Description
The complete album + 4 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g red coloured vinyl, contains new specially prepared liner notes by Penguin Guide to Jazz's writer Brian Morton and by Paris' prestigious Jazz Magazine.
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. By the time he recorded Ballads, He 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, 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. Whatever the critics said and say, Ballads became an instant classic, beloved both by John Coltrane fans and by those not so deeply concerned about jazz.
The bonus track, 'They Say It's Wonderful' (Erving Berlin), performed as a duet between Coltrane and Tyner, will melt the heart of any doubting Thomas - assuming, of course, they have a heart!
Also includes the bonus tracks 'Naima', 'Greensleeves' and 'Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye'.
"With 'Ballads' Coltrane looks into the warmer side of things, a path he would later take with both Johnny Hartman and with Duke Ellington. Here he lays out for McCoy Tyner mostly, and the results positively shimmer at times. He's not aggressive, and he's not outwardly." - **** Sam Samuelson, AllMusic
