Coltrane for Lovers

Amazon.com
John Coltrane has always been best known for stretching the limits, creating titanic, extended improvisations filled with exploding, cascading flurries of notes, but he was also one of the most lyrical of musicians, capable of the most heartfelt and touching ballads. The material here is taken from his Impulse! recordings made between 1961 and 1963, drawing largely on Ballads, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, albums that showcased his sensitive side. Coltrane's silvery sound brought an utterly new dimension to tenor saxophone balladry, a metallic clarity in which each note is given its own luster and nuance. Listening to these ballads gathered together, Coltrane seems to touch on every mood of romance, from longing to rapture to reflection, imbuing each song with an ineffable grace. His theme statements are sublimely beautiful, while his improvisations add new depths with their unique mix of strength and delicacy. "In a Sentimental Mood," with Ellington's shimmering, bell-like piano figure and Elvin Jones's animated drums perfectly complementing Coltrane's tenor, is simply one of the most memorable ballad performances ever recorded, but it's surrounded here by other gems. "Soul Eyes" is wistful reverie, while "You Don't Know What Love Is" has touches of an unsettled, passionate incantation. The tracks with Johnny Hartman are a rare meeting between a singer and a musician who are profoundly attuned to one another, with Coltrane's flutelike fills on "My One and Only Love" or his solo on "They Say It's Wonderful" conversational expansions on the lyrics' sentiments. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

My One And Only Love
Too Young To Go Steady
In A Sentimental Mood
It's Easy To Remember
Dedicated To You
You Don't Know What Love Is
After The Rain
My Little Brown Book
Soul Eyes
They Say It's Wonderful
Nancy (With The Laughing Face)

Amazon.com

John Coltrane has always been best known for stretching the limits, creating titanic, extended improvisations filled with exploding, cascading flurries of notes, but he was also one of the most lyrical of musicians, capable of the most heartfelt and touching ballads. The material here is taken from his Impulse! recordings made between 1961 and 1963, drawing largely on Ballads, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, albums that showcased his sensitive side. Coltrane's silvery sound brought an utterly new dimension to tenor saxophone balladry, a metallic clarity in which each note is given its own luster and nuance. Listening to these ballads gathered together, Coltrane seems to touch on every mood of romance, from longing to rapture to reflection, imbuing each song with an ineffable grace. His theme statements are sublimely beautiful, while his improvisations add new depths with their unique mix of strength and delicacy. "In a Sentimental Mood," with Ellington's shimmering, bell-like piano figure and Elvin Jones's animated drums perfectly complementing Coltrane's tenor, is simply one of the most memorable ballad performances ever recorded, but it's surrounded here by other gems. "Soul Eyes" is wistful reverie, while "You Don't Know What Love Is" has touches of an unsettled, passionate incantation. The tracks with Johnny Hartman are a rare meeting between a singer and a musician who are profoundly attuned to one another, with Coltrane's flutelike fills on "My One and Only Love" or his solo on "They Say It's Wonderful" conversational expansions on the lyrics' sentiments. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2007-03-08

This my first Coltrane CD. I don't listen to jazz a lot but I really enjoy relaxing to this one.

Silky and Sentimental Smooth Jazz.......2007-01-07

"If I should write a book for you. That brought me fame and fortune too. That book would be like my heart and me. Dedicated to you. And, if I should paint a picture too. That showed the loveliness of you. My art would be like my heart and me. Dedicated to you."

The sensual mood of "Coltrane for Lovers" dips into sentimental beauty throughout and creates a dreamy romantic world of smooth jazz. The entire album is slightly more than intoxicating, with the feeling that you have just fallen in love and are living in some jazz haze.

Don't be surprised if you start to look for songs by Ella Fitzgerald or listening to songs with lyrics like "I think of you night and day." ;). The cover of "Dedicated to You" leads in that direction. The entire album has an old-fashioned appeal with a modern mood.

~The Rebecca Review

Milk Trane.......2006-10-25

Coltrane For Lovers is thoroughly agreeable, and highly recommended, but only for those with limited knowledge of Coltrane's oeuvre. It's a compilation, all the tracks are readily available elsewhere, so in no sense is it "essential." What's best about it is that, in addition to being a soothing audio bubble bath that brings its own candles, it may lead neophytes deeper into the ballad side of Trane, for example, Coltrane and Hartman, Crescent, and Ballads.

