Rating: NNNNN
For years, this seriously smokin’ set by the classic John Coltrane Quartet, recorded for radio broadcast in 1965, circulated as a badly dubbed bootleg amongst Coltrane fanatics, who put up with the poor sound quality to marvel at the exceptional performance that occurred just before the band dissolved for good. On this first officially sanctioned issue, digitally mastered from the masters preserved in the Coltrane family’s personal archive, you can hear Trane working up a head of steam at the start of the legendary title track. He proceeds to tear the roof off New York’s Half Note by blowing plumes of pure fire for a vein-popping 27 minutes as Elvin Jones socks out cymbal-crashing encouragement. Listen closely and you might be able to hear the jaws of the bebop-hatted hipsters hitting the floor. A second CD included here adds a swank version of My Favorite Things from a few nights later, but One Down, One Up is the shit. If you’re a Coltrane fan, you need to hear this.
