Jazz
All tracks have been digitally remastered using 20-bit technology.(Reissue).
Following the release of A LOVE SUPREME, John Coltrane entered upon a year of furious creation, including such shamanistic works as ASCENSION and MEDITATIONS. While many ... Full Descriptionof his old fans couldn't make the leap of faith required for a sojourn into Coltrane's emotive new sound, those who surrendered to the psychedelic interplay of his classic quartet bore witness to spiritual transformations of enduring grandeur.
Recorded August 26, 1965, SUN SHIP is one of Coltrane's most intense performances, and a testament to the maturity and resourcefulness of his rhythm section. With nearly four years of experience under their belt, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones had achieved a vital collective identity, yet each man was an innovator in his own right. When Coltrane evolved a metrically free style of rhythm and melody, the quartet's basic rhythmic pulse and style of collective interplay evolved accordingly. Bassist Garrison and drummer Jones are featured on "Ascent" and "Attaining," where they unveil bold new solutions for coming in and out of tempo and manipulating dynamics, while maintaining the amorphous ebb and flow of the pulse.
The opening track, "Sun Ship" begins auspiciously with a splintered chanting theme--a call to arms, as it were. Garrison and Jones regroup dramatically around the leader's clarion calls, then rhythmically abstract the jazz pulse, moving away from strict tempos and linear swing, towards a furious implied pulse, as Tyner crafts a monumental solo full of crashing modulations and heated single lines. Trane re-enters at full tilt, alternating throttled upper register cries with crunching bass declamations, as the levitating rhythm boils around him.
The gyrating, oceanic pulse of "Dearly Beloved" suggests earlier ballad explorations such as "Alabama," with Trane's keening tenor providing a taut melodic focus for the multi-layered, ritualistic rhythms surrounding him. Tyner's great waves of chords and contrary motion build to a surging climax, before Trane re-enters to bring them all home. And with "Amen," Trane announces a spare modal theme that evokes both a sense of the older swing and the new freedom. Garrison walks, then strums, surging forward, pulling backwards, elongating and elasticizing the pulse, as Tyner essays swift, sweeping lines and rumbling chordal fanfares a fervent prelude for Trane's perilous transformations.
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Coltrane recorded so much music in 1965 that much of it remained unreleased until after his death. Ironically,this album and First Meditations which represent the last recordings of the Classic Quartet are in my opinion the best of the lot and are only superseded by A Love Supreme. The music on Sun Ship finds Coltrane at a transitional stage,moving further towards 'free jazz,' but still with the trademark Quartet sound. Unlike some of Coltrane's later work which could be rambly and unfocused at times,these are all relatively brief pieces,and the playing throughout is diamond sharp and coherent,with the interplay between the members of the Quartet bordering on the telepathic by this stage. Coltrane's own playing is ferocious on the title track and 'Amen,' and rich and majestic on the ballad 'Dearly Beloved,'whilst 'Ascent,' following Jimmy Garrison's long intro is as catchy and accesible as anything Coltrane recorded,a real rollercoaster ride. 'Attaining' is the quietest track on the album, although still awash with waves of rhythm, and is a little reminisent of the 'Crescent' album. All in all this is a great album, despite not being that well known, and is a perfect 'sign off' from the Classic Quartet.Well worth your money if you are a Coltrane fan.
By Adam Ventress.
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John Coltrane- Tenor Saxophone
McCoy Tyner- Piano
Jimmy Garrison- Bass
Elvin Jones- Drums
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A1. Sun Ship 6:12
A2. Dearly Beloved 6:27
A3. Amen 8:16
B1. Attaining 11:26
B2. Ascent 10:10
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