1959 · Album
Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette
Recorded Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey (1957) · Prestige Records · Produced by Bob Weinstock
Two Saxophones, One Late Session
A loose, swinging meeting of two tenor saxophonists that shows Coltrane playing easily alongside a peer.
Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette was released in October 1959 on Prestige Records, but the music was recorded earlier, at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. By the time it came out, Coltrane's contract with Prestige had already ended, so this record arrives as a leftover from his Prestige years rather than a statement of where he was heading. It sits between the hard-driving sessions of that period and the more adventurous work he would soon make for Atlantic and Impulse.
The album pairs Coltrane with Paul Quinichette, a tenor player with a smoother, more relaxed approach. The rhythm section of Mal Waldron on piano, Julian Euell on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums keeps things grounded in straightforward swing. Nothing here is experimental. It is two saxophonists trading phrases over familiar changes, and you can hear Coltrane sounding comfortable and loose, not pushing at the edges of harmony.
AllMusic reviewer Stacia Proefrock gave it four stars, and The Penguin Guide to Jazz rated it three of four. This is not essential Coltrane, and it is not where to start. Start with Blue Train (1958) or Giant Steps (1960) to hear him at full strength. But for listeners who already know his major work, this is a pleasant, unpretentious session that shows him at ease with a peer.
Who's playing
Julian Euelldouble bass
Mal Waldronpiano
John Coltranetenor saxophone
Paul Quinichettetenor saxophone
Ed Thigpendrums
Where next?
More by John Coltrane
All 19 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
