Live at the Village Vanguard cover

Live at the Village Vanguard

Released

In 1961, Coltrane brought his newly formed quartet, plus Eric Dolphy and a few other guests, to the Village Vanguard for four nights to record new material onstage. The first batch of material to be released consisted of the mournful “Spiritual,” on which he and Dolphy seemed to engage in theological debate; the sprightly standard “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise”; and the side-long “Chasin’ The Trane,” a caterwauling pianoless blues on which drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison seemed to know exactly how far out the boss wanted to go, and just kept feeding him line.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Science Fiction cover

Science Fiction

Ornette Coleman
We Free Kings cover

We Free Kings

Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Green Street cover

Green Street

Grant Green
Ming cover

Ming

David Murray Octet
The Bandwagon cover

The Bandwagon

Jason Moran
Clarity cover

Clarity

Alexa Tarantino
Venture cover

Venture

Amund Kleppan
Electric Byrd cover

Electric Byrd

Donald Byrd