Apparently, Coltrane had initially contacted Gil Evans to assist with the arrangements; however nothing came of this and Coltrane called on Dolphy and Tyner to orchestrate. Originally credited to Dolphy alone on the initial release, that has been corrected with the appearance of the 1995 reissue. Coltrane chose the traditional English folk ballad “Greensleeves,” arranged in a similar major/minor contrast as his popular “My Favorite Things.” For the two original pieces, “Africa” and “Blues Minor,” Dolphy and Coltrane adapted Tyner’s piano voicings for the orchestra. A second set of recording sessions for the album took place on June 7.
In 1974, Impulse released a second album culled from the same sessions, The Africa/Brass Sessions, Volume 2. Two additional outtakes appeared on another posthumous Coltrane compilation, Trane’s Modes. On October 10, 1995, Impulse released the complete sessions on a two-disc set entitled The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions. Rather than placing the original album on one disc and the outtakes on the other, it divides the disc content by session, with the May 23 results on the first disc and those from June 7 on the second disc…read more.
Artists
Album Data
Released: September 1st, 1961
Recorded: May 23rd, 1961 (track 2)
Recorded: June 7th, 1961 (tracks 1 & 3)
Record Label: Impulse! Records
Location Recorded: Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey
Producer: Creed Taylor
Album Length: 40 min / 25 sec
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