The John Coltrane Quartet - The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions

9.0 - USA - 1961/1995

Widescreen orchestrated post-bop in which a small quartet featuring just Coltrane with his usual rhythm section is augmented by a jazz orchestra arranged and conducted by Eric Dolphy. The two versions of “Greensleeves” are gorgeous – McCoy Tyner’s piano in particular. “The Damned Don’t Cry” is a bit of an outlier – Dolphy is replaced by some Italian guy and some slightly incongruous strings. Like "Greensleeves", the extended workout "Africa" is presented in two different takes, but the doubling-up is not overly repetitious on this fine expanded reissue.