Duke Ellington & John Coltrane Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series) 180g LP

Michael Fremer Rated 9/11 Music, 8/11 Sonics!

Recorded on September 26, 1962 and released in February 1963 on Impulse! Records, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane was one of Ellington's many collaborations in the early 1960s, and placed him with a quartet rather than a big band. Coltrane's laid back, leisurely approach is reminiscent of Johnny Hodges. Duke Ellington's influence on jazz musicians was profound and extensive. It's no wonder that many believe Coltrane fell under his spell during the making of this record, and that the evolution of Coltrane's music was influenced by this meeting. "I was really honored to have the opportunity of working with Duke," said Coltrane. "It was a wonderful experience. He has set standards I haven't caught up with yet. I would have liked to have worked over all those numbers again, but then I guess the performances wouldn't have had the same spontaneity. And they mightn't have been any better!"

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets.

What seemed like an unlikely pairing in 1962 of 'jazz elder' 63 year old Duke Ellington with John Coltrane, who had just assembled his 'classic quartet' destined to explore uncharted musical (and spiritual) territory, produced a surprisingly cohesive and satisfying album...This new Ryan Smith cut reissue should please everyone who buys this record, including owners of the stereo Bell Sound cut and presumably the RVG cut as well since both were done on Scully lathes.