Los Angeles, CA – John Coltrane’s breakout year, when his mature saxophone sound first grabbed ears and his own recordings began to sell consistently, was 1958. The upcoming box set Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings (out March 29 (5-CD & digital formats) and April 26 (8-LP format) on Craft Recordings), chronicles that exciting year session by session, featuring all 37 tracks Coltrane recorded as a leader or co-leader for the independent Prestige label in those 12 months. The collection captures Coltrane in creative high gear—developing the signature improvisational style that journalist Ira Gitler famously dubbed “sheets of sound.” In addition, Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings comes on the heel of the 60th anniversary of that breakthrough year, and serves as the cornerstone release marking the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records.
On Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:00 p.m., Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City will host a free listening session with a panel of experts and enthusiasts, including Coltrane biographers Lewis Porter and Ashley Kahn. Special guests will play selections and display historical images from Coltrane ’58, engaging in a discussion filled with musical revelations and historical insights. Panelists will address the term “sheets of sound,” which refers to Coltrane’s singular approach that caused shock and awe in 1958—and eventually deep appreciation, when he pushed the bebop ideal of slaloming through a tune’s chordal pathways to its extreme. Coltrane ’58 is also more than that: it’s the sound of Coltrane working and smoothing out those sheets and decreasing the intensity, caressing and embellishing a melody, an aspect that could calm the toughest critics.
Join the panelists as they play tracks from this historical collection, take questions from the audience, and examine how 1958 helped John Coltrane become the legend we now revere and why the music he made then still influences how jazz is played today. It may be a challenge to imagine how radical Coltrane sounded 60 years ago, yet there’s an enduring relevancy in Coltrane’s bold chance-taking, as a creative artist and as an African American. “In the context of current headlines and an overriding sense of déjà vu, Coltrane’s music rings clearer than ever, with even greater meaning than it had in 1958,” writes Ashley Kahn in the liner notes to Coltrane ’58. “What he was playing then never felt less than urgent and relevant—subversive even. It still sounds that way.”
Click here to watch the unboxing video for Coltrane '58 and click here to watch box set producer Nick Phillips discussing the concept, music, and packaging.
Click here to pre-order Coltrane ’58 in 8-LP, 5-CD and digital formats.
Click here for Craft Recordings' online store, currently offering exclusive bundle packages featuring a limited edition Prestige T-shirt.
Collective Personnel:
John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Donald Byrd (trumpet), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Red Garland (piano), Wilbur Harden (trumpet, flugelhorn), Louis Hayes (drums), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Art Taylor (drums)
Track List:
8-LP SET
DISC ONE
Side A
1. Lush Life
2. Come Rain or Come Shine
Side B
1. The Believer
2. Nakatini Serenade
DISC TWO
Side A
1. Lover
2. Russian Lullaby
3. Theme for Ernie
4. You Say You Care
Side B
1. Good Bait
2. I Want to Talk About You
DISC THREE
Side A
1. Lyresto
2. Why Was I Born
3. Freight Trane
4. I Never Knew
Side B
1. Big Paul
2. I See Your Face Before Me
DISC FOUR
Side A
1. Rise and Shine
2. Little Melonae
Side B
1. If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You
2. By the Numbers
DISC FIVE
Side A
1. Black Pearls
2. Lover Come Back to Me
Side B
1. Sweet Sapphire Blues
DISC SIX
Side A
1. Spring Is Here
2. Invitation
Side B
1. I'm a Dreamer (Aren’t We All)
2. Love Thy Neighbor
DISC SEVEN
Side A
1. Don't Take Your Love From Me
2. Stardust
Side B
1. My Ideal
2. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
3. Do I Love You Because You Are Beautiful
DISC EIGHT
Side A
1. Then I'll Be Tired of You
2. Something I Dreamed Last Night
Side B
1. Bahia
2. Goldsboro Express
3. Time After Time
5-CD SET
DISC ONE
1. Lush Life
2. Come Rain or Come Shine
3. The Believer
4. Nakatini Serenade
5. Lover
6. Russian Lullaby
7. Theme for Ernie
8. You Say You Care
DISC TWO
1. Good Bait
2. I Want to Talk About You
3. Lyresto
4. Why Was I Born
5. Freight Trane
6. I Never Knew
7. Big Paul
8. I See Your Face Before Me
DISC THREE
1. Rise and Shine
2. Little Melonae
3. If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You
4. By the Numbers
5. Black Pearls
6. Lover Come Back to Me
DISC FOUR
1. Sweet Sapphire Blues
2. Spring Is Here
3. Invitation
4. I'm a Dreamer (Aren't We All)
5. Love Thy Neighbor
6. Don't Take Your Love From Me
7. Stardust
DISC FIVE
1. My Ideal
2. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
3. Do I Love You Because You Are Beautiful
4. Then I'll Be Tired of You
5. Something I Dreamed Last Night
6. Bahia
7. Goldsboro Express
8. Time After Time
About Craft Recordings:
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Traveling Wilburys, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Concord, Fania, Fantasy, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Sugar Hill, Vanguard and Vee-Jay Records, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation-ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, andSpotify.
