John Coltrane – Live At The Village Vanguard Again! (1966/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

John Coltrane recorded his performance at the Village Vanguard in May 1966, however only the three tracks on this album survived. Coltrane himself plays saxes, clarinet and flute, joined on the front line by Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone and flute, accompanied by Alice Coltrane’s wife Alice on piano, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Rashied Ali and percussionist Emanuel Rahim.

This album was always a bit of a disappointment. John Coltrane plays passionately on “My Favorite Things” and with great beauty on “Naima,” but Pharoah Sanders’ ferocious screeching on the latter piece largely ruins the almost-sacred ballad. Pianist Alice Coltrane, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali mostly vamp behind the saxophonists. This album is worth getting for Coltrane’s passionate but coherent playing, but one wishes that Sanders (who comes across as a much more limited player) had sat the night out. ~~ AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

01. John Coltrane – Naima (15:08)
02. John Coltrane – Introduction To My Favorite Things (06:09)
03. John Coltrane – My Favorite Things (20:21)