Features original, never-before-heard compositions, recorded by Coltrane’s Classic Quartet in 1963 at Van Gelder Studios
“Untitled Original 11383” available now https://Verve.lnk.to/BothDirectionsAtOnce
John Coltrane Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album available on June 29 on Impulse! (PRNewsfoto/Verve Label Group)
On March 6, 1963, John Coltrane and his Classic Quartet — McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones — recorded an entire studio album at the legendary Van Gelder Studios. This music, which features unheard originals, will finally be released 55 years later. This is, in short, the holy grail of jazz.
Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album was released on June 29 on Impulse! Records, Coltrane’s final and most creative label home.
The first week of March in 1963 was busy for John Coltrane. He was in the midst of a two-week run at Birdland and was gearing up to record the famed John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman album, which he did on March 7. But there was a session the day before that was the stuff of legend, until now.
Preview, download or stream Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album (Deluxe Version) by John Coltrane
On Wednesday, March 6, Coltrane and the quartet went to Van Gelder Studios in Englewood, NJ and cut a complete album’s worth of material, including several original compositions that were never recorded elsewhere. They spent the day committing these to tape, taking time with some, rehearsing them two, three times, playing them in different ways and in different configurations.
At the end of the day, Coltrane left Van Gelder Studios with a reference tape and brought it to the home in Queens that he shared with his wife, Naima. These tapes remained untouched for the next 54 years until Impulse! approached the family about finally releasing this lost album. Though the master tape was never found—Rudy Van Gelder wasn’t one for clutter—the reference tape was discovered to be in excellent condition.
As the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins so rightly put it, “This is like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid.” The musical implications of this album, the original compositions, the arrangements, the band, the year it was recorded, all amount to a rediscovery and re-contextualization of one of the most important musicians of our time.
Danny Bennett, President and CEO of the Verve Label Group and home of Impulse! records, says, “Jazz is more relevant today than ever. It’s becoming the alternative music of the 21st century, and no one embodies the boundary-breaking essence of jazz more than John Coltrane. He was a visionary who changed the course of music, and this lost album is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. It gives us insight into his creative process and connects us to his artistry. This album is a cultural moment and the release coincides perfectly with our relaunch of the iconic Impulse! label.”
On this album, there are two completely unknown and never-before-heard originals. “Untitled Original 11383” and “Untitled Original 11386,” both played on soprano sax. “11383” features an arco bass solo by Jimmy Garrison, a relative rarity, and “11386” marks a significant structural change for the quartet, in that they keep returning to the theme between solos, not typical in the quartet’s repertoire.
In addition to the two unheard originals, “One Up, One Down” – released previously only on a bootleg recording from Birdland – is heard here as a studio recording for the first and only time. It contains a fascinating exchange between Elvin Jones and Coltrane.
“Impressions,” one of Coltrane’s most famous and oft-recorded compositions, is played here in a piano-less trio. In fact, McCoy Tyner lays out a number of times during this recording session. It’s one of the more interesting aspects of this session and reflects the harmonic possibilities that Coltrane was known to be discussing regularly with Ornette Coleman around this time.
This studio session also yielded Coltrane’s first recording of “Nature Boy,” which he would record again in 1965, and the two versions differ greatly. The one we know is exploratory, meandering. This version is tight, solo-less and clocking in at just over three minutes. The other non-original composition on the album is “Vilia,” from Franz Lehár’s operetta “The Merry Widow”. The soprano version on the Deluxe Edition is the only track from this session to have been previously released.
This incredible, once-in-a-lifetime discovery reveals a number of creative balances at work, like developing original melodies while rethinking familiar standards. Trying out some tunes first on tenor saxophone, then on soprano. Using older techniques like the arpeggio runs of his “sheets of sound” while experimenting with false fingerings and other newer sounds. This session was pivotal, though to call it such overlooks the fact Coltrane was ever on pivot, always pushing the pedal down while still calling on older, tested ideas and devices.
Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album is a major addition to the Coltrane catalogue and the most important jazz discovery in recent memory.
This historic session resulted in 14 tracks in total. On the standard edition, there are 7 takes, chosen by Ravi Coltrane. The rest of the takes exist on the second disc of the deluxe set. There will be a standard CD and LP and a deluxe CD and LP available on June 29 on Impulse! The deluxe edition will exist on all digital streaming platforms as well.
Impulse! Records Impulse! Records was founded in 1960 by Creed Taylor and was home to John Coltrane, one of the label’s earliest signings. Known sometimes as “the house that Trane built,” the legendary label signed jazz artists such as Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Alice Coltrane, Charlie Haden and the Liberation Music Orchestra, among others. Today, Impulse! sits under the umbrella of Verve Label Group, a division of the Universal Music Group. Artists signed to Impulse! include saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and his groups Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and Shabaka & The Ancestors, and pianist Sullivan Fortner.
Verve Label Group The Verve Label Group (VLG), a division of Universal Music Group based in New York City, is home to many of the most acclaimed artists in jazz and classical music, while also strongly focused on championing emerging talent across all genres. Verve Label Group is home to Impulse! Records, Verve Records, Verve Forecast, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Mercury KX and more.
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.
Acclaimed Feature Documentary Film Debuts on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17; Companion Soundtrack Album to be Released on CD, 2-LP Vinyl, and Digital Audio
Independent Lens Presents ‘Chasing Trane’ Broadcast Premiere on November 6 on PBS; Indie Lens Pop-Up Free Screening Events in Several U.S. Cities Through November 5
The GRAMMY Museum® Opens New John Coltrane Exhibit on November 17; Other Special Events Around the World to be Announced
On November 17, respected filmmaker John Scheinfelds acclaimed feature documentary film, ‘Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary,’ will be released by UMe on DVD and Blu-ray with exclusive bonus features. On the same date, Verve/UMe will release the films vital audio companion ‘Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary Original Soundtrack’ on CD, 180-gram 2-LP vinyl, and digital audio. (PRNewsfoto/UMe)
On November 17, respected filmmaker John Scheinfeld’s acclaimed feature documentary film, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, will be released by UMe on DVD and Blu-ray with exclusive bonus features. On the same date, Verve/UMe will release the film’s vital audio companion — Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary Original Soundtrack — on CD, 180-gram 2-LP vinyl, and digital audio. Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the time, Chasing Trane brings saxophone great John Coltrane to life, as a man and an artist. The film is the definitive look at the boundary-shattering musician and composer whose influence continues to resonate around the world.
Written and directed by John Scheinfeld [The U.S. vs. John Lennon; Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?)], Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary is a rich and compelling portrait of a remarkable artist that reveals the critical events, passions, experiences and challenges that shaped the life of John Coltrane and his revolutionary sounds. The captivating film is produced by Spencer Proffer, John Beug, Scott Pascucci, and Dave Harding, with the support of the Coltrane family and the record labels that collectively manage the Coltrane catalog. Chasing Trane‘s DVD and Blu-ray packages include a booklet with an essay by Scheinfeld and rare photos seen in the film. The soundtrack’s booklet also includes rare photos from the film and an essay by journalist and film participant Ashley Kahn.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary features never-before-seen Coltrane family home movies, footage of Coltrane and his band in the studio (discovered in a California garage during production of the film), along with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and rare television appearances from around the world. The smart, passionate, thought-provoking and uplifting film reveals the critical events, passions, experience, and challenges that shaped Coltrane’s life and his revolutionary sounds. It is a story of demons and darkness, of persistence and redemption. Above all, it is the incredible spiritual journey of a man who found himself and, in the process, created an extraordinary, iconic body of work that transcends all barriers of geography, race, religion and age.
A music titan gets his cinematic due in Chasing Trane, a comprehensive, engrossing and, it’s tempting to say, worshipful account of the life of John Coltrane…” – Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
John Coltrane’s incredible story is told by the musicians who worked with him (Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Reggie Workman), musicians inspired by his fearless artistry and creative vision (Common, The Doors’ John Densmore, Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Kamasi Washington), Coltrane’s children and biographers, and well-known admirers including President Bill Clinton and Dr. Cornel West. Although Coltrane did not participate in any television interviews and he recorded only a handful of radio interviews during his lifetime, he is an active and vibrant presence throughout the film, in his remarkable performance clips and in thoughts he expressed during print interviews. In Chasing Trane, the words of John Coltrane are spoken by Denzel Washington.
“In many of his roles Denzel radiates an exceptional quiet strength,” says the film’s director-writer John Scheinfeld. “Coltrane, many of his friends told me, embodied a similar strength. That’s why Denzel was my first choice to speak his words and I’m thrilled he made the time to participate in our film.”
After playing to critical and audience acclaim at its fall 2016 world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival, IDFA and DOC NYC, Chasing Trane‘s spring 2017 theatrical release was presented by Abramorama.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary will make its television broadcast premiere on Independent Lens on Monday, November 6, 10:00-11:30 PM ET (check local listings) on PBS. During the month prior to the broadcast, Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and local partners across the country, will host free preview screenings and discussion events for the film in dozens of U.S. cities.
On Friday, November 17, the same day the ‘Chasing Trane‘ home video and companion soundtrack album will be released, the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles will open a sweeping new John Coltrane exhibit, titled Chasing Trane: Coltrane’s Musical Journey Transcended. The long-term exhibit, featuring rare performance footage and audio recordings from Coltrane’s Japanese tour in 1966, handwritten manuscripts, instruments, and more, will be a primary installation at the museum through September 2018.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary and Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane DocumentaryOriginal Soundtrack are essential for anyone who appreciates the power of music to entertain, inspire, and transform. The producers of the film were, themselves, moved by this force, collectively stating, “We entered into this project with great respect for John Coltrane and his music. Our deep appreciation for both only increased during the production of the film, as we witnessed the profound impact that his music still has on so many people — a breadth of audience that defies any simple categorization.”
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary [DVD; Blu-ray] Feature film, plus 43 minutes of exclusive bonus features:
– Painting Trane, featuring Rudy Gutierrez and his paintings seen in the film and on the DVD and soundtrack album covers
– Brain on Coltrane, profiling pioneering brain researcher Dr. Charles Limb
– Obsessed by Coltrane, an extended cut of the film’s Japan sequence – Transformed by Coltrane, the life-changing power of Trane’s music on Vietnam veteran Douglas Taylor
– Kids for Coltrane, about the unique, Coltrane-centric New York City public school curriculum spearheaded by Christine Passarella
– A Conversation with Rudy Van Gelder, a rare visit with Trane’s most trusted recording engineer
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary Original Soundtrack [CD; 180g 2-LP Vinyl; Digital] 1. A Love Supreme Part 1 – Acknowledgement (7:43)
2. Russian Lullaby (5:33)
3. Trane’s Slo Blues (6:06)
4. Giant Steps (4:48)
5. My Favorite Things Pt. 1 single version (2:47)
6. My One and Only Love with Johnny Hartman (4:56)
7. Alabama (5:11)
8. After the Rain (4:10)
9. Moment’s Notice (9:10)
10. I Want to Talk About You (Live) (8:19)
11. Chasin’ The Trane (Live) (16:12)
About the Filmmaker John Scheinfeld (Writer/Director) is an Emmy®, Grammy®, and Writers Guild Award nominee and writer/director/producer of documentaries for theatrical and television distribution. His films have premiered at Telluride, Toronto, Venice and IDFA and include The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?), We Believe, and Dick Cavett’s Watergate. In addition, Scheinfeld has written pilot scripts for drama series for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and received his MFA from Northwestern University.
