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.
(Out of print.)