This is a major set, "new" music from
John Coltrane that was recorded February 15, 1967 (five months before his death) but not released for the first time until 1995. One of several "lost" sessions that were stored by
Alice Coltrane for decades, only one selection ("Offering" which was on
Expression) among the eight numbers and three alternates was ever out before. The music, although well worth releasing, offers no real hints as to what
Coltrane might have been playing had he lived into the 1970s. The performances by the quartet (the saxophonist joined by pianist
Alice Coltrane, bassist
Jimmy Garrison, and drummer
Rashied Ali) are briefer (from two and a half to five-plus minutes) than
Coltrane's recordings of the previous year, but that might have been due to the fact that this music was played in the studio (as opposed to the marathon live blowouts with
Pharoah Sanders) or to
Coltrane's worsening health. Actually
Trane is as powerful as usual, showing no compromise in his intense flights, and indulging in sound explorations that are as free (but with purpose) as any he had ever done.
Coltrane's true fans will want to go out of their way to acquire this intriguing CD. ~ Scott Yanow