These classic performances feature John Coltrane in company with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. On three tracks the legendary Eric Dolphy joins the famous quartet. Includes ‘Naima’, ‘Impressions’ and two contrasting and extended performances of the evergreen ‘My Favourite Things’, plus an awesome 48-minute performance of Coltrane’s undisputed masterpiece, ‘A Love Supreme’.

The importance of these influential performances has grown throughout the years as musicians – especially saxophone players – passed around bootleg and lo-fi copies taken from the 1965 radio broadcast. It was a time when Coltrane was pushing his musical boundaries, and one can hear the evolution of his style on these recordings. As his son Ravi Coltrane says, “You can hear everything that came before and begin to hear where the music was going.”

The music captured on One Down, One Up: Live At The Half Note features the songs “One Down, One Up” (perhaps the highlight of the collection), “Afro Blue,” “Song of Praise,” and “My Favorite Things.” The unparalleled performances showcase a band filled with fiery passion and a master at the crossroads of his musical path.

One Down, One Up: Live At The Half Note features liner notes from journalist and author Ashley Kahn who wrote A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album as well as the upcoming The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records. Also included is an essay by the CD’s producer, Ravi Coltrane. (Verve Music Group)

Recorded in NY April ‘67 three months before his death in July from liver complications, ‘Trane was certainly blowing like he had come to terms with a saint’s burden of knowledge: Scorching the blueprints ahead and behind him, leading his telepathic ensemble – wife Alice Coltrane-piano, Pharoah Sanders-tenor sax, Jimmy Garrison-bass, Rasied Ali-drums, Algie DeWitt-bata drum – through two hyper extended deconstructions of ‘Ogunde’ and ‘My Favorite Things’.