John Coltrane - Side Steps

Prestige

Recording Dates: 1956 - 1958

Re-release date: October 6th 2009

Availabilty: CD Box Set

John Coltrane Side Steps cover

The release of this 5 CD box set completes the reissue in remastered form of John Coltrane's legendary Prestige recordings that had been begun with the 'Fearless Leader' and 'Interplay' sets, released in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Featured here on 'Side Steps' is all the great saxophonist's work as a sideman for the label, except for the takes with Miles Davis which are featured in 'The Miles Davis Quintet: Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions', released in 2006. He is featured supporting Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Tadd Dameron, Mal Waldron, Elmo Hope and Ray Draper.

The production is immaculate with 24-bit remastering from the original analog master tapes, a 72-page book with rare photographs, discography, and sessionography, essays by music historian Ashley Kahn, an interview transcript with Prestige founder Bob Weinstock, and fully reproduced original album cover artwork and notes.

Disc 1 features John Coltrane alongside trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Hank Mobley in the Elmo Hope session recorded in May 1957 that was released as The Elmo Hope Sextet album 'Informal Jazz'. It also features six tracks recorded in November 1956 with Tadd Dameron as leader that appeared as 'Mating Call', and which also featured bassist John Simmons and drummer Philly Joe Jones.

Disc 2 begins with 'Tenor Madness', from May 1956 with John Coltrane alongside leader Sonny Rollins, with Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums, released on Sonny Rollins' album 'Tenor Madness' and one of the greatest jazz tracks of all time. What might have been? This was the only time that the two great saxophonists recorded together. The disc is completed by the eight takes from the April /May 1957 sessions led by Mal Waldron featuring John Coltrane in the company of Jackie McLean, Bill Hardman, Idrees Sulieman, Art Taylor that were released as 'Mal - 2'.

Discs 3 and 4 feature 15 tracks from two sessions recorded in mid-November and mid-December, 1957, under the leadership of Red Garland. They feature - in addition to John Coltrane - Donald Byrd, George Joyner, and Art Taylor. These highly creative sessions were released as the albums 'Soul Junction', 'Dig It!', 'High Pressure' and 'All Mornin' Long'.

Disc 5 captures Coltrane's last two sessions as a sideman for Prestige. The first is from December 1957 and yields five tracks with tuba player Ray Draper as leader which appeared on the album 'The Ray Draper Quintet'. The second session from January 1958 features Gene Ammons as leader with Mal Waldron on piano, George Joyner on bass and Art Taylor on drums with tracks that featured on the Gene Ammons albums 'Groove Blues' and 'The Big Sound'.

This very well researched and produced release completes the picture of two very productive years for John Coltrane with Prestige.



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