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Critic's Review
Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
The seven-CD set Live Trane expands upon Pablo's earlier CDs of John Coltrane recorded during his European tours between 1961 and 1963, including all of The Paris Concert, Bye Bye Blackbird, The European Tour, and Afro Blue Impressions, and supplementing them with extra songs from most of these concerts. Of the 37 tracks, 19 have not previously appeared commercially (except on a number of European bootleg labels with sound ranging from barely acceptable to horrendous), and a 1961 Hamburg concert with Eric Dolphy makes its debut here. A number of titles are repeated throughout the set -- six takes of "My Favorite Things" and five versions of both "Impressions" and "Mr. P.C.," along with four takes of "Naima" -- but true Coltrane fans will marvel at the differences between them from one concert to the next. Coltrane plays at a consistently high level throughout each performance, whether delivering a blistering tenor sax solo on "Blue Train" or sharing his lush side with the tender ballad "Naima." Naturally, the highlights are the numerous versions of "My Favorite Things," featuring Coltrane's adventurous work on soprano sax. But these live versions have an even greater energy than the landmark studio recording, particularly those with the addition of Dolphy on flute. Coltrane rarely ventures away from the mic during his furious solos, and pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Jimmy Garrison are frequently barely audible during many of the performances, obviously due to the often cavernous venues that didn't necessarily lend themselves to making records, yet the sound is greatly improved over earlier issues of this material. Elvin Jones' powerful drumming serves as a catalyst throughout the entire set. Coltrane and his musicians are clearly inspired by the enthusiastic audiences who witnessed the making of this music. This is an essential set for Coltrane fans.
