This year commemorates a century since John Coltrane entered the world, the saxophonist whose artistry reshaped the landscape of jazz. Unsurprisingly, celebrations are underway, highlighted by the unveiling of several long-legendary live recordings.
To begin with, Jeff Parker, the Tortoise guitarist who has risen as a bright light in the West Coast jazz circuit through his ETA IVtet, has delivered a fresh interpretation of “Miles’ Mode” from Coltrane’s 1962 Impulse! release Coltrane. Parker is joined on the cut by Chris Speed of the Bad Plus on tenor sax, Kaveh Rastegar of Kneebody on electric bass, and Aaron Steele of Chrome Sparks handling drums.
A word from Parker:
John Coltrane has served as a constant muse for me since I began exploring his music at a young age. It’s a privilege to honor him on his centennial, alongside three of my favorite musicians from the Los Angeles music community.
Listen to the “Miles’ Mode” cover below.
The marquee news of the day is a formal release announcement for The Tiberi Tapes. There’s an intriguing backstory to this one. Convinced that Coltrane’s studio albums could not fully convey his essence, saxophonist Frank Tiberi sought to study Trane’s unparalleled technique by secretly recording his live performances. He developed a notably lo-fi bootlegging method to do so.
From the summer of 1960 through Coltrane’s passing in 1967, Tiberi carried a small condenser microphone and a portable reel-to-reel machine called a Concertone TR-100 Transicorder to dozens of Coltrane shows in New York and Philadelphia. He concealed the reel-to-reel in a cloth bag on his lap and kept the microphone tucked under his coat, swapping tapes by hand without peeking into the bag when performances stretched out. In the end, Tiberi accumulated more than 80 reels containing over 26 hours of Coltrane performances.
Tiberi kept his tapes private, delving into them extensively and weaving insights into his own playing and pedagogy. Yet, in the years following Coltrane’s death, word spread about the man who had amassed a vast archive of unheard Coltrane live material. The recordings grew legendary, and some of them are finally slated for release this autumn.
In November, The Tiberi Tapes will arrive in 4-LP, 3-CD set, and digital formats through Impulse! Records. The box set comprises 11 performances, beginning with two renditions of “Giant Steps” at starkly different speeds, 226 and 262 BPM. The slower version is issued today as a teaser track; press play below to hear it, and marvel at not only the music but also the lively 1960s audience chatter.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Giant Steps” (226 BPM)
02 “Giant Steps” (262 BPM)
03 “Thing in D Flat”
04 “Lover”
05 “West 42nd St.”
06 “Impressions”
07 “Untitled Original in F Minor”
08 “Satellite”
09 “Good Bait”
10 “Resolution”
11 “It’s Easy to Remember”
The Tiberi Tapes are released on 11/6 via Impulse!
