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WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

 

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·       JOHN COLTRANE with FREDDIE HUBBARD, ARCHIE SHEPP, ELVIN JONES, PHAROAH SANDERS, McCOY TYNER AND JIMMY GARRISON - ASCENSION - ORIGINAL  1965 IMPULSE RECORDS STEREO LP AS-95

 

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

 

·       THIS IS THE RARE ORIGINAL "EDITION 1"  VERSION OF THE ALBUM, , ALMOST IMMEDIATELLY PULLED FROM THE MARKET UPON RELEASE AND NEVER AGAIN RELEASED ON VINYL;  "EDITION 1"  IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE ALBUM FROM THE MORE COMMON, SUBSEQUENT  "EDITION 2" VERSION (PLEASE NOTE: 'EDITION 1' VERSION CAN ONLY BE IDENTIFIED BY THE ABSENCE OF ANY MARKINGS IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINUL; THE “EDITION 2" VERSION HAS A SPECIFIC “EDITION 2” MACHINE STAMP IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINYL).

 

·       The solo orders differ slightly between the takes and Edition II features no drum solo by Elvin Jones.

 

·       Edition II

 

·           (Opening Ensemble)

·           Coltrane solo (3:10–5:48)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Johnson solo (7:45–9:30)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Sanders solo (11:55–14:25)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Hubbard solo (15:40–17:40)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Tchicai solo (18:50–20:00)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Shepp solo (21:10–24:10)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Brown solo (25:10–27:16)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Tyner solo (29:55–33:26)

·           Davis and Garrison duet (33:26–35:50)

·           (Concluding Ensemble)

 

 

·       Edition I

 

·           (Opening Ensemble)

·           Coltrane solo (4:05–6:05)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Johnson solo (7:58–10:07)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Sanders solo (11:15–13:30)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Hubbard solo (14:53–17:50)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Shepp solo (18:55–21:40)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Tchicai solo (23:11–24:56)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Brown solo (26:23–28:31)

·           (Ensemble)

·           Tyner solo (29:39–31:36)

·           Davis and Garrison duet (31:36–33:30)

·           Jones solo (33:30–33:55)

·           (Concluding Ensemble

 

·       The record has a ► name or  his initials (RVG) clearly stamped or hand-etched in the trail-off vinyl (dead wax)

 

·       VERY RARE STEREO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN MONO 

 

·       ORIGINAL ORANGE AND BLACK IMPULSE LABEL

 

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

 

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER, MADE OF THICK CARDBOARD (AMERICAN STYLE) 

 

·       ORIGINAL BACK COVER WITH A BRIEF QUOTE LeROI JONES a/k/a AMIRI BARAKA, THE POET LAUREATE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND A FREE JAZZ RADICAL IN HIS OWN RIGHT.

 

·       ORIGINAL LAMINATED COVER

 

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 

·       SERRATED EDGE PRESSING

 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

 

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

 

 

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First: the factual: This is the single most radical, revolutionary and, frankly, radical album in the history of Jazz; when the Ascension came out, it caused an uproar and upheaval of galactic proportions, and after only a single spin on a turntable, one can understand why: simply put, this is the most astonishing one-way departure from all existing forms and norms, tonal and atonal structures, conventions and dogmas known to Jazz. Think of this as Coltrane taking traditional Jazz to the guillotine and waving its detached head thereafter. Almost half a century later, it is still too radical and revolutionary for some narrow minds.

 

Second, the obvious: Yes, darn it, THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ENTRY in the Free Jazz and Avant-Garde cannon of  Jazz. Always was, always will be (eat your envious hearts out, Peter Brötzmann and Anthony Braxton!); essentially, Free Jazz is split into two periods: before and after Ascension. The “before” is formative, amorphous and overly timid (Dolphy notwithstanding), and “after” is all but irrelevant and predictable. Ascension is an absolute primordial form, an archetype and a culmination of the genre, all rolled into one; a statement truly unlike any other..

