There is a huge deficit of Jazz albums on this list, but the ones that are here are certainly the right ones. Coltrane has always been one of those artists to me that require repeated listens. In fact the music rewards it. You can't possibly absorb it all in one listen. After listening to this album several times over the past few months, I can say that I don't know how I lived without it. I have always been more of a Charlie Parker fan myself. With only occasional daples in the Coltrane/Davis camp so forgive me for not hearing this sooner. I have listened to Giant steps frequently, but not this gem. When the album starts, you can smell the inside of the club in New York. It all comes rushing back.
One of the great virtues of this piece is the length. Coltrane doesn't burden you with long drawn out ideas. He makes simple concise points and moves on, but keeps referring back to the original theme. This is the result of the musician being able to step outside of his mind and play from the gut straight through the instrument. This is also the sound of enlightenment.
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