John Coltrane: Complete Love Supreme Sessions To Be Released

The Impulse! label is releasing for the first time on 20 November every take and overdub from the two-day Love Supreme sessions that took place at Rudy van Gelder’s studio from 9-10 December 1964, from which the original album was produced and first released in February 1965. On the 9 December Coltrane recorded sessions for the four-part ‘Love Supreme’ suite, which formed the classic album with his quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones.

The sessions on the 10 December added saxophonist Archie Shepp and second bassist Art Davis for additional takes of the tracks recorded the day before, two of which were released on the 2002 Love Supreme Deluxe Edition, along with the only know live recording from the Antibes festival in July 1965. Now, with the discovery of further lost session reels, A Love Supreme – The Complete Masters will be available from 20 November in 2CD and 3CD formats. The 2 CD set will include the original album together with two previously unreleased mono reference tracks from Coltrane’s own collection and seven additional unreleased takes from both sessions, including all six takes of ‘Acknowledgment’.

The set will also include a 32 page book by noted writer Ashley Kahn, author A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album, which will feature Coltrane’s musical sketches, notes and ‘A Love Supreme’ poem. The 3CD Super Deluxe Edition set includes all of the above plus the 1965 live at Antibes disc and is presented in a larger format with additional sleeve notes by Carlos Santana.

– Jon Newey