In 1958,
John Coltrane had yet to take the modal post-bop plunge. He was still a hard bopper, although his "sheets of sound" solos were certainly among the most interesting, creative, and distinctive that bop had to offer in the late '50s.
Stardust contains some highlights of two bop-oriented
Coltrane dates from 1958: one is a July 11 session with trumpeter/fluegelhornist
Wilbur Harden, pianist
Red Garland, bassist
Paul Chambers, and drummer
Jimmy Cobb; the other is a December 26 session with
Garland,
Chambers, trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard, and drummer
Art Taylor. At both sessions,
Coltrane's playing is quite engaging. He is a lyrical, expressive ballad player on
"Then I'll Be Tired of You," "Stardust," and
"Time After Time," but he swings fast and aggressively on
"Love Thy Neighbor" (the only track on this 39-minute program that isn't a ballad). At both sessions,
Coltrane is well served by
Garland's piano and
Chambers' bass. When
Coltrane was playing alongside those jazzmen in
Miles Davis' 1955-1957 quintet, he enjoyed a strong rapport with both of them -- and that rapport wasn't any weaker in 1958. It is no coincidence that
Prestige's A&R department united
Coltrane with
Garland and
Chambers so often;
Prestige knew how compatible all of them were. Although not quite essential,
Stardust paints a consistently attractive picture of
Coltrane's 1958 output. ~ Alex Henderson
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