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A number of live recordings exist of John Coltrane performing his 1959 composition “Naima.” Some of the best include a 1961 recording from the Village Vanguard in New York with Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet along with two of Coltrane’s regulars, pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, and Reggie Workman on bass. The disc features two versions. Another live recording, from his European tour in 1962, is without Dolphy and Workman is replaced by Jimmy Garrison, and is a wonderful, stark interpretation. Tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp’s sextet recording from 1964 is an altogether different approach to Coltrane’s composition. Shepp’s playing is more reminiscent of Duke Ellington’s saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, and even the arrangement is a bit Ellingtonian in its approach. Their performance includes an a cappella section by Shepp, followed by an up-tempo interlude featuring trombonist Roswell Rudd.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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