Review: John Coltrane's Sun Ship, recorded in 1965 but released posthumously, captures the last moments of his legendary quartet with drummer Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner, and bassist Jimmy Garrison. The album showcases a band fully immersed in Coltrane’s move towards freer structures, exploring rhythm and melody in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Opening with the title track, the quartet fractures rhythm and melody, creating a sense of tension and release that sets the tone for the entire recording. Garrison and Jones weave around Coltrane's saxophone, blurring the lines between time and pulse, while Tyner’s monumental solo pushes the boundaries of harmony.Tracks like ‘Ascent’ and ‘Attaining’ spotlight the rhythm section, where Garrison and Jones stretch and compress time with an improvisational looseness that retains a powerful drive. ‘Dearly Beloved’ offers a moment of reflection, with Coltrane’s lyrical playing cutting through the multi-layered, almost ritualistic rhythmic landscape, reminiscent of his earlier meditative works. The final track, ‘Amen’, hints at swing, but quickly morphs into something more abstract, blurring the lines between Coltrane’s past and future sound. Sun Ship feels like a pivotal moment in Coltrane’s journey—a summation of everything the quartet had achieved, while also signalling his impending leap into even more avant-garde territory. It is both a farewell to one of the greatest quartets in jazz and a glimpse into Coltrane's final phase of artistic transformation.
… Read more