The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

Release type:What's this?
live album
First released:
1961

Overview Edit

Live at the Village Vanguard is a 1961 album by jazz musician John Coltrane. One side of the original LP was devoted to "Chasin' The Trane" which has been described as one of Coltrane's most important performances. In a 1966 interview, Coltrane recalled that he had "listened to John Gilmore kind of closely before I made 'Chasin the Trane'."

The Village Vanguard engagements were a focal point for Coltrane's partnership with Eric Dolphy. Other recordings from the concerts appeared originally on the Impressions LP. Interest in the results of that collaboration has led to subsequent extended reissues of the material — first in the 1977 issue of a double-LP of The Other Village Vanguard Tapes and then in the 1997 4-CD issue of the complete sessions.

The accuracy of "Miles Mode"'s title and authorship has been the subject of some dispute. On some releases it has been titled "The Red Planet" and composer credit given to Eric Dolphy.

The Overview appearing in this section is attributed to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live!_at_the_Village_Vanguard#The_Complete_1961_Village_Vanguard_Recordings_.281997.29. Portions of this Overview may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Additional terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details.

This particular version Edit

Record label:
Catalog number:
IMPD4232
Release dates:
  • Sep 23 1997 in United States

Genres

Jazz. Vote on Genres

What do Amazon.com customers think?

5 stars The greatest live music ever recorded?
John Coltrane was no stranger to controversy when he and his quintet arrived at New York's Village Vanguard in 1961; but the controversy that this extremely radical music aroused among jazz audiences, may have been a shock. Critics, including those who a year or two earlier had championed Giant Steps and My Favorite Things, now derided the music as anti-jazz or worse. Granted, this is some of Coltrane's most challenging pre-1965 music; but it is also music filled with incredible invention and jo…
Written by G B
3 stars For Advanced Listeners Only!
As the title of my review indicates this is only for the not so faint of heart. I think you will either like this, or not like it. Not much middle ground. If I wanted to explore the Avant Garde, and had never done so I would not recommend this. I have never understood the fascination with Coltrane's experimental period. There is good jazz in this period, but I think there are much better choices then Coltrane Avant playing on this highly overrated set. These reviews are buy fans of Coltrane. And…
Written by Mark Frederick

Track listing Edit

  • CD 1

    format:
    number:
    title:
    number name artist hh:mm:ss
    1
    India (A)
    10:20
    Play Buy track
    2
    Chasin' the Trane (A)
    9:41
    Play Buy track
    3
    Impressions (A)
    8:42
    Play Buy track
    4
    Spiritual (A)
    12:29
    Play Buy track
    5
    Miles' Mode (A)
    9:53
    Play Buy track
    6
    Naima (A)
    7:33
    Play Buy track
  • CD 2

    format:
    number:
    title:
    number name artist hh:mm:ss
    1
    Brazilia (A)
    18:35
    Play Buy track
    2
    Chasin' Another Trane (B)
    15:26
    Play Buy track
    3
    India (B)
    13:14
    Play Buy track
    4
    Spiritual (B)
    15:03
    Play Buy track
    5
    Softly As in a Morning Sunrise (B)
    6:25
    Play Buy track
  • CD 3

    format:
    number:
    title:
    number name artist hh:mm:ss
    1
    Chasin' the Trane (B)
    15:55
     
    2
    Greensleeves (B)
    6:08
     
    3
    Impressions (B)
    10:49
     
    4
    Spiritual (C)
    13:31
     
    5
    Naima (C)
    7:02
     
    6
    Impressions (C)
    14:45
     
  • CD 4

    format:
    number:
    title:
    number name artist hh:mm:ss
    1
    India (C)
    13:35
     
    2
    Greensleeves (C)
    4:51
     
    3
    Miles' Mode (C)
    15:12
     
    4
    India (D)
    15:06
     
    5
    Spiritual (D)
    20:29
     

Credits Edit

  1. composer

    1. John Coltrane [except CD2 : 5; CD3 : 2; CD4 : 2]
    2. Sigmund Romberg [CD2 : 5]
  2. design

    1. Greg Christie [illustration]
  3. engineer

    1. Rudy van Gelder [recording]
  4. performer

    1. Ahmed Abdul-Malik [oud (CD1 : 1; CD2 : 3; CD4 : 4)]
    2. Elvin Jones [drums (except CD2 : 2)]
    3. Eric Dolphy [bass clarinet (CD1 : 1,4,6; CD2 : 3, 4; CD3 : 4,5; CD4 : except 2,3)]
    4. Eric Dolphy [alto saxophone (CD1 : 2,3,5; CD2 : 1,2; CD3 : 3; CD4 : 3)]
    5. Garvin Bushell [contrabassoon (CD2 : 4; CD4 : 5)]
    6. Garvin Bushell [oboe (CD2 : 3; CD4 : 4)]
    7. Jimmy Garrison [double bass (CD1 : 1,3; CD2 : 3; CD3 : 1,3,6; CD4 : 1,4)]
    8. John Coltrane [tenor saxophone (CD1 : except 1,4; CD2 : except 3,5; CD3 : except 2; CD4 : 3,5)]
    9. John Coltrane [soprano saxophone (CD1 : 1,4; CD2 : except 1,2; CD3 : 2,4; CD4 : except 3)]
    10. McCoy Tyner [piano (CD1 : except 2; CD2 : except 1,2; CD3 : except 1,6; CD4)]
    11. Reggie Workman [double bass (except CD1 : 3; CD3 : 1,3,6)]
    12. Roy Haynes [drums (CD2 : 2)]
  1. producer

    1. Michael Cuscuna [reissue]

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Trivia Edit

  • tracks (A) recorded on November 1st 1961
  • tracks (B) recorded on November 2nd 1961
  • tracks (D) recorded on November 5th 1961
  • tracks (C) recorded on November 3rd 1961

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