Features Disc of the day
John Coltrane
Ascension
(Impulse, 1965)
'Trane's ultimate free jazz freak-out!
The original sleeve notes described Ascension as "a guaranteed soul rinsing". A single listen to this one 40 minute track album is enough to convince even the hardiest of listeners that Coltrane and his cohorts have over-delivered on this simple promise.
The previous year 'Trane had released A Love Supreme, a landmark album which saw the sax player and his quartet move further away from their bop roots - typified by his classic adaptation of My Favourite Things - as they began to explore the world of free jazz. Ascension, however, took things one step further, with Coltrane entering Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio with a coterie of musicians plucked from the burgeoning avant-garde scene. Among those gathered were tenor sax pair Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders, alto sax Marion Brown, and trumpet player Freddie Hubbard alongside mainstays McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison and Art Davis (both on double bass) and legendary drummer Elvin Jones. Once in the studio, Coltrane re-worked the central theme to A Love Supreme but gave the musicians total freedom as far as their own solos were concerned, creating a 12-part single piece. The result is both frenzied and intoxicating, the album sleeve's sober black and white portrait of a wistful-looking Coltrane doing little to suggest what lies in store.
The CD reissue of the album took Ascension even further by featuring both takes of the track to mind-mangling effect. In fact, he first take should be enough to persuade to underline the insurrectionary spirit running through free jazz in the mid-'60s. While the rock world prepared to thrill to the sonic revolution contained within the grooves of The Beatles' Revolver, when it came to freak-ery Coltrane and his band were miles ahead. Indeed, your correspondent must confess to having discovered Ascension as a barely played vinyl album lurking in the darker recesses of my parents' record collection some 25 years ago. A quarter of a century on from that initial discovery, the album now resides firmly in my collection and remains one of the most intense recordings of any genre.
Phil Alexander
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 30/10/2009
Further Listening
Peter Brontzmann - Machine Gun (FMP, 1968)
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1964)
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch (Blue Note, 1964)
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This record is TUFF! A Love Supreme is simply beautiful, it draws you in, and achieves the effect of being a prayer (I play this album at Christmas a lot). But Ascension, is nothing like it's predecessor. It starts with the first few notes of Supreme, but then nothing is the same. This is a demanding record, tough. If Supreme was Trane's acknowledgement of the divine in his life, and the joy of his realisation; Ascension is about the hard business of working towards redemption. Also, it's almost like he's saying, "If you dug Supreme, cool, but if you're not a true believer, you won't dig this one." He may have been setting himself free from the rules of jazz, but man, this is the sound of a man fighting with every last breath to be truly free. Just my thoughts, thanks for reading. JM
Posted by JohnMellor at 1:13 PM GMT 30/10/2009 Report Abuse
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I only just got this the other day. It was only a year apart, Ascension and Love Supreme but the differences is like boarding a spaceship which time traveling in light speed. A Love Supreme is really the nice and polite jazz album which everyone loves and Ascension is just unbelievable and you just have forget everything you know about jazz, music and well, everything and just listen. I love it so much, it's so amazing. I don't how to write about it really but to quote Phil Alexander's review, the last line, the most intense recordings of any genre.
I would love to see a full feature in MOJO magazine about this album so how about it???
Posted by Bill at 6:49 AM GMT 31/10/2009 Report Abuse
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