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Crescent | 
 enlarge | Artist: John Coltrane Quartet
Label: Impulse Records
Category: Music
List Price: $15.98
Buy New: $15.18
You Save: $0.80 (5%)
New (18) Collectible (1) from $11.02
Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 347082
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: LP Record
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 011105020015
EAN: 0011105020015
ASIN: B000003N8Q
Release Date: September 23, 1997
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Crescent - John Coltrane, John Coltrane | | • | Wise One | | • | Bessie's Blues | | • | Lonnie's Lament | | • | Drum Thing |
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Album Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 Coltrane Forever July 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This album shows a magnificent Coltrane. I Think this CD must be in your music collection
 A great starter, but not the greatest Coltrane June 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was the first Coltrane work I owned, and also one of my first forays into jazz music back in the day. In the vast, almost surreally expansive litany of John Coltrane music, this CD stands out for a number of reasons. For one, it provides a glimpse of the man sort of at a cross roads, where he was still whipping out the licks he has since become famous for, but where he also delves into an improvisational method that borders on the avant-garde, and indeed - many would argue - heralds that era. Especially in the opening title track, one really has to be listening close to tell that he hasn't strayed completely away from the original melody and chords, and for me, it causes a strain that is almost tangibly tiring. But the rest of the tracks settle down into what I would call "traditional" Coltrane, where, yeah, he goes off on his own, but just when you start to get worried about him, there he is, back on the song's path through the sonic forest of swing. Another reason this CD stands out is the backing musicians. Sure, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones can pick it up, lay it down, make it rock and hold it steady, whatever a song or a solo calls for, but for gosh sakes, that's McCoy Tyner on the ivories! You could just about put Tyner's name as the headliner and consider Trane as a member of the backing band, and I don't think you'd be doing either one of them a disservice. When he's given a chance to shine, he does, and his solos really complement and contrast Trane's in an unorthodox but satisfying way. This remastered edition really sounds clean and crisp throughout. The music is unsurpassed. Giant Steps may give you all the Coltrane you'll ever NEED, but, eventually you'll WANT more, and when you reach that point, this is the recording you should buy.
Trane has time enough for Tyner May 23, 2008
In the vast, almost surreally expansive litany of John Coltrane music, this CD stands out for a number of reasons. For one, it provides a glimpse of the man sort of at a cross roads, where he was still whipping out the licks he has since become famous for, but where he also delves into an improvisational method that borders on the avant-garde, and indeed - many would argue - heralds that era. Especially in the opening title track, one really has to be listening close to tell that he hasn't strayed completely away from the original melody and chords, and for me, it causes a strain that is almost tangibly tiring. But the rest of the tracks settle down into what I would call "traditional" Coltrane, where, yeah, he goes off on his own, but just when you start to get worried about him, there he is, back on the song's path through the sonic forest of swing. Another reason this CD stands out is the backing musicians. Sure, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones can pick it up, lay it down, make it rock and hold it steady, whatever a song or a solo calls for, but for gosh sakes, that's McCoy Tyner on the ivories! You could just about put Tyner's name as the headliner and consider Trane as a member of the backing band, and I don't think you'd be doing either one of them a disservice. When he's given a chance to shine, he does, and his solos really complement and contrast Trane's in an unorthodox but satisfying way. This remastered edition really sounds clean and crisp throughout, and the foldout cardboard holder has generous liner notes. The music is unsurpassed. Giant Steps may give you all the Coltrane you'll ever NEED, but, eventually you'll WANT more, and when you reach that point, this is the recording you should buy.
Probably my favorite Coltrane album February 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this a couple of years ago while I was on vacation in Vancouver. I was at a record store, when I spotted this one. I bought it. I listened, and came to conclusion that it was probably his best. The title track especially is awesome. It's 8+ minutes of killer saxophone, as only Coltrane can deliver.
Other highlights for me on this Coltrane epic include 'The Drum Thing,' 'Bessie's Blues,' and 'Wise One.' This was released on the Impulse label, which was purchased by MCA years ago. The sound quality on the remastered disc is simply amazing.
If you enjoyed this Coltrane record, check these out:
A Love Supreme-Impulse
Blue Train-Blue Note
Giant Steps-Atlantic
My Favorite Things-Atlantic
With Thelonious Monk-Verve
This is highly recommended. Check out his best compilation too, 'Ken Burns JAZZ Collection.'
ENJOY!!!
(3.5 stars) A bit sporadic January 11, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Now this is a bit odd. Here we have John Coltrane, a guy best known for launching aural fireworks out of his saxophone, a guy known for expanding the sonic vocabulary of the tenor sax the way Hendrix did for the guitar, playing a soft, gentle album that's heavy on what seems to be introspection. But hey, I like it, odd as it may be. It's not one of Coltrane's several Class A recordings (which I deem to be Blue Train, Giant Steps, Coltrane's Sound, My Favorite Things, Live at the Village Vanguard, A Love Supreme, Ascension, First Meditations, Stellar Regions, and The Major Works of John Coltrane), but it still belongs on your shelf once you've drained all of those dry. And another thing - I just adore "Wise One", which positively shimmers - the interaction between Trane and Elvin Jones is key to what makes that song work. The title song, which rises and falls like waves, is also close to "masterpiece" level. These two songs are offset by the more uptempo "Bessie's Blues", a slight, brief blues-based recording that throws off the mood. Don't ask me what it's doing here. I mean, it would've sounded okay on Giant Steps, but it's jarring in this context. I'm not all that big on "Lonnie's Lament", either. As far as I'm concerned, "Crescent" and "Wise One" do the same slooooooow ballad thing much better. But Cltrane's never one to stay in a rut for long, those rare times when he gets into one at all, and he saves himself with "The Drum Thing". Now the obvious focus of the song is the drum solo, which is one of the best drum solos I've ever heard - and it's the best drum showcase tune ever recorded - but what really gets me is the melody. I love it when musicians sneak world music into their melodies, and that's what Coltrane does. It works fine as a drum solo, but it also could have worked fine as a more traditional song, with a melody that good. Killer tune either way. In truth Crescent is a bit uneven, containing Coltrane both at his best and at his worst, but when Coltrane's at his best, few can compete. So while Crescent is a nice album, it's a mere warm-up act for what would come next: A Love Supreme, possibly the greatest album of all time.
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