The best source of high-quality Coltrane mono Atlantic reissues on CD is two releases by Warner Music Japan on UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD). They are the best sounding digital versions, and they are readily available. UHQCDs are fabricated using photopolymer instead of polycarbonate to encapsulate the pits on the metal layer of the disc, a process that is claimed to significantly reduce diffraction and reading errors. They include MQA encoding, and are available on Amazon, from CD Japan (www.cdjapan.co) and from other on-line sources. Only two UHQCD Coltrane Atlantic titles have been issued, but Blue Train as well as several of the Coltrane Impulse! titles are available.
Worth the difference…
One of the two UHQCD Coltrane releases duplicates material in the mono box—Giant Steps (WPCR-18247). A comparison of the UHQCD and box set versions showcases the benefits of the UHQCD format. Both versions get close enough to the stunning music to make you forget the recording process, but if you are a fan, the improvements with UHQCD are worth the cost. All seven Giant Steps compositions are by Coltrane, and once those familiar opening bars start, you’re pinned to your chair, whether it’s the mono box version or the UHQCD upgrade.
If you are a fan of Giant Steps, but not ready to take the full leap back in time to mono, there is an excellent stereo version available. Atlantic Records 75203, manufactured by Atlantic and distributed by Rhino Vinyl, is a stereo version mastered by Kevin Gray that is actually superior to original stereo pressings in most ways. In particular, the channel separation is less artificial, creating the suggestion of musicians actually playing in the same room. This stereo reissue noses out the mono box set CD in terms of instrumental dimensionality and tonal purity. Depending on your preference for stereo versus mono, let’s call this a draw compared to the UHQCD version.
The second Atlantic Coltrane LP released was Coltrane Jazz in January 1961. The album compiles recordings made in March, November and December of 1959 and one from October of 1960. This is one of the mono tapes lost in the 2008 fire, so it’s not included in the mono box set. Much of this album looks back to Coltrane’s earlier style more than some of the other Atlantic releases. No doubt the use of Miles Davis’ rhythm section (Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb) contributes to that feel, but it remains an indispensable album. One number, ‘Like Sonny’ is dedicated to Sonny Rollins, and another, ‘Little Old Lady’ is reminiscent of Rollins’ playing. In fact, the album’s only ‘shortcoming’ is that it is historically bookended by a pair of masterpieces. Even so it falls only slightly shy of that mark. Other than hunting up an original, vinyl enthusiasts can purchase a stereo version remastered by Bernie Grundman, pressed in Germany and released by ORG Music (not Original Recordings Group, a record label from which ORG Music seems to have borrowed its name). While the ORG Music version is well mastered, the stereo sound still suffers artificial spread and the cover reproduction is unimpressive; in common with the other Atlantic reissues from ORG Music, the artwork looks like it was pulled from a third-generation photo of the original.
