Rare John Coltrane live recording of ‘A Love Supreme’ ft Pharoah Sanders out in October
A rare private recording of John Coltrane performing his iconic A Love Supreme in Seattle in 1965 is getting an official release. A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle was recorded on October 2, 1965 at The Penthouse in Seattle and featured Coltrane expanding his quartet, having just added Pharoah Sanders (in his first official gig as part of Coltrane’s group) on second saxophone and Donald Garrett on second bass, in addition to regular players McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass.
It's also a rare full performance of A Love Supreme — the only previous recording has been a French festival from the same year. The recording used only two microphones and an Ampex reel-to-reel machine. “What’s remarkable is that tapes from this era often suffer over the years from heat or moisture damage, or simply being stacked horizontally,” says engineer Kevin Reeves, who worked on restoring the recording. “However, these tapes are in excellent condition…and the results are among the best amateur recordings of John Coltrane we’ve had the pleasure to work on.”
A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle is out October 8 via Impulse! You can listen to "A Love Supreme Pt. IV – Psalm" from it below.
A Love Supreme – Live in Seattle – Tracklist:
Side A
1. A Love Supreme Pt. I – Acknowledgement
Side B
1. Interlude 1
2. A Love Supreme Pt. II – Resolution
3. Interlude 2
Side C
1. A Love Supreme Pt. III – Pursuance
Side D
1. Interlude 3
2. Interlude 4
3. A Love Supreme Pt. IV – Psalm