An eastern, oriental vibe fills the room when I put this Coltrane album on the turntable. Wonderful flute sounds emerges, which accents and complements the oriental flavor of this masterpiece, which is the title track. The flute player is one “George Lane”, who of course is the great Eric Dolphy. Freddie Hubbard plays trumpet on this which is always a treat. He’s always brilliantly tuned on. McCoy Tyner, another favorite, handles the piano duties with his usual passion. Unusually and interestingly, there are two bassists in Reggie Workman and Art Davis. It creates a special vibe, with one playing over the other one with the bow for example. It fits the whole concept great. Elvin Jones plays the drums which always adds that awesome energy.
The second side is quite a different style. No oriental stuff here. Very pleasing, bluesy stuff though. Hubbard plays superb on Dahomey Dance. The last tune is “Aisha“, which offers some soothing notes to close the album.
I have acquired three Coltrane Atlantics so far; “Giant Steps”, “Olé” and “Bags & Trane”. Aiming to add a couple more. “My Favorite Things” is probably next. I almost got my hands on a deep groove version of that one not too long ago. The search continues…
Some questions for my readers, as per usual: What’s your take on this album? Is “Olé” in your Coltrane top ten list? Do you have a favorite Coltrane on Atlantic?
Right now I’m contemplating adding a Blue Note to the collection. It’s been a long while since I bought one. I have been concentrating on other labels for quite a while. There are so many great titles that have been on the want list forever. I’ll try and pick one title and see if I can get it. The problem is picking only one though. But only one is probably what I can afford right now. It depends on the title of course, but the ones I’m looking at are not cheap. And of course, all original Blue Notes commands some dough. We’ll see what happens.
It’s cold and snowy here in Stockholm. I’m longing for the spring now. Longing for this pandemic to end… stay safe everybody, and stay tuned for more original vintage jazz albums from the collection.