remastered by Fantasy Studios’ master engineer Joe Tarantino for the maximum in audio quality.

DISC 1:
1. Just You, Just Me
2. Tenor Conclave
3. How Deep Is The Ocean?
4. Bob’s Boys
5. Anatomy
6. Interplay
7. Light Blue

DISC 2:
1. Soul Eyes
2. C.T.A.
3. Ecllypso
4. Solacium
5. Minor Mishap
6. Tommy’s Time

DISC 3: 1. Dakar
2. Mary’s Blues
3. Route 4
4. Velvet Scene
5. Witches Pit
6. Cat Walk
7. Cattin’
8. Anatomy
9. Vodka
10. Sunday

DISC 4:
1. Dealin’
2. Dealin’
3. Wheelin’
4. Wheelin’
5. Robbin’s Nest
6. Things AIn’t What They Used To Be

DISC 5:
1. Lyresto
2. Why Was I Born?
3. Freight Trane
4. I Never Knew
5. Big Paul