When Coltrane and his “quartet” recorded these performances, he was just releasing Ole Coltrane, so I think it’s safe to say that much of what was heard here came as a shock to anyone in the audience who wasn’t constantly seeing him live. And even when the LP version came out the next year, much of it still probably sounded about as out there as anything could that wasn’t free. I mean, My Favorite Things came out about six months before these were recorded and as much as that album is radical in its own way, it is still very tuneful.

Here we get a couple of Coltrane staples reinterpreted enough to sound fairly fresh, but a lot more of it is rather new material, some of which practically offended critics at the time for how extreme it seemed – in relation to Coltrane’s previous work, no doubt, and not in relation to what was happening in free jazz. This is as wild and as boundary-shattering as he had ever been to this point (the solos, the Indian music, etc).

In this wildness he is aided by his new (pseudo) quartet – two bassists participated at different times to help keep everyone on their toes – and two of my favourite jazz musicians: “ethno-jazz” pioneer Ahmed Abdul-Malik (only on a few tracks) and Mingus sideman Eric Dolphy. The multiple performances of tunes might scare you off, but they shouldn’t; they drastically differ from one to another. And not only is Trane in fine form but this is some of the finest work I have heard from Dolphy as well.
An absolute marvel.

10/10

Disc one

1. “India” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d, AA ou) John Coltrane 10:33
2. “Chasin’ the Trane” (JC ts, ED as, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 9:52
3. “Impressions” (JC ts, ED as, MT p, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 8:52
4. “Spiritual” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 12:49
5. “Miles’ Mode” (JC ts, ED as, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 10:22
6. “Naima” (JC ts, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 7:40

Disc two

1. “Brasilia” (JC ts, ED as, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 18:45
2. “Chasin’ Another Trane” (JC ts, ED as, RW b, RH d) Coltrane 15:35
3. “India” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d, AA ou, GB ob) Coltrane 13:14
4. “Spiritual” (JC ss ts, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d, GB c-bs) Coltrane 15:13
5. “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” (JC ss, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II 6:38

Disc three

1. “Chasin’ the Trane” (JC ts, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 16:08
2. “Greensleeves” (JC ss, MT p, RW b, EJ d) traditional 6:51
3. “Impressions” (JC ts, ED as, MT p, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 10:59
4. “Spiritual” (JC ts ss, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 13:48
5. “Naima” (JC ts, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 7:07
6. “Impressions” (JC ts, MT p, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 14:52

Disc four

1. “India” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 14:03
2. “Greensleeves” (JC ss, MT p, RW b, EJ d) traditional 5:02
3. “Miles’ Mode” (JC ts, ED as, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 15:25
4. “India” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d, AA ou, GB ob) Coltrane 15:14
5. “Spiritual” (JC ts ss, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d, GB c-bs) Coltrane 20:40

1998 Live at the Village Vanguard: The Master Takes

1. “Spiritual” (JC ts ss, ED bc, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 13:31
2. “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” (JC ss, MT p, RW b, EJ d) Romberg, Hammerstein 6:25
3. “Chasin’ the Trane” (JC ts, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 15:55
4. “India” (JC ss, ED bc, MT p, JG b, RW b, EJ d) Coltrane 13:55
5. “Impressions” (JC ts, MT p, JG b, EJ d) Coltrane 14:45

• John Coltrane — soprano and tenor saxophone
• Eric Dolphy — bass clarinet, alto saxophone
• McCoy Tyner — piano
• Reggie Workman — bass
• Jimmy Garrison — bass
• Elvin Jones — drums
• Garvin Bushell — probably cor anglais (described wrongly in the disc notes as an oboe), contrabassoon
• Ahmed Abdul-Malik — probably tanpura (described wrongly in the disc notes as an oud)
• Roy Haynes — drums