COMPOSERS: John Coltrane
LABELS: Properbox
ALBUM TITLE: John Coltrane: Out of This World
PERFORMER: John Coltrane (saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums) etc
CATALOGUE NO: 181
The Coltrane market is awash with hyper-budget compilations, a situation exacerbated by copyright lapse and the repackaging of the saxophonist’s original albums in ever cheaper and larger boxed sets. Good news for the listener, I suppose, but the question then arises as to whether there’s any need – or indeed any room left – for an item such as this. As ever, though, the Proper (indeed) approach to programming and supporting notes puts it in a different league.
The disc contents show attention to musical flow while also dovetailing effectively with the 36-page book that comes with the four generously filled CDs. Responsibility for both lies with saxist/writer Simon Spillett, whose astuteness and expertise at marrying music and factual narrative effectively transforms this set into a pocketable musical documentary. Inevitably, the sound quality very occasionally varies according to sources, but this set is still streets ahead of the lower budget alternatives.
Roger Thomas