John Coltrane - Lush Life (1958) [DCC Gold GZS-1108]

Lush Life (1958) is among John Coltrane's best endeavors on the Prestige label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957 session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself, Earl May (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as the opener "Like Someone in Love." Coltrane doesn't have to supplement the frequent redundancy inherent in pianists, so he has plenty of room to express himself through simple and ornate passages. Unifying the slippery syncopation and slightly Eastern feel of "I Love You" is the tenor's prevalent capacity for flawless, if not downright inspired on-the-spot "head" arrangements that emerge singular and clear, never sounding preconceived. Even at an accelerated pace, the rhythm section ably prods the backbeat without interfering. A careful comparison will reveal that "Trane's Slo Blues" is actually a fairly evident derivation (or possibly a different take) of "Slowtrane." But don't let the title fool you as the mid-tempo blues is undergirded by a lightheartedness. May provides a platform for Coltrane's even keeled runs before the tenor drops out, allowing both May and then Taylor a chance to shine. The fun cat-and-mouse-like antics continue as Taylor can be heard encouraging the tenor player to raise the stakes and the tempo — which he does to great effect.

The practically quarter-hour reading of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" is not only the focal point of this album, it is rightfully considered as one of Coltrane's unqualified masterworks. The performance hails from January 10, 1958 as Coltrane sits in with Red Garland (piano), Donald Byrd (trumpet), Paul Chambers (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums). Coltrane handles the tune's delicate complexities with infinite style and finesse. Garland similarly sparkles at the 88s, while Byrd's solo offers a bit of a tonal alternative. It should be noted that the reading here does not include a vocal from Johnny Hartman. That version can be found on the ever imaginatively monikered John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (1963). This DCC Gold CD was mastered by Steve Hoffman.

TRACK LIST

1. Like Someone in Love 5:00
2. I Love You 5:33
3. Trane's Slo Blues 6:05
4. Lush Life 14:00
5. I Hear a Rhapsody 6:01

Total Running time: 36:11


ALBUM CREDITS

John Coltrane: Primary Artist, Tenor Saxophone
Paul Chambers: Bass
Earl May: Bass
Louis Hayes: Drums
Albert "Tootie" Heath: Drums
Art Taylor: Drums
Red Garland: Piano
Donald Byrd: Trumpet
Arthur Taylor: Drums


This release is packaged as a WAVPack ISO file containing the wavpacked audio data plus all logs, cues and covers. With an .iso extension, it can be opened by any ISO editor such as UltraISO, mounted with a virtual CD program or unpacked by archivers like WinRAR and 7Zip. By changing the extension to .wv, it can be played by any media player that can handle WAVPack format and embedded cues (eg. FooBar).




Thanks to the original ripper.

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