An album issued in the years after John Coltrane left the Prestige Records label – but a set that includes some very compelling sounds from the early years, really showing the tenorist in a strongly spiritual transition! Coltrane plays tenor throughout, and the record also features the Red Garland trio, with Red on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and either Art Taylor or Jimmy Cobb on drums – but the set also features trumpet from the great Wilbur Harden on half the record – Coltrane's frequent partner over at Savoy Records, who comes into the music here with the sort of searching, open style that works so well with Trane's tenor! The music is partly in the Garland/Coltrane late 50s Prestige mode, but also has some of the deeper spiritual vibe of the Savoy years too – and titles include "I'm A Dreamer Aren't We All", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Bahia", and "Goldsboro Express". CD

Fantastic work from a lost chapter of Coltrane's career! Sure, you may know his early work with Miles Davis, or his groundbreaking later recordings on Atlantic and Impulse – but in the late 50s, 'Trane recorded some fantastic sides with trumpeter Wilbur Harden for Savoy Records, and the material is unlike anything he ever did for other labels. (We should state that for some incredibly odd reason, the CD lists the work as being recorded for Mainstream Records – but the titles are the same as those in the Harden/Coltrane sides for Savoy.) In a way, the Harden tunes are similar to Yusef Lateef's work for Savoy – hardbop at the core, but with touches of exoticism and spiritualism that brings out whole new modes of playing from the musicians. Most tracks are long and modal, a perfect platform for Coltrane's new ideas of soloing that were beginning to take shape at the time. Harden's a much different horn player than Miles Davis ever was – with a fiercer approach to rhythm that kind of drives Coltrane along in a more souful groove than ever before. The 2CD set features 19 tracks from the Savoy Sessions – lovingly packaged in a way that really helps you navigate the confusing structure of the LP releases. Titles include "Gold Coast", "Dial Africa", "BJ", "Once In A While", "Tanganyika Strut", "West 42nd Street", and "Rhodamagnetics" – and the CD includes alternate versions of some tracks. CD

The title may say "standard", but with Coltrane at the helm, the record is anything but! Sure, the tunes are all familiar ones, but the presentation here is a far cry from mainstream piano jazz of the 50s – as John's working in a group with the Red Garland trio for rhythm, as well as trumpeter Wilbur Harden, the slightly off-kilter player who made some great Savoy records with Coltrane. Tracks are all quite long, and really open up with a fair bit of invention – and even when Coltrane's straight ahead, he's still compellingly creative. Tracks include "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "I'll Get By", "Spring Is Here", and "Invitation". CD

A mellow soulful classic by John Coltrane – and one of his best-remembered early albums for Prestige! The session has all the gentle glow that you might guess from the title – a laidback, open-ended approach that has Coltrane blowing long solos over rhythms from the trio of Red Garland piano, Paul Chambers bass, and either Jimmy Cobb and Art Taylor on drums – with just a bit of guest trumpet from either Freddie Hubbard or Wilbur Harden on three of the album's four tracks. The tunes are plenty long, and even with the added soloists, Coltrane still gets in plenty of space – on titles that include "Stardust", "Time After Time", "Love Thy Neighbor", and "Then I'll Be Tired Of You". CD

Fantastic work from a lost chapter of Coltrane's career! Sure, you may know his early work with Miles Davis, or his groundbreaking later recordings on Atlantic and Impulse – but in the late 50s, 'Trane recorded some fantastic sides with trumpeter Wilbur Harden for Savoy Records, and the material is unlike anything he ever did for other labels. (We should state that for some incredibly odd reason, the CD lists the work as being recorded for Mainstream Records – but the titles are the same as those in the Harden/Coltrane sides for Savoy.) In a way, the Harden tunes are similar to Yusef Lateef's work for Savoy – hardbop at the core, but with touches of exoticism and spiritualism that brings out whole new modes of playing from the musicians. Most tracks are long and modal, a perfect platform for Coltrane's new ideas of soloing that were beginning to take shape at the time. Harden's a much different horn player than Miles Davis ever was – with a fiercer approach to rhythm that kind of drives Coltrane along in a more souful groove than ever before. The 2CD set features 19 tracks from the Savoy Sessions – lovingly packaged in a way that really helps you navigate the confusing structure of the LP releases. Titles include "Gold Coast", "Dial Africa", "BJ", "Once In A While", "Tanganyika Strut", "West 42nd Street", and "Rhodamagnetics" – and the CD includes alternate versions of some tracks. CD

Plenty of jazz giants here – some of the biggest heavyweights of John Coltrane's generation, working here either as leaders of the dates, or sidemen on some of Coltrane's earliest recordings for Prestige! The package features material originally issued under the names of Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Red Garland, and Thelonious Monk – with other tracks headed by Coltrane himself – a great collection of Prestige sides that runs for over an hour in length. Players include Garland or Monk on piano, Davis on trumpet, Donald Byrd or Wilbur Harden on trumpets, Paul Chambers or Wilbur Ware on bass, and Jimmy Cobb or Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Airegin", "Mating Call", "Monk's Mood", "Soft Lights & Sweet Music", "Russian Lullaby", "Lover", "Billie's Bounce", "Invitation", "Trinkle Trinkle", and "I Love You". CD