The only album John Coltrane recorded for Blue Note as a leader turned out to be one of his most rewarding statements, not to mention a highlight of Blue Note's recording history. Coltrane didn't stay in pure "hard bop" territory very long. He would soon after return to Miles Davis' group to pursue modal-based jazz and continue on to explore Eastern motifs and free jazz. At the time of this recording, he was working in Thelonious Monk's legendary Five Spot quartet.
The frontline of Coltrane, trumpeter Lee Morgan, and trombonist Curtis Fuller is a hard bop fan's dream. Pianist Kenny Drew supplies the blues and funk elements while Davis stalwarts Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones anchor the rhythm section.
The opening blues of the title track shows just how far Coltrane had come since he began his first stint with Miles two years earlier. Even the simplest of blues structures provided enough room for Coltrane's harmonic curiosity, his searing emotional flurries, and his "sheets of sound" approach. The buoyant original "Moment's Notice" offers especially exuberant solos from all three hornmen plus a terrific arco (bowed) solo from Chambers. The fast blues "Locomotion" displays the leader's ability to mix jarring, seemingly off-key moans into a coherent blues progression. You can hear the difference between Coltrane's ideas and the equally compelling but less adventurous solos from Morgan and Fuller. Despite all of the sharp, piercing tones elsewhere, Coltrane proves he can handle a ballad ("I'm Old Fashioned") with the utmost tenderness.
Blue Train represents the best opportunity to hear Coltrane in a true, blowing-session context. While he reaches the heights of hard bop, you can also sense that he was eager to expand beyond its limitations. He would certainly do so in the near future.
If you like John Coltrane, check out:
John Coltrane Coltrane Plays The Blues
John Coltrane Coltrane Jazz
John Coltrane A Love Supreme
John Coltrane Impressions
John Coltrane Interstellar Space
David S. Ware Surrendered
Miles Davis Kind Of Blue
Hank Mobley Workout
-- Marc Greilsamer
