John Coltrane - Lush Life (1961) [Analogue Productions 2014] SACD ISO + DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Lush Life is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1961 on Prestige Records, catalogue 7188. It is assembled from unissued results of three separate recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958. As Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s long after he had stopped recording for the label, Prestige used unissued recordings to create new marketable albums without Coltrane's input or approval.

Lush Life 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.

Tracklist:

01. Like Someone In Love
02. I Love You
03. Trane's Slo Blues
04. Lush Life
05. I Hear a Rhapsody

Personnel
Tracks 1-3:
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Earl May – bass
Art Taylor – drums
Tracks 4-5:
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Red Garland – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Donald Byrd – trumpet (track 4)
Louis Hayes – drums (track 4)
Albert Heath – drums (track 5)

Recorded on May 31, 1957 (#5), August 16, 1957 (#1-3), January 10, 1958 (#4) at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Mastered for this SACD by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.


Thanks to jazzyman!
Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,47 GB
>