Blue Train (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Blue Train
Type = Album
Artist = John Coltrane


Released = 1957
Recorded = September 15, 1957
Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, New Jersey
Genre = Jazz
Length = 42:50
Label = Blue Note
81577
Producer = Alfred Lion
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:7cmtk6hxlkr3~T1 link]
Last album = "Traneing In"
(1957)
This album = "Blue Train"
(1957)
Next album = "Soultrane"
(1958)

"Blue Train" is a jazz album by John Coltrane, released in 1957 (see 1957 in music.) It is considered by many to be Coltrane's first "true" solo album, as it is the first he recorded featuring musicians and songs entirely of his choosing. All of the compositions were written by Coltrane, save one ("I'm Old Fashioned", a Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer standard). The title track is a long, rhythmically variegated blues with a brooding minor theme that gradually shifts to major during Coltrane's first chorus. "Locomotion" is also a blues riff tune. Elsewhere, whereas Coltrane's next major LP, "Giant Steps", would break new melodic and harmonic ground in jazz, "Blue Train" adheres to the hard bop style of the era. That being said, two of its tunes, "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird" demonstrate the first recorded usage of "Coltrane changes" that he would later expand upon on the Giant Steps LP. (Musicologist Lewis Porter has also demonstrated a harmonic relationship between Coltrane's "Lazy Bird" and Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird".ref|porter)

"Blue Train" remains an extremely popular disc, and during a 1960 interview Coltrane described it as his favorite album of his own up to that point ("that or "Soultrane")ref|porter.

The original 5 tracks were remastered to CD for a 1990 release. In 1997 "The Ultimate Blue Train" was released, adding two alternate takes and Enhanced CD content. In 2003 a SACD version was released, as well as a Rudy Van Gelder remastered edition CD. The Rudy Van Gelder rerelease is Copy Controlled.

Album cover

* The cover photo was taken by Francis Wolff.

* The cover design of Scott Weiland's 1998 album, "12 Bar Blues", is an homage to this LP's famous jacket.

Track listing

On the 1957 LP, and the 1990 CD release:

#"Blue Train" (Coltrane) – 10:43
#"Moment's Notice" (Coltrane) – 9:10
#"Locomotion" (Coltrane) – 7:14
#"I'm Old Fashioned" (Kern/Mercer) – 7:58
#"Lazy Bird"(Coltrane) – 7:00

Alternate takes (1997 CD release only):

#"Blue Train" (alternate take) – 9:58
#"Lazy Bird" (alternate take) – 7:12

Personnel

Recorded on September 15, 1957.

* John Coltrane - Tenor saxophone
* Lee Morgan - Trumpet
* Curtis Fuller - Trombone
* Paul Chambers - Bass
* Kenny Drew - Piano
* Philly Joe Jones - drums

References

* Porter, Lewis. "John Coltrane: His Life and Music". University of Michigan Press, 2000.