Coltrane was a man of incredible surprises, but the greatest of them may be his genius around a ballad - stunning contrast to the explosive "sheets of sound" that put him on the map and secured his place in history.

The folks at Impulse! - with characteristic marketing savvy - have done their cherry-picking wisely, the CD is almost an assortment of "big hits," if such a thing is possible in jazz. Coltrane stalwarts are here including McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the amazing Elvin Jones on drums. There's also the treat of hearing Coltrane and Duke Ellington together, arguably a more historically important pairing than the much trumpeted, recently released, Trane and Monk collaboration.

Aside from Sentimental Mood, with Duke Ellington, and One And Only Love, with Hartman, the jewel that shines most brightly in this crown is After The Rain, an original Coltrane composition. (The slow descent and brooding atmosphere are reminiscent of Naima.) Tyner's piano is especially choice. After The Rain is simply one of the most beautifully evocative songs ever recorded by anyone.

One might say Coltrane For Lovers is for people who want the hipness of owning a Coltrane CD without the trouble of listening to him - the "rose without the thorn" syndrome. However, if, in the middle of making out with this music on in the background, they learn a little and are encouraged to dig further - where's the harm?

The more interesting question, or objection, is, to what extent is woozy, cocktail lounge music ideally suited to lovers? I would argue that this CD is perfect for couples in the first 6 weeks of love - while CDs like A Love Supreme, Ascension, and The African Brass Sessions paint out a more three-dimensional, passionate, and realistic portrait of love. Let's hope the neophytes dig that deep.

soul eyes.......2005-01-26

I love tis cd, it is soooo perfect for a candle light dinner with you lover. I can't stop listening to it.

Oh So Soothing.......2002-03-23

Now this Coltrane CD is a true feast for the ears. Unlike Stellar Regions, Coltrane For Lovers is soothing and filled with several catchy songs. Coltrane's saxaphone is front and center, however the piano, bass, and drums interwine very nicely. Vocalist John Hartman contributes nicely on three tracks. Its a shame there is not more of his work on this release.

The tone is pretty constant on the eleven tracks. However that is probably the only drawback. Because this collection most certainly can set a romantic mood. Pick it up and play it for your special someone. You'll certainly charm his or her heart.

John Coltrane Plays for Lovers
Average customer rating:

Five if you like jazz mellow, four if you want variety...

John Coltrane Plays for Lovers
John Coltrane
Manufacturer: Prestige
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000AB136
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

I Want To Talk About You
Violet's For Your Furs
Invitation
Slow Dance
Lush Life
Like Someone In Love
Stardust
While My Lady Sleeps
You Leave Me Breathless

Customer Reviews:

Five if you like jazz mellow, four if you want variety..........2004-02-11

This compilation from several Coltrane albums on Prestige from the 1950's is comprised of nine tracks, all seductive and slow. Of course the music is superb, with the only flaw being a lack of variety in tempo and mood. The world is filled with jazz albums "For Lovers" or with the title "Love Songs"--some are great and varied, like the compilations for Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Others, however, can get a bit...well, boring, like "Miles Davis Love Songs" and to a lesser extent, this one by the great 'Trane. John became quite controversial in the '60's when he jumped into the "free jazz" movement, which is hard on my ears and brain. His earlier stuff, however, is to die for. I like a bit more bop in my albums than this one offers, but it would be a fine introduction to a person who is a bit afraid of jazz or of Coltrane in particular. And after one gets to like these ballads, try "Blue Train" and "Giant Steps" and the compilation "'Trane's Blues." They rock. I already had three of the nine songs on this CD on other discs, but I bought this one anyway, for the other six and because I liked the three I already knew. Anything by John issued before 1960 is safe and great, and a few of his releases between 1960 and 1965 are also accessible. Scan the reviews and listen to the samples before you click on "purchase." My one real quibble with these albums designated for "lovers" is that the people who put them together seem to think that a toe-tappin' beat kills the mood. I think a couple of uptempo tunes to start off would get the blood circulating, and then one could settle down and get cozy with one's date as the ballads come along.