"THE CLASSIC QUARTET -- COMPLETE IMPULSE! STUDIO RECORDINGS" John Coltrane Quartet (Impulse!)

Perfection

"If there's any such thing as a perfect man, I think John Coltrane was one. And I think that kind of perfection has to come from a greater force than there is here on Earth."

-- Elvin Jones

There's a group of true believers in San Francisco called Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. It has existed for almost 30 years. Are these people crazy? Listening to the heartfelt, spiritually uplifting music that saxophonist John Coltrane has produced in his lifetime, it's not hard to imagine where his disciples are coming from.

This handsomely packaged set, housed in an aluminum slipcase, contains some of the most imaginatively produced music ever, let alone jazz. Not convinced? Listen closely to Trane's "Alabama," a beautiful, haunting ballad inspired by the struggle of the civil-rights movement. It's typical Trane, building slowly to a bluesy, fever pitch, then falling into a bottomless pit.

"The Classic Quartet" chronicles the studio output of the quartet of Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and the inimitable Elvin Jones, the quartet's driving force, on drums. An understanding of each other's strengths made all things possible. Trane's most ambitious compositions and ideas could be realized. Tunes like the Eastern-flavored "India," the monumental "A Love Supreme" and the whimsical "The Inch Worm" were given a perfect tone, or mood.

There is so much important music on this eight-CD set that calling it essential would be an understatement. This is the stuff that's inspired countless musicians. Songs like "Tunji" are studied in universities, where many of Trane's solos are analyzed, note by note. Great young jazz musicians regularly cover Trane's music. But to this ear, none has yet come close to the master's original versions.

The best thing about this set is that it gathers so many landmark recordings in one place. As Jones mentions in the liner notes, "You don't ask one painting to tell the complete story of a painter's life, and you can't treat a single album that way either. That's why most people I know who have any Coltrane albums have all of them."

Amen.

--KEITH H. BROWN
Reprinted from the Lousville Courier-Journal
Reviewed Feb. 6, 1999
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