Originally released in 1958 and presented here as the classic 1988 CBS mono CD reissue, Milestones is an absolute towering masterpiece in the history of modern jazz. This seminal album marks the historic studio recording debut of Miles Davis's legendary First Great Sextet, an unparalleled lineup featuring John Coltrane on tenor sax, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Most famously, the record acts as the definitive architectural bridge between traditional hard bop and modern modal jazz, with the revolutionary title track shifting away from complex chord changes to pioneer scale-based improvisation—a concept that would soon reshape the genre and culminate in Kind of Blue. From the blistering velocity of Jackie McLean's Dr. Jackle and the definitive sextet reading of Thelonious Monk's Straight, No Chaser, to the beautiful trio showcase of Billy Boy, this pristine high-fidelity mono archive captures a profound musical revolution at its absolute genesis.

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane make for a surprisingly complementary team on this 1959 studio session, their only joint recording. AllMusic notes that with fine backup by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Connie Kay, Bags and Trane stretch out on two of Jackson's originals (including "The Late Late Blues") and three standards: a romping "Three Little Words," "The Night We Called It a Day," and the rapid "Be-Bop." The highlight of the set is the eponymous opening track, which just oozes late-night cool.

The first album to hit the shelves after Giant Steps, Coltrane Jazz was recorded in November and December 1959, although one of the eight tracks ("Villiage Blues") was recorded in late 1960. On everything save the aforementioned "Village Blues," Coltrane used the Miles Davis rhythm section of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

One of the greatest recordings ever made by John Coltrane in his later years - a record that has him stepping off into really new territory that would have really been something, had he stayed on the planet long enough to make more recordings like this! The vibe is very experimental - almost predating loft jazz work to come in the 70s - as Coltrane works here just alongside the drums of Rashied Ali - a fantastic match for his mighty talents, as the pair work together with a whole new extrapolation of the spiritual territory that had been unlocked on more famous records of the time. The material didn't come out until years after Coltrane's death - at a time when others were already recording this way - but the set maybe blows away some of the best material of this nature from the 70s.

On Ken Burns Jazz, the archival masters at Columbia and Legacy deliver a breathtaking, definitive, and historically monumental studio document celebrating the unparalleled genius of high-priest bop architect Thelonious Monk. Released in 2010 as a crucial companion piece to Ken Burns' landmark documentary series, this comprehensive retrospective masterfully synthesizes Monk's most foundational compositions, bridging his legendary eras across key labels to chart his profound impact on the structural DNA of modern jazz. Spanning over 75 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity audio design, the 14-track landscape operates with a sharp, angular, and beautifully dissonant kinetic energy. The tracklist moves seamlessly through towering foundational milestones, firing off definitive, syncopated masterpieces like Well You Needn't, Epistrophy, Straight, No Chaser, and Blue Monk, before closing with his signature, deeply melancholic ballad 'Round Midnight. Driven by his highly idiosyncratic, percussive piano stride, unexpected pauses, and brilliant horn counterpoints, this pristine archive remains an indispensable, time-tested treasure for bop purists and serious jazz historians worldwide.

This is a major set, "new" music from John Coltrane that was recorded February 15, 1967 (five months before his death) but not released for the first time until 1995. One of several "lost" sessions that were stored by Alice Coltrane for decades, only one selection ("Offering" which was on Expression) among the eight numbers and three alternates was ever out before. The music, although well worth releasing, offers no real hints as to what Coltrane might have been playing had he lived into the 1970s. The performances by the quartet (the saxophonist joined by pianist Alice Coltrane, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali) are briefer (from two and a half to five-plus minutes) than Coltrane's recordings of the previous year, but that might have been due to the fact that this music was played in the studio (as opposed to the marathon live blowouts with Pharoah Sanders) or to Coltrane's worsening health…

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! John Coltrane's seminal 1961 release featuring "Everytime We Say Goodbye". Hybrid Stereo SACD. Mastered directly to DSD from the original master tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound.

Not released until 1977, the music on First Meditations was the last recording made by the classic John Coltrane Quartet; other slightly later records found the group incorporating additional musicians. Four of the five movements on this release (which are augmented by a lengthier second version of "Joy") would become part of the better-known Meditations album (along with another movement) two-and-a-half months later when tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and drummer Rashied Ali temporarily made the group a sextet. Coltrane (sticking here exclusively to tenor) plays passionately, alternating ferocious explorations with more lyrical sections.

Fantastic late Coltrane work - recorded in 1966 and 1967, but not issued until 1978. The record features 4 tracks from the golden years. Two cuts - "Leo" and "Jupiter (Variations)" feature Coltrane playing spare, beautiful duets with Rashied Ali on drums. The track "Number One" features Trane in a quartet with Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Ali on drums. And "Peace On Earth" features Alice, Charlie Haden, Ali, and Pharoah Sanders. It was previously issued with overdubbed strings on the World Galaxy album - but it's issued here in the better stripped-down version. Very nice and essential Coltrane material.

