Chasing Trane:
The John Coltrane Documentary

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was not a vintage rocker by any means, yet
his impact on the rock and roll community cannot be underestimated. Just
ask the Doors or Carlos Santana — both of whom have repeatedly praised
Coltrane as a major influence. For those who don’t understand and
want to expand their horizons, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
may be the answer. Written and directed by John Scheinfeld, the film details
the musician’s rise through the circuit, playing with Miles Davis,
losing the gig because of drug use, and making a comeback after regaining
his sobriety, imprinting his style, and embarking on a spiritual quest.

While the movie includes rare photos and rare film footage (family
home movies, studio sessions), much of Coltrane’s story
is told by musicians he knew and worked with (Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner,
Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Reggie Workman), as well as musicians he influenced
(Common, The Doors’ John Densmore, Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana, Wayne
Shorter, Kamasi Washington), his children (Antonia, Ravi, Oran and Michelle),
and admirers (President Bill Clinton and Dr. Cornel West). Even though the
film has no interviews or words spoken by Coltrane himself, his reflections
and writings are brought to life by actor Denzel Washington.

The film’s DVD and Blu-ray include a booklet with an essay by Scheinfeld,
along with photos from the movie. The soundtrack’s booklet also includes
photos from the movie, plus an essay by esteemed jazz journalist Ashley
Kahn, another talking head in the film. While there have been other attempts
to capture the essence of John Coltrane and his music in various film treatments,
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary provides a credible account
of how the man transcended his circumstances and left an indelible mark
that still resonates in the hearts and minds of young and old fans around
the world.

~~

Paul Simon

After Simon & Garfunkel split in the early 70s, Paul Simon went on
to a successful solo career that carries on to this day. So, it was no surprise
when he drew thousands of fans to his concert in London’s Hyde Park
on July 15, 2012. There, Simon played an all-encompassing, three-hour set
that included his biggest solo hits (“Kodachrome,” “Mother
And Child Reunion,” “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard,”
“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”), as well as two Simon & Garfunkel
classics. Several special guests also joined Simon, including reggae singer
Jimmy Cliff, guitarist Jerry Douglas, and the musicians and singers featured
on the multi-platinum, award-winning Graceland album. Best of all, it was
all captured on video and audio for the eventual release of The
Concert In Hyde Park.

For the final show of the three-day 2012 Hard Rock Calling Festival (Soundgarden
headlined the first show and Bruce Springsteen topped the lineup at the
second one), Simon went all out with an outstanding band of A-list players
and two dozen songs spanning his entire career. Opening with “Kodachrome,”
Simon glows with confidence as he leads the ensemble through a songbook
rich in harmony and musicality. As a sing of Simon’s band unparalleled
musicianship, we occasionally see drummer Jim Oblon on guitar and guitarist
Mark Stewart on harmonica and saxophone. Jimmy Cliff comes out to perform
his songs “The Harder They Come” and “Many Rivers To Cross,”
before Simon joins in for powerful renditions of Cliff’s “Vietnam”
and his own “Mother And Child Reunion.”

All it takes is that famous drum shuffle to get the audience excited about
“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.” And there’s discounting
the flowing acoustics on “hearts And Bones.” Yet the major highlight
of the whole show comes when Simon welcomes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh
Masekela and other musicians who appeared on the Graceland album for a run
through of nine songs from the album. Judging by the response, it’s
obvious the crowd was eating up each and every note. Simon tackles “The
Sound of Silence” on his own, and is then joined by Jerry Douglas,
providing some tasty slide, and the rest of his band for “The Boxer.”
It only makes sense the show ends with “Still Crazy After All These
Years” because it doesn’t appear Paul Simon isn’t about
to rest on his laurels as he continues to write, record and perform. By
extension, The Concert In Hyde Park certainly puts the
man’s career into proper perspective.

~~

Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago,
June 28th, 2017

King Crimson

King Crimson pump out live records almost as expeditiously as the Grateful
Dead, and with the band back on the circuit and touring relentlessly, it’s
no surprise, they’ve released four live albums since 2015. For 2017,
Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017, captures
a show featuring an eight-piece configuration of Crimson covering a good
portion of material from the 1970s, along with key tracks from the 60s,
80s, 00s, plus David Bowie’s “Heroes,” which originally
included Crimson’s leader Robert Fripp originally on lead guitar.

