this iconic 1960 album saw coltrane reinvent the popular jazz style & break through to a mainstream audience, the laser beam focus of his tenor solos at the centre of the recordings.
he wastes no time as the disc's title track immediately indicates a progression from which there would be no looking back. line upon line of highly cerebral improvisation snake between the melody & solos, practically fusing the two. the resolute intensity of 'countdown' does more to modernise jazz in 141 seconds than many artists do in their entire careers. tellingly, the contrasting & ultimately pastoral 'naima' was the last tune to be recorded, & is the only track on the original long-player to feature the 'kind of blue' quartet.
Available on limited coloured vinyl