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Ascension | 
| Artist: John Coltrane
Label: Universal Classics
Category: Music
List Price: £13.99
Buy New: £12.69
You Save: £1.30 (9%)
New (26) Used (4) from £8.62
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 44806
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 79
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 543413
UPC: 731454341325
EAN: 0731454341325
ASIN: B00004TA40
Release Date: June 19, 2000
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Ascension | | • | Ascension - Edition I |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Few works remain genuinely controversial 35 years after their inception, but Ascension can generate as mixed a response today as it did when it was released. In May 1965, Coltrane assembled 10 other musicians for one of his most ambitious recordings, a 40-minute piece that was a landmark in the free-jazz movement and a key moment in Coltrane's sponsorship of the younger members of the New York avant-garde. Along with his regular rhythm section--McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones--the band includes trumpeters Dewey Johnson and Freddie Hubbard, tenor saxophonists Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders, altoists Marion Brown and John Tchicai and Art Davis playing bowed bass. The improvised ensembles shout and cry with galvanizing power, their tension testifying to Coltrane's influence and the saxophone's dominance in the style. It's both brilliant and flawed work, however, in ways that go to the heart of Coltrane's musical thought. It's rooted in modal music, with a brief pentatonic figure (a variation on the opening motif of A Love Supreme) as its basis. While it's broken up by the intense ensembles, the string of solos seems too close to a Jazz at the Philharmonic approach to free jazz. The horns stretch toward energy music, while the rhythm section, particularly Tyner, seems rooted in modality. As a result, the soloists often come off the ring blowouts to find themselves with little more support than a reiterated chord, and they sometimes seem to merely run out of steam. It's still startling music, though, and necessary listening, whether for the sheer power of the ensembles, the sustained creativity of Coltrane and Sanders, the stylistic contrasts in the horn players, or the acerbic understatement of Tchicai, so effective in the midst of the maelstrom. Coltrane couldn't decide on which of the two versions he preferred, and Edition II was covertly substituted for Edition I during the run of the original LP. This CD manages to include both. --Stuart Broomer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
. October 4, 2007
Now this is the Trane I wanted! I can sorta dig those early albums packed with standards, although it's more in admiration of the playing than any emotional outpourings from either the musicians or myself, the listener. But this is razor-sharp soul explosions. Purists claim that Ascension is noise, but all I hear is beauty; beauty from chaos and also flat-out, melodic beauty that occurs once the smoke has settled. Perhaps ironically, the latter presents itself more often during the second half of this forty minute piece, a long time after any of the meeker fans have retreated back to playing "My Favorite Things" for the fiftieth time that month. My eternal respect goes to John for composing a piece that continues to confound listeners decades after release, yet it's the love and sheer physical impact this has on me that keeps drawing me back in, like a moth to a flame ignited by the fires of Hell itself.
 Have they actually heard this CD? August 9, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
A landmark and an uneven one. The enthusiastic reviewers below don't mention that they have not heard this CD - evidently they have warm recollections of their old LPs! They refer to Ascension as if it contained one forty minute piece. In fact there were two takes and the CD contains both. An important event - but is it great music? In parts maybe. Essential either for Trane collectors or for the open minded and fans of noise and psychedelia.
Sheer courage June 2, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
John Coltrane's Ascension deserves 5 stars for its sheer daring and courage in challenging virtually every idiom associated with jazz. It is the sort of the record that Wynton et. al would put in the "non-jazz" bucket, but then, who cares about that? Coltrane was on an unceasing, unrelenting path of musical exploration. Because of this, the music is not meant to be perfect, but as a musical statement it is certainly close to what Coltrane was searching for. As Richard Davis put it to Roy Eldridge: "Well you know, Roy, Trane ain't waiting!" This record I believe influenced the later directions of Miles and the fusion movement itself.
As with the music itself, the two stars of the show are the ones who made up the classic quartet; Elvin and Coltrane. Coltrane is the first to solo, and his particular statement unlike the others, seems to burst with a more sincere urgency and expression than the others. Hubbard and Tyner are too set in their bebop ways, and sound restrained. Sanders' solo matches the overall chaos and mood of the piece, but it is still Elvin's explosions around the kit at intervals that really excite the listener and he drives the ensemble on with a flowing pulse and intensity that betters half of the soloists there; just the sort of transcendence Trane was aiming for. As an example, listen closely after Shepp's strangely lyrical solo at the 25 minute mark. The piece seems to be flagging, almost tiring, but Jones, with a few simple, yet thunderous rolls around the kit increases the intensity of the performance five-fold. The bass duet is disturbingly haunting, and perhaps out of step with the overall mood of the piece, but beautiful nonetheless. The piece is to be approached with open ears, and I daresay, open minds.
A Bold Journey into the Avant Garde October 1, 2004
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Of all the albums by John Coltrane, his 1965 "Ascension" is the one that probably divides listeners the most. Others appreciate it for its bald ambition, while others scoff at it as pretentious garbage. But as with all records that aim to challenge, "Ascension" needs to be heard at the right time and in the right mental space for it to be fully appreciated. This is probably not a wise choice of a purchase for the novice listener. And those with childlike attention spans are also discouraged. But listeners who are fond of free jazz or just want to have their senses rattled, then "Ascension" will be a nice addition to your collection. Here we have two versions of Coltrane's 40 minute journey with 10 other musicians who improvise with raw fury and aggression. The tempo shifts violently and unexpectedly, and horns shriek into extended solos without warning; at times, many solos come out all at once. By the 30 minute mark, I wanted to press my "Stop" button, but at the risk of recycling an old cliche, "Ascension" is the musical equivalent of a car wreck. Yes, the images may be harsh, but it's also fascinating and you can't take your eyes off it. The fainthearted and prudish should stay away.
 Blown away.....! December 13, 2002
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is not a record for those with a weak constitution, nor is it in any way dinner party or background music! While not being totally 'free', i.e. there is usually a recognisable pulse ( as opposed to a toe-tappin' beat) it is, erm, harmonically and sonically challenging. To me, it is one of the great uplifting expressions of a group of players listening to each other and pushing ever onwards to greater heights of feeling. While credited to John Coltrane, it is very much a group piece - 'Tranes solo is no more or less important than any other, and the collective blowing between solos is just staggering. Finally, a special mention for drummer Elvin Jones, who keeps going for the entire 40 minutes - at least everyone else gets a rest once in a while! An awesome, inspiring, challenging, involving, beautiful and emotionally draining piece.
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