Live at Birdland
Encyclopedia
Live at Birdland is a 1963 album
by jazz
musician John Coltrane
. Despite its title, only the first three tracks were recorded live at the Birdland club
, the rest were studio tracks. Among the studio tracks is "Alabama" a tribute to four children killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
, an attack at a Birmingham, Alabama church by white supremacists. The album's original pressing accidentally included a false start - this was corrected in later copies, but restored in CD editions. The album also features a live recording of "I Want to Talk About You," a song Coltrane had recorded on his 1958 album Soultrane, this time with a famous extended cadenza
, lasting nearly as long as the rest of the song.
Some reissues include a bonus track:
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
. Despite its title, only the first three tracks were recorded live at the Birdland club
Birdland (jazz club)
Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
, the rest were studio tracks. Among the studio tracks is "Alabama" a tribute to four children killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S...
, an attack at a Birmingham, Alabama church by white supremacists. The album's original pressing accidentally included a false start - this was corrected in later copies, but restored in CD editions. The album also features a live recording of "I Want to Talk About You," a song Coltrane had recorded on his 1958 album Soultrane, this time with a famous extended cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
, lasting nearly as long as the rest of the song.
Track listing
- "Afro BlueAfro Blue"Afro Blues" is a jazz standard composed by Mongo Santamaría, perhaps best known in its arrangement by John Coltrane.Coltrane's recordings of the piece have several features in common with his versions of "My Favorite Things", including a pulsating 3/4 jazz waltz rhythm, and a simple, almost...
" – 10:50 - "I Want to Talk About You" – 8:11
- "The Promise" – 8:10
- "AlabamaAlabama (John Coltrane song)"Alabama" is a song written by John Coltrane that appears on his album Live at Birdland. It was written in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four girls....
" – 5:09 - "Your Lady" – 6:39
Some reissues include a bonus track:
- "Vilia" – 4:38
- Tracks 1–3 recorded October 8, 1963 at BirdlandBirdland (jazz club)Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
, New York City, NY - Tracks 4–5 recorded November 18, 1963 at Van Gelder StudioVan Gelder StudioThe Van Gelder Studio is a recording studio located at 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was set up in 1959 by Rudy Van Gelder and has been used to record many albums released by major jazz labels such as Verve Records, Blue Note, Prestige and CTI Records.-Background:After having...
, Englewood Cliffs, NJ - Track 6 recorded March 6, 1963 at Van Gelder Studio
- "Vilia" is the main melodic statement to the Franz LehárFranz LehárFranz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
piece "Vivias" set to a swing feel and chord changes.
Personnel
- John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
— tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
/soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in... - Jimmy GarrisonJimmy GarrisonJimmy Garrison was an American jazz double bassist born in Miami, Florida. He was best known through his long association with John Coltrane from 1961–1967.-Biography:...
— bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Elvin JonesElvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - McCoy TynerMcCoy TynerMcCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
— pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...