John Coltrane – Impressions (Black Vinyl)

LP – 180 Gram Vinyl

Originally released in 1963, ‘Impressions; captures John Coltrane’s expanding musical vision. Blending jazz modality with influences from Indian music, blues, and even a Swedish folk song, the album showcases Coltrane’s emotive range and groundbreaking style. It features both live and studio recordings, spanning an eighteen-month period that marked his evolution as an artist. The live tracks were recorded in November 1961 at the Village Vanguard, during the sessions that produced the iconic ‘Live at the Village Vanguard’ album. Here, Coltrane’s classic quartet—McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums—is joined by saxophonist Eric Dolphy and bassist Reggie Workman. Dolphy’s bass clarinet solo on “India” and Workman’s droning bass lines add a deep, Indian-inspired texture to the performance. The nearly fifteen-minute title track, recorded in the studio, spotlights Coltrane’s powerful soloing. In his five-star DownBeat-review, critic Harvey Pekar noted that, while not every moment on the album is perfect, some passages are “more than excellent.” The album’s influence even reached rock music, with The Byrds drawing direct inspiration from ‘Impressions’ for their 1965 single “Eight Miles High.”

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