Below are two new releases I’ve been listening to this week:
John Coltrane – Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album
Discovering a lost John Coltrane album in 2018 is nothing short of a miracle, especially a studio album recorded in March of 1963 with Rudy Van Gelder and performed with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. Due to Coltrane’s star status at Impulse, whenever he recorded a session, he was allowed to take 7″ tape reels home and listen again. He often shared those sessions with his first wife Naima and these lost tapes were found by her family over fifty years later.
The album sounds like Coltrane should in early 1963, paying homage to his commercial success while beginning to push the boundaries with his sound that would appear just a few months later with 1963’s Impressions. Here’s hoping more lost albums are found in the near future.
Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams – Vanished Gardens
I love guitarist Bill Frisell who I noticed standing far right in this album cover with Lucinda Williams and Charles Lloyd. Interesting. What is this? I gave it a spin and was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. This is something like a jazz americana road trip where certain songs are long jazz instrumentals with Lloyd and his band followed by songs where Lucinda’s voice is added for a structured americana sound. If you enjoy any of the musicians associated with this project, give it a listen.
Aaron Hartley 