John Coltrane - Black Pearls (1964) {Rudy Van Gelder Remaster} [TR24][SM][OF]

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John Coltrane - Black Pearls (1964) {Rudy Van Gelder Remaster} [TR24][SM][OF]

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In addition to their positions of importance in the Miles Davis quintet of the mid-fifties, John Coltrane and Red Garland a series of studio dates for Prestige in 1957 and '58. Here, as in several of the others, Paul Chambers is the bassist and Arthur Taylor is the drummer, with Donald Byrd on trumpet making it a quintet.

There are only three numbers, the title song "Black Pearls", an extremely swift version of "Lover Come Back To Me", and the fast "Sweet Sapphire Blues" which begins with Garland soloing from the gitgo in a long, upbeat exploration before Trane unfurls his "sheets of sound". Byrd gets into that rapid fire mode, in and among his evenly-cadenced lines and Chambers (plucked) and Taylor (brushes into sticks) solo before Garland ends it with a riff credited to Prestige's then-president, Bob Weinstock.

The complete musicianship evidenced by the quintet members on this album, as on many of the groupís previous albums, can be set down to the fact that each member is aware not only of their own personal needs but are conscious of being part of a living productive musical organism which not only fulfills the needs of its members but provides endless pleasure and stimulation for the listener.

"I was the engineer on the recording sessions and I also made the masters for the original LP issues of these albums. Since the advent of the CD, other people have been making the masters. Mastering is the final step in the process of creating the sound of the finished product. Now, thanks to the folks at the Concord Music Group who have given me the opportunity to remaster these albums, I can present my versions of the music on CD using modern technology. I remember the sessions well, I remember how the musicians wanted to sound, and I remember their reactions to the playbacks. Today, I feel strongly that I am their messenger." ~ Rudy Van Gelder

Recorded May 23, 1958 in Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ.

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John Coltrane - Black Pearls (1964) {Rudy Van Gelder Remaster} [TR24][SM][OF]

Close