John Coltrane - Ascension: Edition I & II: Verve Vault Series / vinyl 2LP set

Ascension, released in 1966 on Impulse! Records, stands as one of John Coltrane’s most radical and influential works. Subtitled “Edition I & II” to reflect the two complete takes recorded at the session—and presented together on LP for the first time—the piece is a nearly 40-minute large-ensemble performance marking Coltrane’s decisive embrace of the avant-garde.

Recorded on June 28, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Bob Thiele, the session assembled an expanded ensemble of eleven musicians. Alongside Coltrane’s tenor saxophone are trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Dewey Johnson; saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, John Tchicai, and Archie Shepp; pianist McCoy Tyner; bassists Art Davis and Jimmy Garrison; and drummer Elvin Jones. The music alternates between densely textured collective improvisation and extended solo statements, conjuring a hurricane of violent, searching sound. Initially controversial for its intensity and freedom, Ascension has since come to be recognized as a landmark of modern jazz and a defining statement of the emerging free-jazz movement. Presenting both takes together highlights the organic, ever-changing character of the performance and affirms its enduring place in Coltrane’s artistic legacy.