‘Blue World’ Offers Unheard Music from Coltrane’s Classic Quartet

News, First Listen, John Coltrane, Jimmy Garrison, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones

By DownBeat I Aug. 16, 2019

John Coltrane’s *Blue World*, which includes 27 minutes of previously unheard music, is set for release Sept. 27.
(Photo: Jim Marshall)

John Coltrane and his classic quartet still have unissued music to offer 21st-century listeners.

Set for release Sept. 27, Blue World collects a batch of previously unheard takes—“Naima,” “Traneing In” and “Village Blues” among them—along with “Blue World,” a contrafact of “Out Of This World,” which was the opening track on the bandleader’s 1962 album Coltrane. The new album will be available digitally, on CD and LP.

Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones congregated at Van Gelder Studios in June 1964 to record these tunes, which initially were intended for the soundtrack to Gilles Groux’s 1964 film Le Chat Dans Le Sac, according to a press release. Only about 10 minutes of the 37-minute recording were used in the film.

The Impulse! release comes on the heels of 2018’s warmly received Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album, which topped the Historical Album category in the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll. Both Directions Once documents the same band at Van Gelder Studios on March 6, 1963.

For additional information about Blue World, visit the UMe website. DB