The three-disc Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind
with its seven-man lineup has many of those 70s pearls like “Picture
Of A City” and “The Letters.” Live In Chicago
digs deeper by adding “Cirkus” and “Lizard” (referred
to as “The Lizard Suite”) from 1970’s Lizard,
“Islands” from 1971’s Islands, and “Fallen
Angel” from 1974’s Red. You’d think without
Adrian Belew on board and Jakko Jaksyk’s voice more suited for the
older songs, the set would veer away from anything Belew sang, but guess
again. The troupe actually take on “Indiscipline” with Jaksyk
completely changing the melody line and cadence. The song is virtually unrecognizable
until you pick up on the chord progression, a splattering of incandescent
drumming, and key lines like “I repeat myself when under stress.”

With so much at stake, and each show a monumental task, the set’s
booklet goes to great lengths to explain the process of selecting a show
for live release. After Fripp goes through the various incarnations of the
band “in the form of a roughly scribed love letter,” the group’s
manager David Singleton writes specifically how the Chicago show made the
cut. Apparently, a performance from Vienna was being mixed for release until
Fripp mentioned that “Chicago was exceptional.” For now, the
Vienna show, which was from 2016, is on the back-burner, while Live
In Chicago goes for broke with the “current eight-headed
beast.” One spin through, and you’ll see why.

~~

Here’s Little Richard
(Deluxe Edition)

Little Richard

At 85, Richard Penniman aka Little Richard is one of the last founding
fathers of rock and roll still alive. While rumors abound that Little Richard
is too old and frail to perform, he insists he still sings and stays active. Regardless,
with his legacy secured and his influence undeniable, what better way to
recognize the man’s genius than to revisit his debut album 60 years
after its release. Here’s Little Richard was his
most successful record, and the songs it spawned — “Long Tall
Sally,” “Jenny, Jenny,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Ready
Teddy,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’” and many others —
are the foundation of rock and roll. A deluxe version from Craft Recordings
features a remaster of the original album and a second disc of demos, alternate
takes and previously unreleased material from the original sessions.

With seven hits in the R&B Top 10, and two in the Pop Top 10, Here’s
Little Richard is a definitive document of early rock in its most primal
and rawest form. Along with the album’s 12 tracks, 22 more reveal
the inner workings of each song in their formative stages or alternate states,
including an early take of “Tutti Frutti,” demos of “Slippin’
and Slidin'” and “Miss Ann,” and alternate takes of “Rip
It Up” and “Reddy Teddy.” Music journalist Chris Morris writes
in the reissue’s liner notes that the alternate versions “reveal
the blossoming of an unprecedented and wholly original talent whose first
recordings broke down the categorical doors between R&B and pop.”

For Little Richard, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
in 1986, honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1993 Grammy Awards,
and added to the NAACP Image Awards’ Hall of Fame in 2002, the Songwriters
Hall of Fame in 2003, and, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2015, a quirky, effeminate
image and issues with drugs and alcohol never seemed to overshadow his impact
as one of the rock’s first icons. Here’s Little Richard
is a sober reminder of the singer’s rightful place in history.

~~

Christmas With Elvis And
The Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra

Elvis Presley

The holidays wouldn’t be the same without the King, so this season
RCA Records and Legacy Recordings decided to spice things up with
Christmas With Elvis And The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, uniting
some of Elvis Presley’s holiday classics with orchestral accompaniment
recorded at Abbey Road studios in London. These new arrangements have been
added to songs from Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)
and Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas (1971).

Following in the footsteps 2015’s If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley
With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and 2016’s The
Wonder Of You: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
Christmas With Elvis And The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comes
in two configurations: a 13-track version and a deluxe version with four
bonus tracks. Coming 60 years after Elvis’ Christmas Album, the disc finds
holiday classics like “White Christmas,” “Here Comes Santa
Claus,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Silver
Bells” and “Silent Night” delivered with style and grandeur.

To hear “Blue Christmas” with the harmonies and an orchestral
underlining simply redefines the ownership Presley took of the song when
he first recorded it in 1957. “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
and “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me),” written for Elvis’
Christmas Album, are equally engaging. And if you’re not moved
by “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” then you might as well move to
another universe. At the end of the day, I think we can all agree that everyone’s
holiday needs a shot of Elvis to make it go down that much smoother.

~ Shawn Perry