The John Coltrane Quartet Plays

This album is a prime example of John Coltrane's mid-60s methodology: taking simple, popular songs and transforming them into vehicles for profound spiritual and modal exploration. His performance on soprano saxophone turns the lilting waltz of 'Chim Chim Cheree' into a hypnotic, trance-like vamp, driven by the thunderous, polyrhythmic drumming of Elvin Jones. The performance showcases the classic quartet's power to find universal depth and improvisational freedom in the most unlikely of sources.