John Coltrane - 'Newport '63'

 

In May 1963, I went for my weekly piano lesson with Mark.  I've written about Mark here before, he was a beatnik, who chain-smoked Camel cigarettes, had a goatee, and had hundreds upon hundreds of Jazz records scattered all over his apartment.  My mother thought Mark was a creep, while sixteen-year-old Babs thought he was dreamy, and had a huge crush on him.

On this one particular day, when I arrived at Mark's apartment, he and his girlfriend, Kathy, were in the kitchen, with Mark on the phone.  He hung up the phone, and said to Kathy across the table, "We've got a room for 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th of July!"  They were both ecstatic, I asked where they were going, and they said in unison, "Newport!"  Mark added "We're gonna see, Monk, Nina Simone, Brubeck, Ellington, Sonny Rollins and Trane... John FREAKIN' Coltrane!"  I was jealous of them going to Newport, but not nearly as jealous, as I was of Kathy, who got up from her chair, and sat on Mark's lap, started nibbling his ear, and calling him "Dad" (short for Daddy-O)...

After my piano lesson, on my way home, I wondered if there was a way that I could get to Newport to see Monk and Trane, but how?  There was no way on earth, my parents were going to let me go.  So I called Denise "The Grease" to help me hatch a plan and latter that evening, we met up on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, with a pack of Kool cigarettes and a quart of Ballantine Ale.

"The Grease" and I were a two-person Think Tank, devoted to deceiving parents, teachers, and various other adults, and also not getting caught committing misdemeanors of a minor nature.  We were better than good, we always had a plan B and C in case something went wrong, always stuck to the script and we never, ever got caught.

Anyway, on the Promenade, I told Denise about Mark and Kathy going to Newport, Rhode Island, and how I really needed to get there.  Denise asked me, "So you're trying to get to Newport, so you can make it with Mark the beatnik, and need Kathy out of the way?"  I told her, "No, I want to see John Coltrane".  Denise (a charter member of The Ronettes Fan Club, Brooklyn Heights Chapter) then asked cluelessly and in all earnestness, "Where did you meet this Coltrane guy" [Sigh - Ed.].

Over the next few days, "The Grease" and I came up with all kinds of ingenious plans that would have been carried out with all the precision of a 'Mission Impossible' episode, except for one thing: M-O-N-E-Y.  I needed adult money, but I only had sixteen-year-old "do-re-mi".  It was just not to be.

In a few years time, I would start going to Jazz Festivals at Newport, Chicago, Montreal, Boston, Montreux, New Orleans and Tokyo.  But, I've always wished I could have seen, Monk, Nina Simone, Brubeck, Ellington, Sonny Rollins and Trane... John FREAKIN' Coltrane, at the 1963 Newport Jazz Festival.

'Newport '63', is of the finest live Coltrane recordings out there, but it tends to get overlooked.  One reason might be is because Elvin Jones is replaced by Roy Haynes, while Elvin was serving time in Lexington, KY. for heroin possession from May through early August 1963.  While the absence of Elvin Jones is somewhat noticeable, make no mistake, this is a five star, classic live jazz recording.  The first 3 tracks are from the Newport Jazz Festival recorded on July 7th, 1963, and in addition to Roy Haynes on drums and Trane on tenor and soprano saxophones (natch), we have the remaining quartet members McCoy Tyner on piano, and Jimmy Garrison on bass.

The album starts with Billy Eckstine's ballad "I Want To Talk About You," where Trane plays tenor and ends with soloing alone for a couple of minutes before the band hits the last chord on cue.  Trane ended many songs live like that, and it worked every time.

Next up is "My Favorite Things", which without doubt is the highlight of the album. Personally, I consider this to be the best version in Trane's entire catalog (including bootlegs).  This version clocks in at seventeen and a half minutes, and every second is interesting from beginning to end.  Listen carefully to the interplay between McCoy Tyner and Roy Haynes, it's quite remarkable.

The last Newport track is the Trane penned "Impressions".  This is a bolder version than the original recording, with the band accompanying Trane, until his solo "takes off."  From there on, he plays with only with Roy Haynes.

The last track of the album "Chasin' Another Trane" was not recorded at Newport in 1963, but rather at the Village Vanguard in November 1961.  This has a different line-up with Reggie Workman on bass, Elvin Jones on drums (mistakenly credited to Roy Haynes on the CD) and Eric Dolphy on alto sax, who makes for a perfect intermission from Trane's solos.  Also, the presence of Eric Dolphy and the removal of piano makes this the most avant-garde piece on the record, and almost reminiscent of early Ornette Coleman.

This Thursday, I'm heading up to Newport for the 70th annual Jazz festival on August 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  This will be my 20th (or 21st, not sure) visit.  For many years it was an annual pilgrimage with my husband Jerry.  The last time I attended, was pre-Covid 2019.  This time I'm going with my eldest daughter and my friend Gemma.

For the freeload, tell us about music festivals you have been to, or plan to go to.