Some things just go together with absolute perfection. Peanut butter and jelly; ham and eggs; Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, and John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.
The album title here speaks for itself. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman is a CD of songs featuring tenor saxophone extrodinaire John Coltrane, and one of the smoothest voices from the 50s/60s Johnny Hartman. The rest of Coltranes band is present at sell, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. The album is on the Impulse label, and was originally recorded on March 7th, 1963, produced by Bob Theile. It comes in a nice digipack that opens into a trifold and has a great reproduction of the original liner notes (which would have gone into the LP jacket).
We get six, (but only six) beautiful songs:
They Say It's Wonderful 5:17 A slow burning song with Hartman's rich singing they say tahat falling in love is wonderful, It's wonderful so they say. I'm sure Irving Berlin's song has been done many times, but not quite like this.
Dedicated to You 5:30 Written in 1936, this song had to wait almost thirty years for Coltrane and Hartman's treatment of it. Again we hear Hartman's very slow singing of the song, holding on the words with the gentle piano of McCoy Tyner softly in the background, and of course Coltrane's saxophone singing itself, in betwen verses.
My One and Only Love 4:54 This song begins with a great saxophone solo that just leaves the notes hanging in the air to be pondered upon. The notes are in no rush, they just come out at their own relaxed pace. The bass of Jimmy Garrisson keeps time as Tyner's piano provides a subtle accompaniment. About halfway through the song Johnny Hartman joins in adding his voice, The very thought of you, makes my heart sing like an April breeze, on the wings of spring. Some of you may recognize this as a song Sting has covered. No offense to the savior of the rain forests, but I prefer this version!
Lush Life 5:26 This song finds Hartman singing in a more sprightly fashion about the "lush life", but we discover its a song about love gone wrong Then you came along with your siren song, to tempt me to madness, I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me, Ah yes, I was wrong, again I was wrong. Hartman here reminded me more of the way Sinatra delivers a song. We only hear Coltrane's mournful sax kick in at the end of the song. However when Hartman delivers the final refrain, he delivers it the way only he can I'll live a lush life in some small dive, and there I'll be, while I rot with the rest, of those whose lives are lonely too
You are Too Beautiful 5:33 On a happier note, this is a standard love song about being in love with a beautiful woman. Yet, Hartman sings this song of finding a beautiful woman with a great sense of melancholy. Ah, the second verse explains why You are too beautiful for one man alone, one lucky fool to be with, when there are other men with eyes of their own to see with
Autumn Serenade 4:18 a Beautiful song to end the album that just is about recalled memories of love.
Summary If you like your jazz slow, lush, and romantic, this album needs to be in your collection. It's a great Coltrane album, and it's Johnny Hartman's finest half hour. Five stars.
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Johnny Hartman for Lovers
Coltrane for Lovers
John Coltrane - Blue Train
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