About

Please note that there are 2 versions available from the Blue Note Tone Poet Series:

- Mono [1LP] -

- Stereo [The Complete Masters, 2LP] -

- The Analog Vault // Essential Listening -

Coming off his superlative stints as a sideman for Miles Davis’ quintet and Thelonious Monk’s quartet, John Coltrane would herald his coming as phenomenal bandleader in his own right with his first and only record for Blue Note.

On this seminal 1958 hard bop masterpiece, headlined by its memorable title track “Blue Train”, one gets to hear a genius coming into his own, playing around with traditional melodies, experimental chord sounds and harmonic progression with the kind of chimerical vision that would characterise Trane’s career.

 Joined by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums - Coltrane wielded his tenor sax with artful aplomb, demonstrating his stylistic and spiritual depth on compositions like "Moment's Notice" and “Lazy Bird.” - The Analog Vault

On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey and recorded his first great masterpiece: Blue Train. The fulfillment of a handshake deal Coltrane made with Alfred Lion, it would be the legendary saxophonist’s sole session as a leader for Blue Note Records, a locomotive five track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Blue Train established Coltrane as a force of nature and set him on a course towards becoming one of the most revered and influential jazz artists of all-time.

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in two special editions on September 16 as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album will be presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters will include a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. - Blue Note