"The John Coltrane Quartet Plays..."

Label: Impulse!
Number: TI-80085

Programs

1. Chim Chim Cheree

2. Brazillia

3. Nature Boy

4. Song of Praise

Notes by Malcolm Riviera:
This month we're featuring a cart by my favorite jazz artist: John Coltrane. Tons of killer jazz was released on 8-tracks, but we've never really given it much mention here in 8-TH. From what I can tell, almost every significant jazz artist from the 50's, 60's and 70's have large numbers of releases on 8-track, including lots of Miles Davis, Yuseff Lateef, Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespe, and even Sun Ra. For more modern sounds, everything from Chick Corea's Return to Forever to the Mahavishnu Orchestra is pretty easy to find on cart format.

The great thing about jazz on 8-track is that I can put on one tape and listen to it for hours; it's just really well-suited to the endless loop format. Lots of jazz ended up in the cutout bins due to low sales, and one musician buddy of mine said that's how he learned about jazz in the 70's, from all the cheapo 8-tracks he bought at Woolworths. It was easy to take a chance on those 2 for a dollar close-out specials! I've found it a great way to fill the gaps in my vinyl & CD jazz collection without dropping the hundreds of dollars it would take to fill my wish list. Plus recently I'm discovering great jazz albums I've never heard before: Prince Lasha & Sonny Simmons "Firebirds," Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana "Illuminations," Art Farmer "Crawl Space," John Abercrombie "Gateway," and even the 8-track of the Moment was new to me. My point here is that once again, 8-tracks are providing me with an influx of previously unheard music at a bargain price!


Go to The Archive of Past 8-Tracks of the Moment

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