Over 60 years ago, in 1958 jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's first of 37 recordings made for Prestige Recordings was "Lush Life," the title track of the album released in 1961 that has been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. On March 29 Craft Recordings will release Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings. "Lush Life" is just the first of these sessions that chronicle Coltrane's early peak year before his mature flourishing.
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The eight-LP vinyl set presents all of 1958's Prestige sessions chronologically and is accompanied by 40 pages of richly illustrated and extensive notes by Ashley Kahn, winner of Best Album Notes at the 57th GRAMMY Awards for Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University. Packaged with hip retro style, the title is sure to be a target of collectors when Record Store Day 2019 arrives on April 13. The set will also be available on five CDs.
Standards such as "Lover Come Back to Me" and "Stardust" share this showcase with first recordings including "Black Pearls" and "Nakatini Serenade." The tracks were remastered from the original Rudy Van Gelder recordings and the new set is produced by Nick Phillips.
Coltrane's mature heights were still to come in the 60s. In 1958, he was only beginning to command his own power and style. Gaining wider recognition that year, his bebop lyricism was shockingly radical. The Prestige tracks have never been assembled together completely like this, enabling fans and newcomers alike to engage in jazz time travel to an excellent destination.
