John Coltrane: Soultrane (20th Century Masterworks 350280)
This was originally released in 1958 via Prestige and recorded three days after a Columbia session for the Miles Davis album Milestones. The year marked a transitional moment for John Coltrane, who went on to form his own quartet featuring McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones in 1960. During this time Coltrane was in the studio recording his own music and among these sessions is Soultrane, with Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums.
This limited edition red vinyl issue includes the complete album alongside an additional bonus track in Soft Lights And Sweet Music, presumably taken from Coltrane’s 1958 album Traneing In. The repertoire consists of favoured standards including impressive takes of Irving Berlin’s Russian Lullaby, Billy Eckstine’s I Want To Talk About You and the lesser-known composition You Say You Care.
A prime example of the early Coltrane quartet at the top of its game, Soultrane often been reissued, but nonetheless this presents another chance to get to know a fine masterpiece.
Ray Barretto Charanga Band: Barretto Para Bailar (Descarga 637005)
First released on Riverside, this was Ray Barretto’s debut album as a leader following several years as one of the most in-demand percussionists around. In 1961, he formed his first ensemble, Charanga La Moderna, releasing Barretto Para Bailar the same year. It features multiple tracks designed to go with the briefly popular pachanga dance style (entailing a movement utilising a shuffle and swivel motion). The tracks rarely run above three minutes.
This special Record Store Day reissue, limited to only 500 copies, features a bonus track, El Bajo, with Latin royalty Tito Puente, recorded two years before the original release of Barretto Para Bailar. It’s good for dance enthusiasts and a reflection of the New York Latin jazz scene in the early 1960s. Barretto would go on to become a household name on the Fania label (the Latin version of Motown, according to him) and it’s great to see his early music being championed.
