bort Wrote:
i already have a love supreme, blue train, and giant steps. do i need meditations as well?
It depends on whether you want a complete glimpse of Coltrane's career. It also depends on how "out" you like your jazz. If
A Love Supreme is pushing it, then this is not for you.
Meditations is very noisy stuff. I don't listen to it often, but when I do, it's because I really like the cacophony and there's a real sense of Coltrane connecting with his vision of God in the music. It's very spiritual sounding. It would really round out a small Coltrane collection - you'd have good bits that represent everything he accomplished.
But don't miss out on other works of his - the Village Vanguard 4-disc set is killer. Also really nice is the just-released
My Favorite Things: Coltrane at Newport that collects his previously released Newport performances in one disc, with one track expanded by something like 8 minutes. It's excellent, as is
One Up, One Down from last year. (I listen to more live Coltrane than studio Coltrane, actually.)