John Coltrane Quartet - Crescent [Acoustic Sounds Series]

In the summer of 1964, John Coltrane and his classic quartet entered Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio on two occasions, April 27 and June 1, to record Crescent, an album composed entirely of Coltrane originals and widely regarded as the most emotionally sustained work of his Impulse! years. Coming between a run of collaborative and live projects, the album marked a deliberate return to the focused quartet format, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. By the end of that same year, the four men would return to Van Gelder's studio to record A Love Supreme, and the inner gatefold photograph from Crescent would appear on that album's cover as well. This 2021 Verve Acoustic Sounds Series reissue, mastered from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, is among the most highly praised pressings in the entire series.

The album's five tracks move with a collective restraint that makes its emotional depth all the more striking. The title track opens Side A with a long, unhurried tenor melody over Tyner's spare voicings, setting a tone of quiet contemplation that defines the record as a whole. "Wise One" follows with one of Tyner's most celebrated Impulse! performances, his mid-section piano solo building in density before Coltrane enters with an expressive, deeply felt melodic turn. "Bessie's Blues" provides a brief, swinging contrast before Side B opens with "Lonnie's Lament," a somber and searching minor blues that features an extended solo from Garrison, his bass carrying the entire emotional weight of the performance. "The Drum Thing" closes the album as a vehicle for Elvin Jones, his drum solo unfolding over bass and atmospheric saxophone in a performance that is as compositionally deliberate as anything else on the record.

Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes, the Acoustic Sounds vinyl edition stands out for its transparency, pinpointing the individual contributions of each band member and capturing the synergy of an ensemble that continued to reach new musical heights. The 180g vinyl is pressed at Quality Record Pressings, and the Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket replicates the original Impulse! packaging to a standard that rivals the original pressing. The result drew a perfect 10/11 Music and 10/11 Sonics rating from Michael Fremer at AnalogPlanet, and a 5/5 Music and 4.5/5 Sonics from The Absolute Sound, making it one of the most critically validated pressings in the Acoustic Sounds catalog.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: "Crescent," "Wise One," "Lonnie's Lament," "The Drum Thing"
• Pressing Details: Verve Acoustic Sounds Series; Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from original analog tapes; Pressed at Quality Record Pressings; Supervised by Chad Kassem; Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket
• Genre/Style: Modal Jazz, Post-Bop, Hard Bop
• UPC: 602438075829

Crescent is the bridge between Coltrane's formative Atlantic years and the transcendence of A Love Supreme, and this Acoustic Sounds pressing captures every nuance of the quartet's remarkable interplay with exceptional fidelity.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Crescent
2. Wise One
3. Bessie's Blues

Side B:

1. Lonnie's Lament
2. The Drum Thing