Day 158: Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

I had a post-lunch meeting so I thought I’d take a lunch break shower to make myself feel a little bit less like a goblin today, so I needed a suitable shower album. I thought I’d make it feel a bit more sophisticated by putting on something nice and classy, so I thought I’d go for a bit of jazz. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane seemed like a perfectly fine way for me to continue my jazz education for no better reason than I know who both of these guys are and I know they’re good – that seemed as good a reason as any.

Pianist Duke Ellington and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane’s collaboration album was released in 1963. At the end of his career, Ellington started releasing albums where he collaborated with newer artists or former friendly rivals, such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane, where he played with a quartet instead of a big band. For this session, Ellington and Coltrane both brought a bassist and drummer, with Ellington bringing Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard, while Coltrane was joined by Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jobes.

The resulting album is a joy to listen to. It sounds fairly simple and smooth, with a pared back sound that feels like it would be a great accompaniment for cooking, or maybe some late night listening. There’s an ease and a simplicity to the music that shines through when you listen to it, with Duke saying that the recording session was “No hassle, no sweat … I loved every minute of it.” It was released before Coltrane started his more experimental period, most notably with the previously reviewed 1964 album “A Love Supreme”, while Ellington spent the coming years prolifically recording and working on an opera that ended up being unfinished. He passed away in 1974.

It’s a classic, essential jazz album and I’m happy to have continued my education with it. If I was to describe it in one word, that would without a doubt be “cool.” Might return to this later, it’s a very solid 8.5/10.