John Coltrane – Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album – Vinyl Record

Description

John Coltrane – Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album – Vinyl Record

A Rediscovered Treasure from the Classic Quartet

Released in June 2018 on Impulse! Records, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album is one of the most significant archival jazz releases of the 21st century. Recorded on March 6, 1963, at Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary New Jersey studio, the session captured John Coltrane’s Classic Quartet—with McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums)—at a pivotal creative moment. For decades, the recordings were thought lost; the session reels had been discarded, and only a reference copy kept by Coltrane’s first wife, Naima, survived. When this tape was rediscovered and restored, it offered listeners a breathtaking window into Coltrane’s artistry between Coltrane (1962) and Crescent (1964).

The album’s title, suggested by saxophonist Sonny Rollins, reflects Coltrane’s restless duality at the time: exploring the structures of standards and hard bop on one hand, and pushing toward freer, more exploratory music on the other. It’s this tension—tradition vs. innovation—that makes the session so captivating.

Highlights from the standard edition include:

“Untitled Original 11383” and “Untitled Original 11386” – raw, searching Coltrane compositions that showcase the quartet’s telepathic interplay. Their unfinished, exploratory quality gives us a rare glimpse of Coltrane’s creative process in action.

“Impressions” – a fiery performance of one of Coltrane’s signature modal vehicles, brimming with Elvin Jones’s volcanic drumming and Tyner’s cascading chords.

“Nature Boy” – Coltrane’s first known recording of the Eden Ahbez classic, played here with haunting lyricism and restraint. He would revisit the song in more expansive form later in his career.

“One Up, One Down” – a tour de force that highlights the sheer power of the quartet. Coltrane’s tenor is raw and urgent, Jones is explosive, and the energy borders on the volcanic.

The Deluxe Edition of the album adds alternate takes, allowing listeners to hear how Coltrane reshaped ideas in real time. The repetition doesn’t diminish the music—if anything, it amplifies the creative energy of a band constantly in motion.

What makes Both Directions at Once so remarkable is its placement in Coltrane’s timeline. In 1963, Coltrane was between the tuneful lyricism of Ballads and the spiritual searching of A Love Supreme (1964). He was experimenting with form, extending improvisational boundaries, and stretching the capabilities of the quartet. The album captures this transitional energy perfectly: at times grounded and accessible, at other times abstract and questing.

Critics greeted the release with near-universal acclaim. The New York Times called it “a significant addition to his body of work,” while The Guardian described it as “like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid.” Fans embraced it not just as a historical artifact but as a vibrant, essential Coltrane album in its own right.

Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album is more than a long-lost curiosity—it’s a fully realized session that deepens our understanding of John Coltrane’s genius. It captures the Classic Quartet at its peak, balancing structure and freedom, tradition and innovation. For longtime Coltrane devotees, it fills in a missing chapter; for newcomers, it’s an accessible yet powerful entry point into one of jazz’s most important legacies.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing
Untitled Original 11383
Nature Boy
Untitled Original 11386
Vilia
Impressions
Slow Blues
One Up, One Down