John Coltrane - Sun Ship: The Complete Session (2013) CD rip

Recorded on August 26, 1965 (and not released until after his death), Sun Ship was the final recording by John Coltrane's quartet with drummer Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner, and bassist Jimmy Garrison. Pharoah Sanders would join the group the following month, and Tyner and Jones would depart in January of 1966 to be replaced by Alice Coltrane and Rashied Ali. It is also one of the saxophonist's most intense taped performances. After nearly four years together, this band had achieved a vital collective identity. When Coltrane moved toward metrically free styles of rhythm and melody (with tunes often based on one chord or a short series of notes as themes), the quartet's rhythmic pulse and collective interplay evolved accordingly.

He original album featured edited and sometimes overdubbed performances of its four compositions. Sun Ship: The Complete Session delivers both complete versions of the album's performances, but also multiple takes of "Dearly Beloved," "Attaining," and the title track.

There are inserts where edits and overdubs were clearly made, with studio dialogue, arrangement breakdowns, false starts, etc. Disc two contains eight different takes of "Ascent" (including the previously released version) as well as alternate and released takes of "Amen," and studio conversation. Author David Wild's detailed liner essay eloquently details the process in the album's creation and problems encountered, adding a keen insight into Bob Theile's and Coltrane's production methods and aesthetics. A set like this is obviously intended for the saxophonist's devotees, critics, and jazz historians, but even a casual listen offers a fascinating look at how different these sessions were from the final product.

The new release Sun Ship: The Complete Session 2-CD set is the result of an extraordinary discovery: the entire session as it was recorded on August 26, 1965, with Trane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, with producer Bob Thiele. Newly mixed and remastered in high-resolution audio, this special release includes every recorded moment from the session:
- all alternate takes
- conversation between the musicians, their leader and their producer
- more than one hour of unreleased music

Sun Ship: The Complete Session is a rare, essential snapshot of an icon at work — the evolution of a masterpiece.


Tracks:

CD1
01. Dearly Beloved Takes 1 & 2, false start and alternate version
02. Dearly Beloved Take 3, breakdown
03. Dearly Beloved Take 4, complete version**
04. Attaining Take 1, alternate version
05. Attaining Take 2, breakdown
06. Attaining Take 3, complete version**
07. Attaining Take 4, insert 1**
08. Sun Ship Take 1, breakdown
09. Sun Ship Take 2, complete alternate version
10. Sun Ship Take 3, insert 1
11. Sun Ship Take 4, complete version**

CD2
01. Ascent Take 1, complete version**
02. Ascent Take 2, incomplete version
03. Ascent Take 3, incomplete version
04. Ascent Take 3 (again), incomplete version
05. Ascent Takes 4-6, inserts/false starts
06. Ascent Take 7, complete insert 4
07. Ascent Take 8, complete insert 5
08. Amen Take 1, alternate version
09. Amen Take 2, released version*

All tracks previously unreleased except tracks marked * and portions of tracks marked **

Personnel:

John Coltrane: tenor saxophone
McCoy Tyner: piano
Jimmy Garrison: bass
Elvin Jones: drums