John Coltrane Quartet: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Reggie Workman (bass); Elvin Jones (drums).

Additional personnel: Eric Dolphy (conductor, alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Romulus Franceschini (conductor); Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone); Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Britt Woodman (trombone); Julius Watkins, Donald Corrado, Bob Northern, Jimmy Buffington, Robert Swisshelm (French horn); Julian Priester, Charles Greenlee, Carl Bowman (euphonium); Bill Barber (tuba); Garvin Bushell (piccolo, reeds); Paul Chambers, Art Davis, Reggie Workman (bass).

Producer: Creed Taylor.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 23 & June 4, 1961. Originally released as AFRICA/BRASS on Impulse! (AS-6), AFRICA/BRASS SESSIONS - VOLUME TWO on Impulse! (AS-9273) and TRANE'S MODES on Impulse! (IZ 9361). Includes original release liner notes by Dom Cerulli and reissue liner notes by David A. Wild.

At the end of John Coltrane's two-year contract with Atlantic Records in 1961, the saxophonist became one of the first major figures to sign up with ABC-Paramount's new label, Impulse! Six years later, he died, leaving behind an immense legacy of music. There is a sense of adventure, expectation and delight to Coltrane's Impulse! recordings--a sustained burst of creativity which constitutes his greatest achievements.

The soulful folk songs--past, present and future--which make up THE COMPLETE AFRICA/BRASS SESSIONS are a celebration of freedom: the freedom to create on a higher plane, the freedom he felt in playing with his new quartet. In a sense, THE COMPLETE AFRICA/BRASS SESSIONS are a celebration of McCoy Tyner's contribution to the group. Tyner's distinctive block voicings, and his method of modulating in fourths were a major part of the quartet's sound. Reed innovator Eric Dolphy (who joined Coltrane's Quartet later in 1961) took melodic ideas and chords from Coltrane and Tyner, and developed brass-reed orchestrations that echoed the characteristic Tyner sound, and the quartet's mode of interaction. Cal Massey's "The Damned Don't Cry" is a fascinating exception, as Dolphy allows individual voices to glisten against the dusky shadow of ten brass.

Creative use of repetition was a hallmark of Coltrane's music during this initial phase of inquiry (a factor that explains his influence on progressive rockers). The double bass ostinatos which distinguish three very different takes of "Africa" (recorded on May 23 and June 7, 1961), are part of Coltrane's attempt to realize an incantory pulse to match the hypnotic minor melodies he uncovered in folk tunes such as "Greensleeves" and "Song Of The Underground Railroad." "Blues Minor," from the second session, reflects this concern, as drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Reggie Workman bring a rocking three against four feel to the basic swing groove (listen to Tyner's sprightly polytonal dance). On the final version of "Africa," Dolphy employs an expansive tonal palette for a scaled back brass session, and Trane, Tyner and Elvin respond with abstract, expressive solos that push the envelope of jazz.

Q (1/96, p.146) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...the highlights remain the beautiful `Greensleeves' and the ebullient `Song of the Underground Railroad'..."

JazzTimes (3/96, p.90) - "...Committed Coltrane listeners would do well by dumping the single disc and picking up the truly complete AFRICA/BRASS."