Ascension (John Coltrane album)

Occupation

Ascension is a jazz album by John Coltrane that was recorded and released in 1965.

Introduction

Ascension is counted among the milestones of free jazz; many critics consider the album with John Coltrane's most important recording in addition to A Love Supreme in 1964. Here for the first time großorchestrale representation in free jazz direction as tested.

The Music

This album was with his free collective improvisation an "experiment ". It is often referred to as an album of transition, as the Coltrane recordings of his quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones before that, more "conventional" in the field of modal jazz could be settled in their structures. In the recordings, the John Coltrane grossed to Ascension, such as Interstellar Space (1967 ), the molds are still free through to resolution.

New to Ascension was the departure from the "classic" quartet format. Had Coltrane until then " the perspectives explored in the card game, he was now looking for a freer concept that both his growing religiosity such as the need for unlimited creativity was fair." He understood the recording in a radio interview as a " big band thing, " a musical concept that Ornette Coleman in his octet ( " double quartet " ) already in his recording free Jazz: had used a Collective improvisation, which, like Ascension, continued forty minute improvisation in exchange of free ensemble and solo game without interruptions.

Change to Ascension ensemble playing and solos; Coltrane was the musicians no instructions for her solo game, except that they should end the Improvisation on the simple basic motif with a crescendo. The ensemble passages seem rather through structured. Except Filtgen and Bauer write this: The ensemble parts for Coleman were still very limited and notistisch held, whereas on the Ascension group and interaction only on a tonal center, a chord that can be addressed in different ways, based. The piece begins with a high level of energy and intensity, until the other shows - if at all - to reach the end.

Compared to Coleman's free jazz, Coltrane had formation at Ascension an advanced " front line", with two alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, three trumpets and two. His horn section consisted mainly of young jazz musicians, but soon should be among the most respected players in the American free jazz scene, such as John Tchicai, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and Marion Brown.Der contributing Marion Brown spoke to the intensity of ' Ascension ' to describe: "You could be with this music an apartment on a cold winter make hot ... the people who were in the studio screaming, really. "

Ascension in jazz criticism

Filtgen and out Bauer wrote summing up in their Coltrane biography for inclusion of " Ascension": What has been created here was the complete emancipation of sound in jazz, one no longer tonal organized texture, which in its intensity, although she found forDriver ( Sam Rivers ), is almost second to none. With Ascension Proof has been furnished that free jazz is also großorchestral feasible and loses none of its spontaneity .. Joachim Ernst Berendt wrote in 1973 in his "Jazz Book ": "With Ascension, Coltrane had reached a harmonic freedom that Coleman for many years has previously owned. But how much overwhelming, hands- aggressive is nevertheless the freedom of, Ascension! It is what the title want to say: An ascent, a sky ride - from man to God, both - God and the people, the whole world - involving "He sums up his impression pointedly together: It is a hymn-like ecstatic music. the severity of the forty-minute orgasm. Richard Cook and Brian Morton quoted in the Penguin Guide To Jazz to the album, There is nothing else like " Ascension" in Coltrane 's work; indeed there is nothing quite like "Ascension " in the history of jazz

The music magazine Jazzwise recorded the album in the list The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World; Keith Shadwick wrote:

Edition history

From the title two takes were recorded on 28 June 1965. First, the second take was published ( Impulse! Records AS- 95); but finally, after 1,000 copies of the first edition, especially on Coltrane's insistence of the first take (which had been left due to negligence of non- labeling in the studio ) under the title "Ascension, Edition I ' ( Impulse 254745-2 ) as the" final version " published.

Distinguishable the takes are similar only by the different solo sequence and the missing drum solo Elvin Jones on Take 2, which now, in the - now fully present 2 CD Edition (pulses 543413-2 ) - " Edition II " is. Ascension Editions 1 & 2 also appeared on the 2- CD compilation The Major Work of John Coltrane ( Impulse! GRP 21132 )

The title

Order of the solos

Edition II

Edition I

Record label Genre Bob Thiele Rudy Van Gelder Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Entering heaven alive Richard Cook (journalist) Discogs Jimmy Lyons
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