Soultrane

Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Red Garland (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Art Taylor (drums).
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on February 7, 1958. Originally released on Prestige (7142). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.
This wonderful 1958 session features the tenor sax legend leading pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Arthur Taylor on a well-chosen five-song set of jazz and pop standards. The album opens with a lively version of Count Basie's "Good Bait" that allows Coltrane, Chambers and Garland to indulge in some exquisite, highly inventive solos. While Coltrane's versions of Billy Eckstine's "I Want To Talk About You" and Fred Lacey's "Theme For Ernie" are pretty much straight ballad performances, his bold, powerful style brings out the soulful feel of these two beautiful, reflective melodies.
The closing track--a wild rendition of Irving Berlin's "Russian Lullaby," ends the album on a high note, with Coltrane and Garland racing through this complicated tune with remarkable precision and focus. Superbly recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, SOULTRANE is a true jazz classic and quite simply one of Coltrane's finest albums.