These tracks come from Coltrane’s last European tour with Miles’ quintet in 1960. It was reported that he didn’t want to go but was persuaded by Davis. Drummer Jimmy Cobb said Coltrane spoke little during the tour but that the saxophonist sat next to him on the band bus playing oriental scales on soprano sax. The concert itself was never issued by a mainstream record company but has been around for a long time as a bootleg. This Jazz Wax edition has clean sound, a 180-gram vinyl disc and bright packaging.
The music comes across as a top combo playing on a fairly bad day. Miles plays in a tight, almost angry manner on most tracks although he sounds more inventive and lyrical on All Blues. This version does not get anywhere near the quality of the studio recording on Kind Of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. So What is played uptempo and again is not anywhere near as good as the studio reading. Coltrane is quite frantic at times with his sheets of sound going into overdrive. His solo is long, somewhat repetitive but demonstrates his considerable technical prowess.
If I Were A Bell and Fran Dance are better but far from the quintet’s best. Wynton Kelly lacks the almost ethereal quality of Bill Evans who appeared on most of Kind Of Blue, but he does supply some skipping, lightly swinging solos that really are the best this album has to offer. Along with Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb at the drums, this trio play sturdy, supportive rhythm all through. It’s just a pity that the two front line men were not really in the mood on this evening.
Playing time is remarkably good for vinyl at just under an hour. Forty-five minutes used to be about the maximum back when this concert was recorded.
Discography
If I Were A Bell; Fran Dance (24.27) – So What; All Blues / The Theme (33.36)
Davis (t); Coltrane (ts); Wynton Kelly (p); Paul Chambers (b); Jimmy Cobb (d). Zurich, Switzerland, 8 April 1960.
Jazz Wax JWR 4634
