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Title: Good Stuff
Review: Recorded on two seperate occasions in 1963 and 1965 with replacement drummer Roy Haynes, while Quartet regular Elvin Jones was in rehab, this is a fine addition for any Coltrane collector. Though Jones' trademark thunder is absent, Haynes adds a tight finesse to the typically wild Quartet sound. The material is strong throughout, especially "Dear Old Stockholm" and the serene "After the Rain". The frenetic "One Down,One Up" and "After the Crescent" (both recorded during the 1965 session) evoke the kindred mayhem of Coltrane's "Sun Ship" recordings made that year and suffer many of the same problems of his work of that period. Unquestionably, the high point here is the albums swan song "Dear Lord". Perhaps the saddest song Trane ever performed; understated and wonderfully blue, it reminds us that beyond his legacy as avant garde explorer he was first and foremost a master of melody and lyricism.
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