Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy

by John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Evenings at the Village Gate, a previously unknown recording from 1961, captures the 34-year-old saxophonist as he comes to grips with his music's remarkable possibilities. The album, culled from a couple of nights during an August and early September residency at the Village Gate, is a snapshot of a pivotal moment in Jazz's evolution and a must-hear for any Jazz fan.

Recorded in 1961, Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy showcases the legendary saxophonist's quintet during their monthlong residency at the storied Greenwich Village nightclub. Along with Dolphy on alto saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute, Coltrane's group here features his classic lineup of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Elvin Jones. This is the same group that would go on to record such landmark albums as 1961's Ole Coltrane, 1961's Africa/Brass, and appear together on 1961's Live! at the Village Vanguard. Recorded on a single ribbon microphone by future Nina Simone and Bob Dylan engineer Richard Alderson, the album was never intended to be released as a professional recording. Primarily, Alderson (who was in his early twenties at the time and working as a soundman for the club) wanted to check the room's sound and try out his new microphone. The recording would eventually make its way into the vast archive of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, where it would be largely forgotten before eventually being rediscovered. While the sound itself is not as robust as the later Vanguard recordings, it still delivers an exciting fly-on-the-wall atmosphere, capturing the group at the apex of their transition from hard-driving modal jazz to the more avant-garde, harmonically free approach Coltrane would embrace by the middle of the decade. Much of this transition was brought on by Dolphy, whose wide, intervallic style and adventurous harmonies had a strong influence on Coltrane, which can be heard from both players throughout the recording. Most interesting is their take on "My Favorite Things," which Coltrane recorded a year prior for his album of the same name and which became somewhat of a radio hit. Where that original recording found Coltrane interpolating the melody to a degree, here, he pushes the song to ever more bold heights, utilizing spiraling multi-note runs and throaty, atonal smears. Equally exploratory atmospheres mark the group's take on "Impressions," a regular song in Coltrane's live shows that he leaps into here with a wild abandon. It's also easy to imagine just how unusual and distinctive Dolphy must have sounded to audiences at the time. This is especially evident when he takes the bass clarinet lead on "When Lights Are Low," playing the melody with a stark soulfulness in a style reminiscent of Sonny Rollins before launching into a solo that quickly frays the harmonic edges of the lyrical standard. Tragically, within six years after this recording, both Dolphy and Coltrane would be gone. Despite the understated and lo-fi nature of the recording, Evenings at the Village Gate is a testament to their profound artistry and creative synergy. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	07/14/2023
Label:	Impulse!
UPC:	0602455514189

Tracks

1. My Favorite Things
2. When Lights Are Low
3. Impressions
4. Greensleeves
5. Africa

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eric Dolphy   Primary Artist,Flute,Sax (Alto),Featured Artist,Clarinet (Bass)
John Coltrane   Primary Artist,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano),Sax (Sopranino)
McCoy Tyner   Piano
Reggie Workman   Bass
Art Davis   Bass
Elvin Jones   Drums,Piano

Technical Credits

Ashley Kahn   Producer
Ken Druker   Producer
Benny Carter   Composer
John Koenig   Packaging
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Jeff Willens   Tape Transfer
Eric Neuser   Release Coordinator,Production Coordination
Tai Linzie   Art Coordinator
Yasuhiro "Fuji" Fujioka   Photography
Femi Onafowokan   A&R
Emerson Sudbury   A&R
Spencer Williams   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Kevin Reeves   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
John Coltrane   Composer
Richard Alderson   Engineer,Recording
Ravi Coltrane   Executive Producer