John Coltrane Ole Coltrane (Rhino High Fidelity) Numbered Limited Edition 180g LP

Michael Fremer Rated 11/10 Music, 10/10 Sound!

The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Olé Coltrane are evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick — beyond his appreciable musical skills — guides works such as this to new levels, ultimately advancing the entire art form.

John Coltrane's final album for Atlantic bookends the exploratory motifs he explores on his Impulse! debut, Africa/Brass, recorded concurrently, with each involving knotty rhythmic shifts and Spanish-derived textures. Bonding with an amazing band that includes pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and an uncredited Eric Dolphy (due to contractual reasons), Coltrane welcomes improvisations and ranging outside conventional parameters, all the while retaining melodic beauty.

Yet the biggest attraction on the 1961 effort comes via the double-bass interplay between Art Davis and Reggie Workman, whose back-and-forth exchanges produce heat and cause the leader to up his own game.

Maybe some day AI can be used to first de-mix Tyner's piano from every Coltrane record (except this one) and then using this piano's sound, replicate Tyner's playing and then have it reinserted back into the records! Okay, that's crazy but that's how good Tyner's piano sounds on this reissue compared to how he sounds on most. The dueling arco bass lines from Art Davis and Reggie Workman have added grit, bottom end rumble and power when they get going half way through Olé and of course Coltrane's soprano sax and 'George Lane''s flute both have never sounded this well articulated and timbrally accurate. Ditto Elvin Jones' cymbal crashes. When that track gets going, it'll strip the rich Corinthian leather from your listening chair. The tape is in outstanding condition! Add Kahn's really useful annotation and the laminated gatefold jacket and you have an outstanding Olé!