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Tracklisting & More Information
1. Africa
2. Greensleeves
3. Blues Minor
Picture the scene. It's 1961 in rainy Britain, East Midlands. Unbeknownst to most Leicestershire locals, the African American civil rights movement was starting to gather strength across the pond. Seventeen African States gained independence in 1960, closely followed by the Caribbean Islands the following years. Meanwhile, live exposure to 'modern' Jazz artists outside the UK remained limited and often problematic due to restrictions imposed by the Musicians Union. Things were about to change.
The De Montfort Hall in Leicester managed to host an array of modern Jazz legends throughout the 1960s, many brought to the UK by Leicestershire promoter Arthur Kimbrell in association with agent Harold Davison. Easily the most controversial was the turn of John Coltrane in November 1961, who flew to England for the first and only time for a series of nine intense dates. British audiences were unprepared for the ferocious new sound Coltrane was about to unleash.
Obtained from its one previous owner, this FULLY SIGNED LP is an historic artefact from a golden age and very fertile and creative period for Black arts and culture of the 1960s. Our one-time previous owner, a keen Jazz enthusiast, travelled from his nearby home town to witness what must have been the equivalent of Dylan going electric or the birth of punk, as he sat in person amongst an unsuspecting audience and experienced the new thrilling no holds barred sound of the John Coltrane Quartet at The De Montfort Hall in Leicester on November, 15 1961. Dressed to the nines in dinner jackets, The Coltrane Quintet took to the stage to wreak havoc across a series of numbers the British audience were not yet familiar with. The reviewer from the Leicester Mercury that night might not have fully appreciated the experimental nature of Coltrane's music, suggesting it “didn't make any too easy listening”!
Our previous owner friend knew better and left with a FULLY AUTOGRAPHED first US mono vinyl LP for John Coltrane's then new release, Africa/Brass [September 1, 1961 on Impulse! Records]. This may well be the only one of its kind with no other examples having been brought to light on the online market.
What's extra special here is that the original mono gatefold cover remains in Near Mint condition. A miracle to find like this, the colours remain rich and vivid with no splits. There is only the lightest corner bump from storage and all panels remain impressively clean.
The major selling point here is that the inside right panel reads 'Best Wishes, Reggie Workman, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy' at the top in blue pen, before the album notes. The signatures are clear, unhurried and unfaded, with each group member signing their name one at a time, with only Coltrane choosing to slightly spiral off the edge with the pen fittingly enough. Who else managed to secure signatures of such high quality for Coltrane's group of the era in Britain at the time is unknown but they must surely be VERY few and far between. It helps greatly that the autographs can be easily identified thanks to their clarity and the age in which they were taken, where each artist took pride in their signature, adapting an individual style. Only Reggie Workman is still with us as of writing, with Eric Dolphy passing away as early as June 1964 and Coltrane, never to return to Britain again after this, exiting the world in July 1967. Each one of these magnificent modern jazz artists helped pave the way for Black presence on British stages in the 1960s and are recognised for their talent as the cultural contribution of African American and Caribbean communities began to define what it meant to be British in the latter half of the twentieth century. This is a very significant and worthy museum piece to say the least.
The first press vinyl is included. The labels show a few spindle marks around the centre hole and the heavyweight vinyl grades VG/VG+ with some light paper hairline scuffs either side not affecting play. One to be treasured for the rest of time and a magnificent find.
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LP RECORD
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