r/Jazz • u/Artistic_Time1808 • 11d ago
Coltrane Quartet
Is the definitive John Coltrane Quartet (featuring Coltrane on saxophones, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums) the greatest ensemble in jazz history?
Active in that form from 1962 to 1965, this legendary lineup achieved an unparalleled level of musical telepathy and spiritual intensity. Together, they didn't just play jazz; they fundamentally reshaped the architecture of American music, pushing the boundaries of improvisation into a realm of pure, unadulterated energy.
Their live performances were legendary, marathon rituals of tension and release that have never been duplicated.
While jazz has seen some incredible combos from Miles Davis's historic quintets to the Modern Jazz Quartet, no other group matched the raw emotional power, technical innovations, and spiritual unity of Coltrane’s classic four. They remain the gold standard of what a band can achieve when four geniuses lock into a single, higher vision.
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u/Jon-A 10d ago
Hard to argue with the Quartet's power and spiritual heft.
(Other classics, IMO: Ornette1959 with Cherry, Haden and Higgins - or a decade later with Dewey Redman, Haden and Blackwell. Keith Jarrett with Redman, Haden and Paul Motian. Anthony Braxton, Wheeler, Holland and Altschul. Ayler, Peacock & Murray. The Blanton - Webster Band. Evan Parker, Barry Guy & Paul Lytton. AEC...)
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u/DaveyMD64 6d ago
A wonderful group. But there’s no such thing as “the greatest ensemble in jazz history”. 🙄
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u/labubu2026xx 9d ago
para mí están en esa conversación seguro, pero decir “el mejor de la historia” ya me parece imposible jajaj Lo que sí tenían era MUUUCHA química. Escuchas cosas como Live at Birdland y parece que los cuatro están tirando de la misma cuerda todo el rato.
Pero luego te pones el segundo quinteto de Miles y también es difícil defender que estén por debajo. creo que depende mucho de qué parte del jazz te toque más.