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JJ 12/64: John Coltrane – Crescent

Sixty years ago, Steve Voce, having found Coltrane's long workouts too harrowing, wasn't surprised to see Crescent panned by US critics but was surprised to find - thanks to its focus and avoidance of blind alleys - that he liked it. First published in Jazz Journal December 1964

I must confess that I haven’t listened to much Coltrane lately, having found his long work-outs too harrowing. Consequently, I wasn’t surprised when the American critics panned this one. But I was surprised when I played it, because it is remarkably good. It has been said that it represents too much of a departure from the original Coltrane innovations, and yet I find it more coherent and logical than anything I have heard since the London-Atlantic sets.

The advantages of his excellent quartet are all shown here, and each number becomes a finished whole: rather than a tatty and rambling harangue, Crescent is typical of ’Trane at his most economical, and there are none of the blind alleys to which one has become accustomed from him. Wise One is a lovely tune, treated with a delicacy which surprised me. Tyner’s backing is particularly sensitive. Bessie shows us the nearest thing to stomping tenor, and the lady has a wildly swinging outing.

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Lonnie, after a long and lyrical intro, bounces into a bricks-and-mortar solo by Tyner which is firmly driving and beautifully relaxed. What a fine pianist this man is! The long bass solo is interesting and full of virtuosity, but one wouldn’t want too much of this sort of thing. This goes double for The Drum Thing, a moody and sombre outing for Jones. It is perhaps the most remarkable drum solo I have heard and is quite brilliant. For this I am prepared to relax my maxim that drum solos should be illegal. But this one will last me several years. A fine record which has gone some way towards bringing me back into the fold.

Discography
Crescent; Wise One; Bessie’s Blues (21 min) – Lonnie’s Lament; The Drum Thing (20 min)
John Coltrane (ten); McCoy Tyner (p); Jimmy Garrison (bs); Elvin Jones (d).
(HMV CSD 1567/CLP 1799 12inLP 32s.)

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