Ballads

Description

Complete album + 4 bonus tracks - 180g virgin vinyl - limited edition, includes specially prepared essay by jazz writer Brian Morton.

Besides achieving a very personal and characteristic sound, John Coltrane opened the way to free jazz, allowing himself to play long and complex improvisations that increasingly strayed from the tunes in which they were based. However, Coltrane had always been a beautiful ballad player as this 1959 session truly attests. Ballads became an instant classic, beloved both by Coltrane fans and by those not so deeply immersed in jazz

Description

The original album + 4 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g clear vinyl.

Besides achieving a very personal and characteristic sound, John Coltrane opened the way to free jazz. By the time he recorded Ballads, Coltrane had already delved into freer and longer solos and compositions, and as a result he had his devoted followers as well as his detractors.

This LP was more "conventional" than its most immediate predecessors (apart from the Duke Ellington collaboration), and as a result it received a variety of reviews. While some applauded the fact that the saxophonist was again playing standards, others criticised him, stating that he was contradicting himself by playing simple melody lines. The fact is Coltrane had always been a beautiful ballad player.

"Most of the performances are so tender and beautiful that they can prompt a tear, or even make you feel a bit "marsh-mallowy" inside, but there is no trace of schmaltz or insincere sentimentality." - Barry Witherden, Jazz Journal