Description
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters – Double Compact Disc Set
A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters opens John Coltrane’s most celebrated spiritual statement from the inside. The original four-part suite, recorded with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones in December 1964, remains the center: “Acknowledgement,” “Resolution,” “Pursuance,” and “Psalm” form a continuous journey from declaration through struggle to gratitude.
The quartet’s unity is extraordinary. Garrison introduces the four-note cell that underpins the work, Tyner’s chords give Coltrane both foundation and open sky, and Jones creates rolling rhythmic waves rather than a simple backbeat. Coltrane’s tenor moves between hymn, chant, and improvisation, culminating in “Psalm,” whose phrases follow the syllables of his written devotional poem.
Disc one adds Coltrane’s own mono reference masters for “Pursuance” and “Psalm,” offering a rawer comparison with the familiar stereo album. These are not arbitrary bonus tracks; they document how Coltrane heard and retained the closing half of the suite for personal reference.
Disc two reconstructs the studio process through vocal overdubs, alternate and breakdown takes of “Resolution,” an undubbed “Psalm,” and the December 10 sextet attempts at “Acknowledgement.” Archie Shepp and second bassist Art Davis alter the texture on those later takes, pointing toward the more turbulent ensemble sound Coltrane would soon pursue.
This two-CD edition contains seventeen tracks and a 32-page booklet with session material and historical context. It does not include the Antibes concert found only in the three-CD Super Deluxe set, making the exact configuration a complete account of the studio sessions rather than the larger studio-and-live box.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
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