John Coltrane – Olé Coltrane

Olé Coltrane was John Coltrane's final record for Atlantic. Better said, it was the final record that came out with his input and authorization. Atlantic went back to the Coltrane well several times in the years and decades after his death. They released an inordinate amount of (very good) music given how few actual dates he recorded for the label.

Interestingly, Olé Coltrane was recorded two days after his first sessions for Impulse!, the ones that yielded the Africa/Brass material. The music could not have been more different.

Coltrane brought a smaller group to the Olé sessions: Coltrane on alto and soprano saxophone; McCoy Tyner on piano; Elvin Jones on drums; Art Davis and Reggie Workman on bass; Eric Dolphy on flute and sax and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet.

There were only three tracks on the original issue, the side-spanning title track, Coltrane's own "Dahomey Dance" and a McCoy Tyner composition, "Aisha". The 2000 reissue includes the Billy Frazier piece, "Original Untitled Ballad (To Her Ladyship)."

"Olé" suffers a bit from the length imposed on it; the track comes off the rails a bit as it approaches the 18-minute mark. It might be fair to conclude that Coltrane had already recognized that Impulse! would be a more welcoming home for what he wanted to do and did not want to devote too many of his compositions to this record (which could also be the reason for the inclusion of the Frazier and Tyner tracks on the date).

1961 was a phenomenal year of growth for Coltrane and his bandmates. In that context, Olé Coltrane is deserving of a place in any jazz library. Not essential but not too bad for a contractual obligation record.

This is one of the greates masterpieces of jazz i've ever heart. I find it remarkable that now one has ever wrote a reviewe about this one. Despite some big names gracing it ("Giant Steps," "My Favorite Things"), Coltrane's Atlantic discography sometimes gets overlooked. "Ole," released in 1961, is one of Coltrane's better, if often overlooked, Atlantic releases.

The title tune allows Coltrane to unleash his power, which emerges in a searing soprano solo that I can never listen to without getting completely swept up. Coltrane used the two-bass drone (Reggie Workman and Art Davis), over which all the players soar, including Dolphy (disguised on the original release as "George Lane" because of contractual problems), who again displays his prowess on flute.

This masterpiece is a must have for all people with a special ear for good jazz