JOHN COLTRANE — Concert In Japan (review)

JOHN COLTRANE — Concert In Japan album cover Live album · 1973 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
“John Coltrane Concert in Japan” does not have very good sound quality, but it is an important example of an important group at a time of important development. Back when this album was recorded (1966), it seemed all avant-garde jazz was poorly recorded, as if that was one more way of avoiding commercialism and/or the establishment. To this day I sometimes wonder if that was the case for some of the early free jazz albums. By 1966, free jazz was not exactly new anymore, but it was still fairly new to a lot of people and it would still take a few more years for free jazz to become an accepted part of the jazz world.

Although very much an avant-garde album when it was recorded, Coltrane’s playing on here is mostly tonal as he delivers sheets of modal scales and pentatonic colors. Pharoh Sanders, on the other hand, is more apt to slip into screams and exclamations, as well as making his saxophone sound like a pre-colonial African reed instrument no where near the European concert invention it is. Rashied Ali’s drumming continues the African vibe as he is able to sound like a large African percussion ensemble by himself. Alice Coltrane supplies cascading scales and chords, often imitating an Indian tamboura in the way she provides a constant background for the soloists. Jimmy Garrison on bass is the only person left from Coltrane’s more traditional previous group, but unfortunately you can barely hear him at all.

If Sanders and Ali bring an African sound, the Coltranes often seem to be channeling classical Indian music with John’s relaxed opening to “Peace on Earth” sounding much like a morning raga. The way the two Coltranes build their improvisations again recalls Indian ragas. Although, “Peace on Earth”, mostly lives up to its name, the rest of the music on here is quite intense, especially when Sanders gets everyone fired up with his fierce repeating atonal scales. On the closing track, Sanders and Coltrane finally solo together and what a hell raiser that is. Too bad there was not more of their simultaneous improvs on here.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Tomasz Stanko Quartet : September Night Post-Fusion Contemporary
TOMASZ STAŃKO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Jazz Association Live Nu Jazz
MAGIC MALIK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Marimbissimo: A Latin American Suite For Marimba And Big Band Latin Jazz
JUAN ÁLAMO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Luniwaz-Live : The Music of Joe Zawinul Fusion
SCOTT KINSEY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Musings of a Bahamian Son : Poems and Other Words by Joe Mcphee Avant-Garde Jazz
JOE MCPHEE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Reborn Blues (feat. Tim Armacost, Alan Bartus & Stefan Bartus)
KLEMENS MARKTL
snobb· 12 hours ago
Troy Roberts - "Green Lights" out now!
TROY ROBERTS
js· 1 day ago
ABSURD by Benjamin Koppel - ? Single out now! ?
BENJAMIN KOPPEL
js· 1 day ago
Benjamin Koppel & Mames Babegenush - THE WORLD OF YESTERDAY
BENJAMIN KOPPEL
js· 1 day ago
Miles Away
ALEX MERCK
js· 4 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed