John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy as you've never heard them

A *new album* from The Village Gate puts their frontline meld front and center

‘Reflected ‘Trane’ — backstage at The Village Gate, August 1961. (Herb Snitzer)

Let’s say for the sake of argument that you and I share a common understanding about the music John Coltrane made with Eric Dolphy in 1961 — that it stands as one of the most exhilarating, daringly provocative alignments in the recorded history of jazz. I’m referring mainly, of course, to the body of evidence gathered at The Village Vanguard in the first week of November 1961, and eventually released on a marvelous four-disc set. Secondarily, I’m talking about concert recordings from places like Stockholm, in the same period. But I’m also describing something brand-new in this world: Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, which Impulse! Records will release on July 14. This recording — made during an August residency at the Gate, a couple of months before the Vanguard run — has a character all its own.

NPR just broke this news with an exclusive that I reported for All Things Considered, along with a more in-depth critic’s notebook for NPR Music. For the piece, I spent many hours immersed in the music, and connected with bassist Reggie Workman, the sole surviving member of Coltrane’s band from the Village Gate and Village Vanguard engagements, as well as my friend and colleague Ben Ratliff, who in 2021 wrote a majestic piece of music criticism about the latter, and the attending spirit of the age.

I will eventually have more to say about this extraordinary offering, but it’s too exciting not to chime in with a few more thoughts about the recording itself: how it came about, how it sounds, and what the track list holds. If you’re a paid subscriber, keep scrolling and you’ll find those below — along with an edition of The Gig that ran as a column in JazzTimes a dozen years ago, explaining how The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings changed my life. And you’re welcome to chime in with your own reflections, reactions and rejoicings in the comments!

Free subscribers, I got you too. I hope you enjoyed the NPR story, which includes a version of “Impressions” from The Village Gate. Until midnight tonight, it’s the only place where you’ll be able to hear this fearsomely intense and inspiring piece of music.

Facin’ the Trane:

• The beautifully contemplative image at the top of this post, Reflected ‘Trane, is by photographer Herb Snitzer, who rates it as one of his most important. You can purchase it as a signed silver gelatin print at his website. More of Snitzer’s photos from the Village Gate can be found on the NPR story, and below the paywall here.

• My editor at All Things Considered was Patrick Jarenwattananon, who is both an exceptionally astute radio producer and a true jazz head. Perhaps you recall his tireless output on A Blog Supreme, including this riff on Coltrane and “anti-jazz.”

• Ben Ratliff had a chance to hear “Impressions” before we talked. With his blessing, I’ll soon share more of our talk, which more broadly considered Coltrane and Dolphy in ‘61. “It is my favorite little piece of Coltrane’s music,” he says.

• Now that the word is out, I’m going to confer with the estimable Lewis Porter, whose Playback with Lewis Porter! is an essential jazz resource on Substack. I’ll also check in with Ashley Kahn, who does another exemplary job with the liner notes for this forthcoming Coltrane release.