Chango's Dance is a spectacularly explosive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz studio masterpiece led by the legendary Bronx-born master percussionist and directional vanguard pioneer Bobby Matos, digitally preserved and released on compact disc in 1995 as the historic, catalog-initiating flagship release for Ubiquity's premier independent archival preservation imprint CuBop Records. Spanning over 75 minutes of breathtakingly intense, heavily syncopated organic-acoustic interactions across 12 full ensemble pieces and 5 deep ceremonial interludes, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute pinnacle monument in mid-1990s West Coast Afro-Latin groove archaeology. Rooted deeply in the raw Nuyorican street-rhythm traditions of the 1960s and 1970s, Matos utilizes this expansive studio laboratory to execute a fierce, forward-thinking sonic blueprint that daringly bridges structural hard bop modalism with the complex polyrhythmic geometries of sacred Yoruba ancestral drum languages.

Released in 2002 on the iconic Verve label, Directions in Music captures an extraordinary live concert recorded at Toronto's Massey Hall. The album serves as a magnificent, heartfelt celebration of the colossal musical legacies of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, honoring what would have been their respective 75th birthdays. Leading this monumental tribute is a spectacular multi-generational quintet featuring piano master Herbie Hancock, towering tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, and the brilliant trumpeter Roy Hargrove, backed by an elite modern rhythm section composed of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Rather than executing simple nostalgic recreations, the band delivers daring, highly inventive post-bop transformations of classic themes. Highlights include a fiery, seamlessly woven medley of So What and Impressions, Hancock's own elusive masterpiece The Sorcerer, and breathtakingly expansive, deeply emotional readings of Coltrane's Naima and Transition. Throughout the entire seventy-eight-minute performance, the interplay is fiercely energetic and creatively telepathic, establishing this recording as a timeless, brilliant milestone in modern live acoustic jazz history.

John Coltrane will have his recordings from 1963 collected in one 3CD set due for release as 1963: New Directions on Impulse! Records on 16 November, 2018.

Impressions is a hodgepodge of memorable John Coltrane performances from the 1961-1963 period. "India" and "Impressions" are taken from Trane's famous November 1961 engagement at the Village Vanguard; bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy is heard on the former while the latter features a marathon solo from Coltrane on tenor. Also included on this set are 1962's "Up 'Gainst the Wall" and the classic of the album, 1963's "After the Rain."

Quiet Fire is a profoundly elegant, deeply soulful, and masterfully swinging hard bop and post-bop tour de force by the legendary American jazz pianist George Cables, released in 1995 by the prestigious European jazz imprint SteepleChase. Spanning over 57 minutes across eight exquisitely executed compositions, this high-fidelity document captures one of modern jazz's most revered accompaniment masters and modal architects stepping brilliantly into the spotlight as a leader. Known for his historic collaborations with giants like Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, and Woody Shaw, Cables displays his full arsenal of lyrical phrasing, rich harmonic voicings, and absolute rhythmic authority on this session. The album seamlessly balances explosive, hard-driving swing with moments of breathtaking acoustic intimacy and spatial clarity. The tracklist is meticulously curated, highlighting Cables' stunning compositional prowess on the driving opening track Uncle Bubba and the beautiful, moody contours of the Title Track. The trio also delivers definitive, deeply respectful deconstructions of classic jazz lore, including Dexter Gordon's playful Fried Bananas, a lush reading of Kurt Weill's My Ship, and John Coltrane's elegant Naima's Love Song. Exceptionally preserved in pristine lossless audio quality, this rare archive stands as a mandatory cornerstone and a prized collector's treasure for global purists of modern acoustic piano trios, SteepleChase catalog history, and timeless post-bop piano evolution.

Marking 100 years since Coltrane’s birth, Charly Records presents France 1965: The Complete Concerts — a landmark 4LP deluxe set housed in a gatefold package with photographs, a concert poster, and new liner notes. This historic collection brings together, for the first time ever, the complete series of performances by the revered John Coltrane Quartet in France in July 1965, capturing the original “classic quartet” lineup — John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums) — during their final European tour together. On July 26, the quartet performed the only complete live version of A Love Supreme ever known to have been played by the original lineup. Previously believed lost to time, the Charly Records archivists have painstakingly recovered and restored the full performance, long thought to survive only in a brief French TV excerpt. Recorded just seven months after Coltrane entered Rudy Van Gelder’s studio to record A Love Supreme (December 9, 1964), these performances offer a transcendent continuation of that spiritual masterpiece.