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This is a series of songs, strung together from eight different albums, with the loosely, common thread being the theme of spirituality. Does it work? Yes and no. It displays the spiritual side of Coltrane for those unaware of his virtues via his sax but it only scratches the surface. This is a teaser. Listening to the CD in it's entirety "A Love Supreme," of which a cut is dispalyed here, is much more reflective of the spiritual side of Coltrane. In that regard this CD can be deceptive to the new listener of Coltrane. If you think the samples here are an indicator of the CD's from which they are taken you may be disappointed. The featured songs are another attempt at repackaging and marketing (hence minus a star) of John Coltrane. The music itself is lush, evocative and joyful. A softer, gentler brand of trancelike rhythms come forth that are perfect for those not so quite moments in the concrete jungle. I give the producer, Richard Seidel, credit for choosing some of the best Coltrane that fits the spiritual/bluesy theme. The music is a perfect introspective vechicle for the listner to take an otherworldly Trane journey. There is not a weak song here and most fans will have their own personal favorites. My own faves are the opening track "Acknowledgement" with it's mantra like invocation, and the closing track "Spirtual" which features Trane on both tenor and alto sax and the underated Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet both blowing for an incredible version that lasts thirteen and a half minutes. I have most of these songs on the origianl albums or CD's but it is convenient to have a themed selection on one CD. It is a quality selection of music that should be especially helpful for someone new to Coltrane. Unlike some Trane original CD's this can be listened to in it's entirety without anyone complaining or hitting the > button. By this for yet another view of the man known as Trane, his music continues to endure and live beckoning discovery by new audiences and for old fans to relive again.
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