Just on the cusp of breaking out into his own solo career on the major label Atlantic Records with albums like Giant Steps and My Favorite Things, John Coltrane was honing his skills and reigning in his unique personal sound and style in his fertile year of 1958 with 8 different sessions in a variety of settings. Mostly in the hard bop vein, these recordings have in in the company of Kenny Burrell/g, Freddie Hubbard/tp, Wilbur Harden/tp-fh, Donald Byrd/tp, Tommy Flanagan/p, Louis Hayes/dr as well as his teammates from Miles Davis’ quintets, namely Paul Chambers/b, Art Taylor/dr, Red Garland/p and Jimmy Cobb/dr. This 5 disc, 8 vinyl album collection has some of Coltrane’s most exciting and lyrical moments, and while not as earth shaking as his later material with his “Classic Quintet” it is a must for fans of not only ‘Trane himself, but of vintage hard bop.
His teaming with Kenny Burrell was a stroke of genius, finding the two divergent styles complementing each other on the fun “Freight Train” and lyrical toe tapper “I Never Knew” with a drop dead gorgeous duet for “Why Was I Born?”. He goes bel canto while stretching out with Donald Byrd on “Lush Life” and is serene for “Like Someone In Love” teamed with Taylor at the drums as well. He teams well with Hubbard on “Something I Dreamed Last Night” and starts his ascent into exotic atmospheres on “Bahia.”
Taking time out from Davis, he employs his band mates for a bopping “Good Bait” a stretched out “Little Melonae” and his first foray into what would become one a song put into his canon, the rich “I Want To Talk About You.”
While Coltrane also recorded his classic Blue Train at this time on Blue Note records, it’s not included here, but you get a heaping plate of what was his diet at the time, and it was good pickings.