John Coltrane: Live Trane: The European Tours
Fantasy/Pablo 7PACD-4433-2

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If you ever had any doubts about John Coltrane’s significance in jazz history, this will snuff them right out. Packaged in a seven-CD set harvested from three separate European tours, this collection offers us over eight hours of music, recorded between November 1961 and November 1963 -- over half of it previously unreleased. This is a great window into the immense progress Coltrane made as an innovator in a scant 24-month period and it showcases his tremendous debt to drummer Elvin Jones, whose intense polyrhythmic style helped push his improvisation deeper with each successive date. Coltrane's playing gradually evolves from chord-based to scale-based, and this progression is well documented with six different versions of "My Favorite Things" and five versions of "Impressions." Amazingly, Coltrane's artistry and control grow greater with each foray into the material. If nothing else, these live performances are an excellent inducement to listen to the quartet’s studio recordings from the same period. There are shortcomings in sonic quality, despite the 88.2kHz/24-bit mastering, but this is more than compensated for by the performances.

Soundtrack: The Iron Giant
Varese 6062

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Michael Kamen has orchestrated so many high-profile rock albums (for Pink Floyd and Queensryche) and films (Lethal Weapon, Brazil) that seeing him connected to such a modest production would seem like a step down. Instead, his sweeping score proves to be the perfect match for Brad Bird’s wonderful treatment of Ted Hughes’ story. Using his trademark combination of woodwinds, horns, and strings, Kamen opens The Iron Giant with a bang. "The Eye of the Storm" offers the right amount of innocence and whimsy, while elevating this animated drama beyond a simple "ride for the kiddies." And although one can pick up some cues from past efforts, Kamen keeps things fresh -- offering reprise to the score’s basic motifs without overdoing it. The final tracks, "No Follow" and "The Last Giant Piece," possess an emotional impact that catapults the score into the realm of religious experience.

Stan Getz: Stan Getz with Cal Tjader
JVCXR-0218-2

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This blowing session from 1958 teams Getz, the epitome of West Coast cool, with the fiery vibraphonist Tjader in a thoroughly relaxed and enjoyable session where everybody got to stretch his chops. Although Getz became famous as one of the minimalist purveyors of the left coast cool scene, on his solos here he sounds exactly like the young, enthusiastic, hugely talented tenor player he then was. Also young (and immensely talented), his fellow musicians included pianist Vince Guaraldi, guitarist Eddie Duran, and a couple of infants, bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Billy Higgins. The songs are solid, the solos are joyful, and the set swings. The XRCD2 transfer is vivid and immediate -- and makes this 55-year-old recording sound as fresh as anything I've heard this millennium.

Rusted Root: Welcome to My Party
Universal 586776

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Many bands attempt to build their reputation by offering a new and exciting sound. When I Woke marked the start of Rusted Root’s revolutionary approach. If you enjoyed energetic percussion and eclectic instruments, densely arranged, with a charismatic lead singer, Rusted Root was a unique act. Unfortunately their originality slowly slipped into ordinary with each successive album. Welcome to My Party marks the band’s lowest musical point. Passion has been substituted with indifference while a once raw and lively sound has fallen prey to sterile production qualities. While the sound on this record is pristinely recorded pop, there are very few moments where Michael Glabicki’s David Byrne-like inflections don’t sound tired or the arrangements repetitive. Practically all the songs got on my nerves. If you don’t believe me try listening to the grating "Weave."

Peter Murphy: Dust
Metropolis Records 238

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It seems that many good artists eventually find themselves dabbling with ethnic sounds. So I’m not surprised that ex-Bauhaus member Peter Murphy decided to infuse his style with the Middle Eastern sounds of Turkey. It took me some time to get acclimated to Dust. There is some excellent percussion contained in this well-recorded effort and the CD also offers some of the Goth elements that made Bauhaus and early Murphy so popular. But like all Murphy’s work, what ultimately pulled me in were his vocals -- there’s just something about that voice that makes me want to listen. And although a couple of the songs are boring, the majority of the album is very good. Standouts include "Just for Love," "Things to Remember," "Jungle Haze," and the especially moving "Your Face." Those accustomed to Murphy’s earlier work may find Dust a bit light. Give it some time though and I’m sure you’ll warm up to it like I did.