Blue Train

Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 15, 1957. Originally released on Blue Note (81577). Includes liner notes by Robert Levin and Bob Blumenthal.
With BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also prvoed his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly not only as individuals, which is to be expected of players of such high caliber, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" bands would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly.
Coltrane burns through the opening blues, igniting the rhythm section with rapid flurries of notes and reaffirming his absolute mastery of both sound and medium. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His ideas flow, flawlessly executed, logically developed and easily accessible. His unique tone can be warm and sweet or sharp and insistent, but is always amazingly expressive. Coltrane packs more emotion into one phrase than most arists are capable of in a whole tune. And with BLUE TRAIN's token ballad, "I'm Old Fashioned," he proves that he can speak volumes without being wordy.
Two of his compositions, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird," contain some of the seeds of harmonic exploration to be found in his later work. Moreover, they provide outstanding platforms, inspiring vigorous performances from the stellar band. Nineteen-year old Lee Morgan spins nice bop lines in a juicy, warm tone, belying his age with his extraordinary playing. And with the support of "Philly" Joe Jones on drums and bassist Paul Chambers (who gives an impressive bowed solo on the up-tempo "Moment's Notice"), this BLUE TRAIN does not stop.