Expression is an album by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in early 1967 and released in late September of that year, around Coltrane’s birthday, and after Coltrane’s unexpected death. This was the first posthumous release of a Coltrane recording.
All of the pieces on Expression were recorded in early 1967 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The track titled “Offering” was recorded on February 15 with Coltrane’s quartet, which at the time consisted of Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums. “Offering” was re-released, along with the entirety of the February 15 session, in 1995 on Stellar Regions. A week later, Coltrane and Ali recorded duo tracks that would later be released on Interstellar Space (1974) and Jupiter Variation (1978). On March 7, the quartet recorded “Ogunde” and “Number One”. The latter did not appear on the original LP release but was added for the CD reissue. “Number One” also appears on Jupiter Variation. The exact recording dates for the two remaining tracks is currently unknown. “Expression” features the quartet, while “To Be” was recorded by the quartet plus Pharoah Sanders and possibly Algie DeWitt on bata drum. On this track, Coltrane plays alto flute, while Sanders plays flute and piccolo…read more.
Album Data
Released: September 1967
Recorded: February & March, 1967
Record Label: Impulse! Records
Location Recorded: Rudy Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Producer: Bob Thiele
Album Length: 39 min / 20 sec
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