Ascension: Edition I & II (Verve Vault Series)

Released on Impulse! Records in 1966, Ascension stands as one of Coltrane’s most radical and influential works. Subtitled “Edition I & II” to reflect the two complete takes recorded at the session, the piece is a nearly 40-minute large-ensemble performance marking his 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 11 musicians. Alongside Coltrane’s tenor sax are trumpeters Freddie Hubbard & Dewey Johnson; saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, John Tchicai, & Archie Shepp; pianist McCoy Tyner; bassists Art Davis & Jimmy Garrison; and drummer Elvin Jones. Initially controversial for its intensity, Ascension is now recognized as a landmark of modern jazz and a defining statement of the emerging free-jazz movement. Presented together on 2-LP for the first time, the Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.