Born in Hamlet, Richmond, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926 (he died on July 17, 1967, at the age of 40), John Coltrane was one of the most revolutionary and influential tenor saxophonists in modern jazz. His big break occurred in September 1955, when the celebrated trumpeter Miles Davis called him to join his new quintet. He worked with Miles on and off until 1960, recording such masterpieces as Kind of Blue, and that year he formed his own quartet (the personnel would change slightly but it would coalesce into a stable band with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums). Besides achieving a very personal and characteristic sound, Coltrane opened the way to free jazz, allowing himself to play long and complex improvisations that increasingly strayed from the tunes on which they were based.This selection presents the greatest hits of Coltrane’s career, including six of his best known compositions, all of which became jazz standards (among them the splendid “Blue Train,” “Giant Steps” and “Naima”), his breathtaking reading of “My Favorite Things,” and his poignant version of “In a Sentimental Mood,” on which he is backed by Duke Ellington on piano.

JOHN COLTRANE, tenor & soprano saxOn all tracks, plus:A1: LEE MORGAN, trumpet; CURTIS FULLER, trombone; KENNY DREW, piano;PAUL CHAMBERS, bass; PHILLY JOE JONES, drums.Hackensack, New Jersey, September 15, 1957.A2 & B2: TOMMY FLANAGAN, piano; PAUL CHAMBERS, bass; ART TAYLOR, drums.New York, May 5, 1959.A3, B1 & B3: McCOY TYNER, piano; STEVE DAVIS, bass; ELVIN JONES, drums.New York, October 21 (B1), 24 (B3) & 26 (A3), 1960.A4: DUKE ELLINGTON, piano; AARON BELL, bass; ELVIN JONES, drums.New York, September 26, 1962.B4: WYNTON KELLY, piano; PAUL CHAMBERS, bass; JIMMY COBB, drums.New York, December 2, 1959.Original sessions produced by Alfred Lion (A1), Bob Thiele (A4)& Nesuhi Ertegün (all other tracks).

• 1. Blue Train
• 2. Giant Steps
• 3. Equinox
• 4. In a Sentimental Mood
• 5. My Favorite Things
• 6. Mr. P.C.
• 7. Central Park West
• 8. Naima