A newly discovered studio session featuring previously unheard original compositions by US Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and his quartet will be released at the end of June – 55 years after it was originally taped.
The album, titled Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album, was recorded by Coltrane and his quartet on March 6 1963 at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey.
It features the playing of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones.
Acclaimed American saxophonist Sonny Rollins has described the discovery of the album as “like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid”.
Included on the album are two completely unknown and never-before-heard originals, both played on soprano saxophone.
They are referred to as Untitled Original 11383 and Untitled Original 11386 on the album’s tracklist.
"My music is the spiritual expression of what I am – my faith, my knowledge, my being… When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups … I want to speak to their souls.” pic.twitter.com/A2heGGs8Ss
— John Coltrane (@JohnColtrane) June 5, 2018
In addition to the new compositions, the track One Up, One Down can be heard for the first time as a studio arrangement.
The piece had previously only appeared on a bootleg recording from the feted New York jazz club Birdland, where Coltrane was is the midst of a two-week residency at the time of the album’s recording.
The session was laid down a day before Coltrane recorded his acclaimed collaborative record with singer Johnny Hartman.
While the master tape of the recording has never been found, Coltrane kept his own reference copy which he brought back to his home in Queens, New York.
Coltrane’s tape was found to be in perfect condition when his label Impulse! Records approached his family about releasing the session as an album.
The President of the Verve Label Group, which is the home of Impulse! Records, Danny Bennett described the album as a “cultural movement”.
Bennett said: “John Coltrane was a visionary who changed the course of music, and this lost album is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.
“It gives us insight into his creative process and connects us to his artistry.”
This historic session resulted in 14 tracks in total. The standard edition of the album features seven takes chosen by Coltrane’s saxophonist son Ravi.
The remainder of the takes will be released on a second disc of a deluxe version.
Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album will be released on June 29.