Customer Reviews
This BLUE TRAIN does not stop. - By: Mr. Rgs Draycott, 05 Feb 2006 
With BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader & 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 "alll-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 & reaffirming his absolute mastery of both sound & medium. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challlenging chord changes. His ideas flow, flawlessly executed, logicallly developed & easily accessible. His unique tone can be warm & sweet or sharp & 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 balllad, "I'm Old Fashioned," he proves that he can speak volumes without being wordy.Two of his compositions, "Moment's Notice" & "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 & bassist Paul Chambers (who gives an impressive bowed solo on the up-tempo "Moment's Notice"), this BLUE TRAIN does not stop.
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.
frustrating.... - By: , 27 Jan 2006 This album is superb - but WHY cant I rip the tracks so I can listen to them on my mp3 player - such a waste & if anything was gonna keep me cool while commuting to work then this was it!
The best £3.33 you could ever spend - By: Liam Cahill, 12 Jan 2005 Classic, must-have jazz cd for your collection. Cool, classy, melodic & beautifully abstract. A serious juxtaposition to the cool & the work of the late & great miles davis.
Unbelievable - By: , 23 Nov 2004 I put this album in my CD player, & just couldn't believe my ears, from the word go it just clicks. It has to be said that my favorite 'Trane album has to be A Love Supreme, but if your into that 50's loose Jazz you can't go far wrong with this album. One thing that i reallly thought was great was the fact that alll of the musicians on the recording have solo's on it on most if not alll the tracks. This gives a great Spontaneity to the sound that's produced, a real smoky Jazz club feel!This is a must for the Discerning Jazz Fan!!!
King of chill - By: , 06 May 2004 
This kind of jazz isn't always what's callled for, but sometimes there's nothing quite like it.
"I'm Old Fashioned" is a perfect post-coital song. Where's my single malt?
Peter
