John Coltrane - Meditations

Part of the Impulse Best 50! Series. Japanese exclusive 24-bit 96khz digitally remastered reissue of 1965 album. Packaged in a limited edition miniature gatefold LP sleeve. Album Description

Ahead of its time

I bought this CD simply to replace my aging vinyl. The amazing thing about "Meditations" is that it is so far ahead of its time. No electronic instruments with their artificial sounds are here. The exploration of the tenor sax from both John and Pharoah is amazing.
If you were around in the sixties, you then realize that this music was examining the kaos that existed at that time. The whole album transcends into music the tearing apart of the status quo and propels us into uncharted waters whether we approve or disapprove. This album may not be for the faint of heart, but it must be listened to. You have to listen to it more than once before one can understand it. December 22, 2008

An essential Coltrane document if for no other reason...

... than the pairing of Elvin Jones and Rashied Ali on the notorious opener "The Father and The Son and The Holy Ghost".

Of all the instruments in his band, the drum was the one with which he had the most intense communion. He sought out Jones, would patiently wait for him to get out of jail, because he was the most volcanic drummer on the scene and that's the kind of intensity Coltrane needed. And his last great album would be duets with Ali grouped under the title "Interstellar Space".

We shouldn't be surprised that Jones was unwilling to be subsumed into a collaborative framework. But it does make this, his one experiment with it, a uniquely valuable opportunity to hear Coltrane work off the most rhythmically complex accompaniment he would ever enjoy.

November 21, 2008

Meditations

John Coltrane-Meditations *****

Meditations is more than just an album of music, it's just over forty minutes of pure feeling, pure emotion, pure spiritual enlightenment. Meditations made free jazz more than just notes on a staff, it proved there was immense feeling and emotion involved in each note that was heard.

With an all star lineup of Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, the legendary McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones at the drum kit how can you lose. Tracks like the insanely moving 'The Father And The Son And The Holy Ghost' with not one but two drummers battling against the two sax players making it a war zone in your ear drum. 'Compassion' and 'Love' are both intense yet restrained enough to not miss a moment. 'Consequences' a piece which belongs in a league of it's very own just might steal the album. The closer 'Serenity' is the perfect choice to end with, powerful enough to end the album and strong enough to leave the listener wanting more.

Meditations is often overlooked in John Coltrane's great canon of music, though not because it is of lesser quality than any thing else he released. Mainly because in a collection of work which includes Blue Train, A Love Supreme, My Favorite Things, and Kulu Se Mama among many others it is hard to stand out. Meditations is a solid work, and one of a genius' very best. November 21, 2008

You must become as a little child...

Barbaric, beautiful, awe-inspiring, frightening, blissful. This isn't my favorite CD but it is definitely the most interesting CD I own and I can't stop playing it!

I'm not going to pretend I understand everything that is going on here. I'm playing The Father And The Son And The Holy Ghost as I type this. It is my second listen and I will surely be back to update this review.

I can tell you that this release has incredible depth, a full range of sound and emotion, like nothing I have ever heard before and yes, I am familiar with Trane's later works such as Om and Ascension. I even have a copy of Live at the Village Vanguard Again. Like those aforementioned releases, it takes a real willingness to check your expectations as to what music is or should be at the door. You must become like a little child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven... er... to appreciate the wonder of what is occurring in these grooves, or shall I say bytes?

Actually, that Kingdom of Heaven quote probably isn't too far off the mark. Really now, think about it... if one really wants to even glimpse the unfathomable depth of the almighty and the divine, the one perfection, then one must forget everything the world has taught and go back to possessing the untainted curiosity and trust of a child. My hunch is that this is precisely what Trane was trying to do here. The listener must decide for him/herself as to whether he succeeded. In my mind... just maybe.
January 27, 2008

(4.5 stars) Powerful, gripping, and heartfelt

You know that upper-register honking that occasionally showed up on his previous albums? Well, he built this album around it. Which means when he calls a song "Compassion", he means it. This is intense. Seriously. "The Father, The Sun and the Holy Ghost" is thirteen minutes of him and Pharaoh Sanders murdering rodents with their saxes. And I love it. It's not instantly listenable like, say, Giant Steps, but it's worth getting into, though it takes a few listens to assimilate. Right, now for the other stuff. Very good. "Love" starts off all quiet and peaceful and then roars into action, like overdriven Eric Dolphy.. And "Consequences" is stunning in its fury. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's Trane playing like his life depended on it. So, why not five stars? Trust me, this is very high 4.5. But I don't like "Serene". It's just too restrained for this album. Restraint can be good. But here, it just sounds out of context. Longtime associates McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones dropped out with this album: I suppose Trane's music just got too weird for them. November 17, 2007

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