Four Masters in a Room, December 1959
AllMusic's five-star review called it a must-buy, while the playing itself proves why these four belonged together.
The Cats arrived in December 1959 as something of a gift — a recording that shouldn't have happened quite the way it did. John Coltrane's contract with Prestige had ended, which meant this session existed in a kind of freedom, unmoored from the usual obligations. The label paired him with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Idrees Sulieman on trumpet. It was the first time these three had played together in a small group, and that freshness matters. You can hear it in how they listen to each other, how nobody's playing to a script.
The album doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. The tunes are straightforward — nothing here demands you climb a mountain — which gives everyone room to play without fighting the material. Burrell and Flanagan had the kind of chemistry that comes from knowing exactly how to support and push each other, and Coltrane used that stability to explore his own ideas without overreaching. Sulieman sits comfortably in the pocket, never stepping on anyone's air.
AllMusic reviewer Michael G. Nastos gave it five stars, writing that something special happens from the opening number and calling it a must-buy. That's not hyperbole here — the record matters because it's a snapshot of four musicians meeting at the right moment, before Coltrane and Burrell recorded together again eleven months later. It's not the strongest work any of them left behind, but it's genuinely good, and it exists because the session was organized with taste and no excess baggage.
Who's playing
Doug Watkinsdouble bass
Tommy Flanaganpiano
Kenny Burrellguitar
John Coltranetenor saxophone
Idrees Suliemantrumpet
Louis Hayesdrums
Where next?
More by Kenny Burrell
Introducing Kenny Burrell 1956
Midnight Blue 1963
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane 1963
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Jazzmen: Detroit 1956
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
