Ballads is a jazz album by John Coltrane released in January 1963 by Impulse! Records.[1][2] It was recorded in December 1961 and 1962, and released with catalogue number A-32 (mono) and AS-32 (stereo). Critic Gene Lees stated that the quartet had never played the tunes before. "They arrived with music-store sheet music of the songs" and just before the recordings, they "would discuss each tune, write out copies of the changes they'd use, semi-rehearse for a half hour and then do it". Each piece was recorded in one take, except for "All or Nothing at All".[9] In 2008, the album was a recipient of the Grammy Hall of Fame award.[10]
Ballads | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1963[1][2] | |||
Recorded | December 21, 1961; September 18 and November 13, 1962 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder (Englewood Cliffs) | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 32:18 | |||
Label | Impulse! A-32 | |||
Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
John Coltrane chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
DownBeat (Original Lp release) | [3] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
New Record Mirror | [5] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [7] |
Track listing
editOriginal
edit- "Say It (Over and Over Again)" (Jimmy McHugh)– 4:18
- "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene DePaul)– 5:15
- "Too Young to Go Steady" (Jimmy McHugh)– 4:23
- "All or Nothing at All" (Arthur Altman)– 3:39
- "I Wish I Knew" (Harry Warren)– 4:54
- "What's New?" (Bob Haggart)– 3:47
- "It's Easy to Remember" (Richard Rodgers)– 2:49
- "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" (Jimmy Van Heusen)– 3:10
2002 deluxe edition
editDisc two
- "They Say It's Wonderful"
- "All or Nothing at All" - Alternate take
- "Greensleeves" - Alternate take
- "Greensleeves" - Alternate take
- "Greensleeves" - Alternate take
- "Greensleeves" - Master take
- "Greensleeves" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
- "It's Easy to Remember" - Alternate take
Personnel
edit- John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
- McCoy Tyner – piano
- Jimmy Garrison (#1–6, 8), Reggie Workman (#7; Disc 2, #3–14) – bass
- Elvin Jones – drums
Production
edit- Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
- Jim Marshall – photography
References
edit- ^ a b DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Schmaler, Wolf; Wild, David (2013). Porter, Lewis (ed.). The John Coltrane Reference. New York/Abingdon: Routledge. p. 658. ISBN 9780415634632. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ a b "13 ABC, 7 Impulse LPs Bow At N.Y. Distrib Meet" (PDF). Cash Box. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. January 5, 1963. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ Down Beat: March 28, 1963 vol. 30, no. 8
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Watson, Jimmy (13 July 1963). "John Coltrane Quartet: Ballads" (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 122. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 46. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Original liner notes by Gene Lees
- ^ Grammy Hall of Fame website, retrieved 9 November 2013.