Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane – “Freight Trane”


Recorded on this date in 1958, Kenny Burell & John Coltrane was a pairing of two of the era’s leading jazz figures, with music that combined Burrell’s hip, blues-infused guitar with Coltrane’s abstract, sheets-of-sound sax. At first blush, this intra-genre musical alliance may seem unusual, but it winds up being the perfect union of groove and virtuosity, spirit and soul.

Elevating the proceedings even higher is the rhythm section, which is one for the ages, featuring Tommy Flanagan on piano, Jimmy Cobb on drums and Paul Chambers on bass. On “Freight Trane,” today’s Song of the Day, the musicians hurtle through a modified blues form with blinding force, yet still manage to convey vibrant colors and vivid melodic shapes.

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