Ascension is a jazz album by John Coltrane recorded in June 1965 and released in 1966. It is considered a watershed in Coltrane’s work, with the albums recorded before it being more conventional in structure and the albums recorded after it being looser, free jazz inspired works. In addition, it signaled Coltrane’s interest in moving away from the quartet format. AllMusic called it “the single recording that placed John Coltrane firmly into the avant-garde”.
At the time of the Ascension recording session, Coltrane was one of the world’s most successful jazz artists in both the artistic and commercial sense. His best-selling album A Love Supreme was nominated for a Grammy Award, and was voted “album of the year” by Jazz and DownBeat magazines. In addition, Coltrane was elected to DownBeat’s Hall of Fame, putting him in the company of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. At the same time, in the months since A Love Supreme was recorded, Coltrane’s music had become increasingly turbulent, moving further in the direction of free jazz. Coltrane had befriended Albert Ayler, and was heavily influenced by his music; meanwhile, he had also become somewhat of a father figure for a number of younger avant-garde players, some of whom would appear on Ascension. According to writer Bernard Gendron, “At the height of his career, riding on the momentum of the critical and popular triumph of A Love Supreme, Coltrane was the modern jazz star of the 1960s, with a large following of serious jazz fans and great respect from his musician peers. He was in an ideal position to bring into the orbit of the avant-garde fans and musicians who had previously hesitated, been puzzled or mildly hostile”…read more.
Album Data
Released: February 1966
Recorded: June 28th, 1965
Record Label: Impulse! Records
Location Recorded: Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey
Producer: Bob Thiele
Album Length (edition 1): 38 min / 30 sec
Album Length (edition 2): 40 min / 49 sec
Album Length (CD release): 79 min / 19 sec
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