Coltrane Plays the Blues, re-released in a limited edition run by Vinyl Lovers, is without the original cover art, an abstract painting by Marty Norman, and instead uses a colour photo of Coltrane from the Michael Ochs archives (uncredited). For some, messing with the original cover art misses the point when releasing a classic album.

Recorded in October 1960 – the month in which Coltrane recorded the material that would comprise the albums My Favourite Things (released in March 1961), Coltrane Sound (released in June 1964) and Coltrane Plays the Blues (released in July 1962) – Blues was not conceived as a blues album at all, but the theme readily suggested itself from the unissued Coltrane material in Atlantic’s vaults. Blues was released in 1962, as Atlantic wanted to cash-in on Coltrane’s growing success with material it had already bought and paid for. Listen to the Coltrane side-slip on ‘Blues To You’, playing a semitone higher on the third and fourth bars of the chorus and a semitone lower on last four bars. ‘Blues To Bechet’ is one of two pieces on the album on which Coltrane uses soprano sax, the other is ‘Blues To Elvin’.

On these numbers (and the alternative takes of these tunes not on the original album) McCoy Tyner lays out. ‘Blues To Elvin’ has two takes, in different keys, note the take issued on the original album (the last take) is where Coltrane changed key from the previous three takes. Also, Coltrane slowed the tempo on each take, the issued take being the slowest.

Africa/Brass was Coltrane’s Impulse! debut, and this Waxtime in Colour reissue comes with original cover art plus a custard yellow 180g album. Impulse! was then a brand-new label formed by producer Creed Taylor. Africa/ Brass is actually the last album Taylor produced for the company before moving to Verve Records. The ink had hardly dried on Coltrane’s contract, then the most lucrative given to any jazz artists except Miles Davis, when he entered the studio as he still had to fulfil is contract with Atlantic, which he did with Olél (recorded May 25, 1961; Africa/Brass first session May 23).

It was originally intended Oliver Nelson do the arranging for the large 15 and 18 piece ensemble backing Coltrane’s quartet, but at the last minute he pulled-out and Eric Dolphy calmly worked-out the arrangements on the date. The compositions reflect Coltrane’s growing attraction to foreign scales; originals by the saxophonist ‘Africa’ and ‘Blues Minor’, Cal Massey’s ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’, and the folksongs ‘Greensleeves’ and ‘Song of the Underground Railroad’. With it, Coltrane hit the ground running; Taylor’s replacement was Bob Thiele and the album that followed, Live at the Village Vanguard took the jazz world by storm.