Lush Life (John Coltrane album)

Lush Life is an album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in early 1961 on Prestige Records.[2][1] It was assembled from previously unissued tracks from three recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958. As Coltrane's profile increased during the 1960s, some years after the end of his Prestige contract, the label used unissued recordings to create new albums without Coltrane's input or approval.

Lush Life
Studio album by
John Coltrane
ReleasedFebruary or March 1961[1][2]
RecordedMay 31, 1957 (#5)
August 16, 1957 (#1-3)
January 10, 1958 (#4)
StudioVan Gelder (Hackensack)
GenreJazz
Length36:39
LabelPrestige (PRLP 7188[3])
ProducerBob Weinstock
John Coltrane chronology
Coltrane Jazz
(1961)		 Lush Life
(1961)		 My Favorite Things
(1961)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Absolute Sound[4]
AllMusic[5]
DownBeat[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[6]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[7]

In a review for AllMusic, Lindsay Planer called the album "among John Coltrane's best endeavors on the Prestige label," and praised the title track, stating that "it is rightfully considered as one of Coltrane's unqualified masterworks," and commenting: "Coltrane handles the tune's delicate complexities with infinite style and finesse. Garland similarly sparkles at the 88s, while Byrd's solo offers a bit of a tonal alternative."[5]

DownBeat's Dave Cantor also singled out the title track for praise, stating that it "punctuates the bandleader's ability to transcend time and place," with Coltrane "display[ing] an ability to synthesize the tune's lyrical content while still personalizing its message."[8]

Regarding the trio tracks, the authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings noted that bassist Earl May "is too anonymous a player to go the extra yard required for this exacting discipline," and warned that "there are unexpected inconsistencies of register and articulation in Coltrane's own performances."[6]

David Rickert of All About Jazz stated that the album "is as good a place as any to start exploring the early days of Trane," and commented: "the record documents Coltrane's rapid growth over a short period of time while also showcasing how great a talent Coltrane was, even at this early stage."[9]

In an article for The Absolute Sound, Wayne Garcia described the album as "consistently fabulous," and remarked: "The sound is exceptionally detailed, present, and airy, with gorgeously rich instrumental tones and textures, excellent dynamic scaling, and a notable lack of groove noise that brings these performances to goose bump-raising life."[4]

Flophouse Magazine's François van de Linde wrote: "Prestige didn't have the decency to consult Coltrane in the matters of organising a record release. However, as both a longtime Coltrane fan and vinyl freak, I'm glad those 'crumbs' of Coltrane saw the light of day in 1961."[10]

Matt Fripp of JazzFuel stated that the album "documents a pivotal point in [Coltrane's] development," and commented: "Whilst it may have been an exercise in money-making from the label... it is still a highly valuable and exciting insight into the career of a jazz great... an essential addition to any Coltrane collection."[11]

Track listing
  1. "Like Someone in Love" (Jimmy Van Heusen) – 5:00
  2. "I Love You" (Cole Porter) – 5:33
  3. "Trane's Slow Blues"[12] (Coltrane) – 6:05
  4. "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn) – 14:00
  5. "I Hear a Rhapsody" (Jack Baker, George Fragos, Dick Gasparre) – 6:01

Personnel

Tracks 1-3

Tracks 4-5

See also

References
  1. "Feb. Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. February 18, 1961. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Schmaler, Wolf; Wild, David (2013). Porter, Lewis (ed.). The John Coltrane Reference. New York/Abingdon: Routledge. p. 503. ISBN 9780415634632. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. Kofsky, Frank (May 11, 1961). "John Coltrane - Lush Life". DownBeat. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  4. Garcia, Wayne (April 16, 2021). "John Coltrane: Lush Life". The Absolute Sound. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  5. Lush Life at AllMusic
  6. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  7. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 46. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  8. Cantor, Dave (March 2021). "John Coltrane: Lush Life". DownBeat. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. Rickert, David (November 6, 2002). "John Coltrane: Lush Life". All About Jazz. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. van de Linde, François (August 26, 2014). "John Coltrane Lush Life (Prestige 1957/58/1961)". Flophouse Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. Fripp, Matt (March 11, 2023). "John Coltrane Lush Life (Inside The Classic Album)". JazzFuel. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. Original jazz classics collector's guide Fantasy, Inc., 1995. Google Books. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
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