John Coltrane was a brilliant jazz musician, and there really is no phase of his career that doesn't feature stunning sax work, but he was just learning how to run and lead a band (while trying to kick a heroin habit) when he recorded for Prestige Records in the mid- to late '50s. This set collects some of the highlights from that period, and while it includes wonderful early signature pieces like "Traneing In" and "Bahia," the full measure of
Coltrane's talent and vision (and heroin-free music) was still mostly off in the future when these recordings were made. ~ Steve Leggett