John Coltrane - Olé

Olé Coltrane is the ninth album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1961 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1373. The album was recorded at A&R Studios in New York, and was the last of Coltrane's Atlantic albums to be made under his own supervision.
Two days prior to the recording of Olé Coltrane, Coltrane had made his inaugural recording session for his new label, Impulse! Records, at the new Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. With one further album due his old label Atlantic, he brought in his working quintet along with two participants in the Africa/Brass sessions, Art Davis and Freddie Hubbard. Owing to his concurrent contract with Prestige Records, Eric Dolphy was listed on the credits under the pseudonym George Lane.
Coltrane's interest in the music of Spain evident in "Olé", may have been spurred by his ex-employer Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain from the previous year. The structure and melody of the modal jazz vamp "Olé" was borrowed from the Spanish folk song El Vito (maybe better known as El Quinto Regimiento from the Spanish Civil War (also known as Venga Jaleo), which was made known by Pete Seeger), while the soprano saxophone work recalled 1961's "My Favorite Things". The titles for the songs on side two reflect the band's continued interest in African forms as expressed on the May 23 Africa/Brass recordings.
The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Olé Coltrane are evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick -- beyond his appreciable musical skills -- guides works such as this to new levels, ultimately advancing the entire art form. Historically, it's worth noting that recording had already commenced two days prior to this session on Africa/Brass, Coltrane's debut for the burgeoning Impulse! label.
The two sets complement each other, suggesting a shift in the larger scheme of Coltrane's musical motifs. The assembled musicians worked within a basic quartet setting, featuring Coltrane on soprano and tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums, with double-bass chores held down by Art Davis and Reggie Workman. Added to that are significant contributions and interactions with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and Eric Dolphy on flute and alto sax (although Dolphy's contract with another record label prevented him from being properly credited on initial pressings of the album).
The title track is striking in its resemblance to the Spanish influence heard on Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain. This is taken a bit further as Coltrane's combo stretches out with inspired improvisations from Dolphy, Hubbard, Tyner, and Coltrane, respectively. "Olé" likewise sports some amazing double-bass interaction. The combination of a bowed upright bass played in tandem with the same instrument that is being plucked has a sinister permeation that undoubtedly excited Coltrane, who was perpetually searching for sounds outside the norm. The haunting beauty of "Aisha" stands as one of the finest collaborative efforts between Tyner, the song's author, and Coltrane. The solos from Hubbard, Dolphy, and an uncredited Tyner gleam from within the context of a single facet in a multi-dimensional jewel. [Some reissues include an extra track cut during the same sessions, "To Her Ladyship."
John Coltrane - soprano saxophone on "Olé" and "To Her Ladyship"; tenor saxophone on "Dahomey Dance" "Aisha" and second part of To Her Ladyship
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Eric Dolphy - flute on "Olé" and "To Her Ladyship"; alto saxophone on "Dahomey Dance" and "Aisha"
McCoy Tyner - piano
Reggie Workman - bass on "Olé," "Dahomey Dance" and "Aisha"
Art Davis - bass on "Olé," "Dahomey Dance" and "To Her Ladyship"
Elvin Jones - drums
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