The John Coltrane Quartet: Ballads Japan

Music CD Although some critics considered Coltrane’s Ballads to be too lightweight, there is nothing wrong with this album. The jazz saxophonist does what he always does: with a relentless drive for personal and artistic development, he explores new ways of playing. On Ballads, he emphasises his softer side – a path he also took with Johnny Hartman and Duke Ellington. This collaboration with McCoy Tyner is neither aggressive nor extroverted. Coltrane is completely at peace with himself, sometimes predictable, yet these are the very strengths of the album.