John Coltrane – Coltrane Jazz – Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) 180g Vinyl

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

AllMusic describes Coltrane Jazz as the saxophone legend’s preparation for his launch into his peak years of the 1960s. There are three standards aboard, but the group reaches their peak on Coltrane’s original material, particularly “Harmonique” with its melodic leaps and upper-register saxophone strains and the winding, slightly Eastern-flavored principal riffs of “Like Sonny,” dedicated to Sonny Rollins. The moody “Village Blues” features the lineup of McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Steve Davis on bass; with the substitution of Jimmy Garrison on bass, that personnel would play on Coltrane’s most influential and beloved 1960s albums.