John Coltrane: Side Steps

John Coltrane / Sonny Rollins / Red Garland / Paul Chambers / Hank Mobley / Ray Draper / Mal Waldron / Art Taylor / Philly Joe Jones / Sahib Shihab et al.

CD 1: 1. Weeja 2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams 3. On It 4. Avalon 5. Mating Call 6. Soultrane 7. Gnid 8. Super Jet 9. On A Misty Night 10. Romas
CD 2: 1. Tenor Madness 2. Potpourri 3. J.M.'s Dream Doll 4. Don't Explain 5. Blue Calypso 6. Falling In Love With Love 7. The Way You Look Tonight 8. From This Moment On 9. One By One
CD 3: 1. Our Delight 2. They Can't Take That Away From Me 3. Woody'n You 4. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 5. Undecided 6. Soul Junction 7. What Is There To Say 8. Birks' Works 9. Hallelujah
CD 4: 1. All Mornin' Long 2. Billie's Bounce 3. Solitude 4. Two Bass Hit 5. Soft Winds 6. Lazy Mae
CD 5: 1. Under Paris Skies 2. Clifford's Kappa 3. Filidia 4. Two Sons 5. Paul's Pal 6. Ammon Joy 7. Groove Blues 8. The Real McCoy 9. It Might As Well Be Spring

The artistic prowess of saxophonist John Coltrane was so expansive and influential - even in his own short lifetime, let alone in the decades since his death - that it's difficult to quantify or differentiate his significance as a leader, a collaborator, a sideman or any other role in the jazz idiom. What's certain, though, is that some of his most pivotal session work took place on the Prestige label in the 1950s.
Over the past three years, Prestige Records has released boxed sets of Coltrane's numerous sessions from the mid- to late '50s, each spotlighting a specific dimension of his tenure with the label. Fearless Leader - released in September 2006, in celebration of Coltrane's 80th birthday - showcases his recordings as a bandleader. Interplay, released in September 2007, contains Coltrane's early collaborative recordings with a variety of stellar musicians from the same era.
Side Steps is the third and final set in this series. The 5-CD set captures Coltrane in a supporting role, as a sideman to leaders like Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Tadd Dameron and others. The collection of 43 tracks represents the entirety of Coltrane's session work as a Prestige sideman, from mid-1956 to early 1958, with the exception of his work with Miles Davis (which is featured in The Miles Davis Quintet: Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions, released in 2006).

Price: $61.98