Search - Jazz Icons: John Coltrane Live in '60, '61 & '65 on DVD

The Holy Grail

J. Harmon | LA-USA | 09/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can be said about Trane that hasn't been said before? Well after watching this DVD, you probably won't say anything because your jaw will be hanging for an elongated period due to the bombarding attack that has just pierced your ears, eyes, and soul. Seriously guys, this is a SMOKIN' HOT DVD!! You get 3 sets: Germany-March 28 1960 with the 'Kind of Blue' band(Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Wynton Kelly), Germany-December 4 1961 with Eric Dolphy & Reggie Workman(Jimmy Garrison had not joined the band full time yet. This set was filmed a month after the famed Village Vanguard sets), & Belgium-August 1 1965 with the Classic Quartet of McCoy, Elvin, & Jimmy(This set was filmed a mere five days after their gig at the Antibes Jazz Festival in France, which was the only time A Love Supreme was performed in its entirety). This 3rd set is worth having the DVD alone. It showcases the Quartet at the height of their powers. A stunning all out 'Vigil' kicks off the 3 song set, with everyone absolutely feeding off each other. John then brings it down a couple of notches with his beautiful ballad 'Naima', and to go out with a bang(and two foot stomps), you get 21 minutes of pyrotechnics with 'My Favorite Things'. Thus ends the bombardment. This 3rd set is some of the heaviest playing I have ever heard, any band, any genre. And you can't classify it as just jazz, its actually progressive music. Just a year later Mike Bloomfield composed East-West while he was with the Butterfield Blues Band, seemingly carrying the progressive torch that John had lit. A year later you get Cream turning it upside down, then The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jaco, the list goes on. This is just me rambling.
GET THIS DVD!! Matter of fact, go for all the titles in the Jazz Icons series. Jazz is a great art form, its provided so much influence on so many styles and forms. And for a little over a decade, a man named John William Coltrane helped redefine the idiom. Add this priceless investment to your music DVD collection today!"

Rapturous

B Goods | MN United States | 09/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an amazing piece of artistic history captured on film. The 1960 segment is some of the hardest swinging ever recorded. You have a Dream rhythm section- (Wynton Kelly, Mr. P.C. and Cobb) and Trane in a very transitional period stylistically. Absolutely brilliant.
The 1965 stuff is unreal, just when you think the band hits an apex in the pieces, it finds a 7th and 8th gear to go into almost telepathically. The music is so complex, yet so raw and exposed and presented without pretension that it really transcends classification or definition. Words can't be used to describe it. Skip the pizza and beer for a night and spend the cash on this instead."

John Coltrane at his best

Preston Williams | 09/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"!Wow

This is some great stuff that they have dug out of the vaults. Seeing this rare John Coltrane footage is something to be hold. This dvd shows footage of 3 of Coltrane`s concerts from 1960, 1961, and 1965. All 3 shows smoke and gives you a chance to see these greats in top form. All I can say is purchase this dvd now."

Vintage Coltrane

Hong Kong Phooey | North Carolina | 12/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Coltrane at his peak:

(Germany, 1960)
On Green Dolphin Street
Walkin'
The Theme
Autumn Leaves / What's New / Moonlight in Vermont
Hackensack

(Germany, 1961)
My Favourite Things
Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye
Impressions

(Belgium, 1965)
Vigil
Naima
My Favourite Things

Leave it to Naxos to present these concerts on a high quality/low cost disk. Even the most casual jazz fan will love this."