John Coltrane - Ascension: Edition I & II

John Coltrane — Ascension: Edition I & II

Part of the Verve Vault Series

Mastered from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound

180-gram vinyl pressed at Optimal in Germany

Ascension, released in 1966 on Impulse! Records, stands as one of John Coltrane's most radical and influential works. Subtitled Edition I & II to reflect the two complete takes recorded at the session — and presented together on LP for the first time — the piece is a nearly 40-minute large-ensemble performance marking Coltrane's decisive embrace of the avant-garde. Recorded on June 28, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Bob Thiele, the session assembled an expanded ensemble of 11 musicians. Alongside Coltrane's tenor saxophone are trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Dewey Johnson; saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, John Tchicai, and Archie Shepp; pianist McCoy Tyner; bassists Art Davis and Jimmy Garrison; and drummer Elvin Jones.

The music alternates between densely textured collective improvisation and extended solo statements, conjuring a hurricane of violent, searching sound. Initially controversial for its intensity and freedom, Ascension has since come to be recognized as a landmark of modern jazz and a defining statement of the emerging free-jazz movement. Presenting both takes together highlights the organic, ever-changing character of the performance and affirms its enduring place in Coltrane's artistic legacy.

The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

 

LP 1 - Edition I

Side A

1. Ascension (Part 1)

Side B

1. Ascension (Part 2)

LP 2 - Edition II

Side A

1. Ascension (Part 1)

Side B

1. Ascension (Part 2)

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