John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio
Traneing In
[Rudy Van Gelder Remasters]
(Prestige)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2007, Volume 14, #7
Written by John Metzger
Tue July 3, 2007, 06:00 AM CDT
Not only has John Coltrane become a gargantuan figure in jazz, but also the
music that he made in his prime has become embedded quite firmly within the
consciousness of popular culture. Therefore, it’s strange to hear him sound as
normal as he does on Traneing In, his 1957 set with the Red Garland Trio.
It’s not that he failed to bring his own perspective to the work either. After
all, he had developed, very early in his career, a method of playing the
saxophone that lent everything he did a distinctive hue. As a bandleader,
however, he still was searching for his footing, and while he had spent several
years working with Garland and bass player Paul Chambers as part of Miles Davis’
outfit, much of the material on Traneing In embeds its flashes of
brilliance within a lot of ideas that never fully coalesce. Although the title
track later would assume classic status via Coltrane’s concert performances, its
studio counterpart is noticeably lacking in direction. The solos by Garland,
Coltrane, and Chambers are intriguing, but in the end, they are too
compartmentalized to unify the piece. Bass Blues fares better, and tucked
within its hard bop core are hints of where the fabled saxophonist would head
during the sessions for Blue Trane, which were held just a month later.
Similarly, the ballads are reasonably straightforward, though they also more
thoroughly highlight the ensemble’s capabilities as well as its potential. The
tender yearning of Slow Dance, in particular, is rendered in a
breathtakingly beautiful fashion. Granted, there are better starting points for
exploring Coltrane’s vast legacy, but for those who already have absorbed his
masterpieces, Traneing In provides an insightful glimpse into the
embryonic stages of the saxophonist’s never-ending spiritual quest for
transcendence and perfection. 
Traneing In is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Other Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Releases
Andy Bey and The Bey Sisters - 'Round Midnight
Miles Davis - Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Davis - Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Red Garland Quintet - Soul Junction
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box