I’m often jealous of moments like this. John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy were both trying similar experiments in 1961 and these village gate sessions let both of them bounce off each other and refine their sound into what became their defining works. These collaborations are miracles and music is so much the better for each of them.
Both Dolphy and Trane are very energetic here. The bop gets quite hard and is excellent for the challenge. The album largely sticks to what are now classics but does plenty of interesting things with them. Adding Dolphy to a standard like “My Favorite Things” brings both freshness and spice to the classic and the teasing of the whole group in “Greensleeves” is immaculate.
This album is mostly the hits and, while they were brand new then, they can be ground that has been a little too-well trod when brought together like this. There is enough invigoration here to keep anything from sounding tired though and these songs are the hits because they are very good and that’s not diminished by putting them together. They may lack they impact they have in their own introductions but they are still just excellent music well worth listening to in a new incarnation.
Additionally, the sax is intricate in their take on “When The Lights Are Low” and the solos are excellent sheets of sound that overwhelm and immerse the listener. The piano solo is a little basic but there is magnificent, off-kilter percussion behind it that simply must be heard.
Both as a moment in time and as an album in itself, these sessions are a pleasure to listen to and fit well into the oeuvre of both artists.
Top Five Records 