 

Third: the personal:  I was initially, to put it mildly, unimpressed - actually: repulsed - by Ascension. My first reaction to Ascension (about 20 years ago) was: what is this ungodly piece of unlistenable noise that I am never, ever, ever, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever going to place on my turntable again, how the holy cr*p did I end up buying it, where can I get a refund and can I sue the manufacturer and/or the distributor and/or the retailer for inflicted torture and mental anguish, ear pain and migraine that just would not end? But my aversion to the album soon ended. Read on...

 

Fourth: the confessional: Then, slowly and gingerly, I went back to it a few times (my inner masochist took over), only to detect delicate hints of structure and harmony lurking creepily underneath. It did not take long before those delicate hints and concealed clues congealed into a transcendent, luminous, almost otherworldly, cosmic beauty of chaos and entropy, an expression beyond words or feelings. The interaction between the players, notably John Coltrane and Elvin Jones is to die for. This is a music played entirely on a (pardon the pun) mental impulse, extra-sensory union of the minds and no earthly or physical connection whatsoever. The players occupy a space without a space and a time outside of time. And, oh. Lest I forget. Unlike Albert Ayler, the players here do actually (know how to) play and their musical competence is unquestionable. We are talking about a group of virtuosi feeding off of each other’s fire and completely self-immolating in the process.

 

Fifth: the historical. Obviously, this is not your swing-and-dance-and-then-let's-go-make-love Jazz. This is a music of serious dissent and discontent, opposition to the ruling class, violent outburst of revolt, scream of the oppressed, holler of the spiritual seeker, the bloody assassination of the cheap and vulgar popular taste in broad daylight, you name it. It needs to be placed in the proper socio-historical context to be understood and appreciated, and the context was the murder of Malcolm X and first signs of the weakening (read: co-opting, buying, bullying and police-wiring) of the Civil Rights Movement. No wonder the album was released just as the first large contingent of US troops was disembarking in Vietnam following the Gulf of Tonkin incident. There was a war looming, and Ascension is all about war: the inner war, the social war, the class war, the war of the generations and the styles, the war of the instruments, the war with the listener, the undeclared war on black people (mind you, the year was 1965, the annus horribilis of the Watts Riots) and the war on petit- (mostly White Anglo-Saxon middle-class) bourgoisie. Yes, folks, you are entering a war zone here. May I suggest a full combat gear before you put the stylus on the disc?

 

And while still at # 5: · AN HONORARY MENTION GOES TO A BRIEF QUOTE ON THE BACK COVER BY THE LATE, GREAT LeROI JONES a/k/a AMIRI BARAKA, THE LAST POET LAUREATE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND A FREE JAZZ BLACK POWER ANARCHIST-RADICAL IN HIS OWN RIGHT.

 

Sixth: the medical: Coltrane was exactly two years away from his death when this was recorded. I have an eerie feeling that he had sensed what was coming, and that this foreboding sense of chaos and utter nothingness that permeates the album was by no means a coincidence. We are talking about a major-league premonition here. This, more than anything else that is to follow, is truly John Coltrane’s Last Will and Testament. And what a Testament it is!

 

Seventh: aesthetic: Yes, the session is self-indulgent and overly dramatic, bordering on painful (dissonance completely takes over, consonance is smashed – literally – into pieces). So what? So is Toledo Before the Storm, Girls of Avignon, Malevich's squares, or Guernica. What is your point, oh, the illuminated, all-knowing and all-wise Jazz critics? Can’t you just sit down and imbibe the cosmic wisdom and the ethereal beauty of Coltrane?

 

Seventh: the psychological: this is not your ordinary Jazz album and it absolutely MUST NOT be played at any time of day or in any mood or for entertainment purposes. You have to PREPARE for the experience, to prime yourself, so to speak, or to otherwise slip into an appropriate mood and mindset. Myself, I like to listen to this music when angry and/or depressed (which is more often than not these days). It truly has a cathartic impact. Do not even DARE think of this as a background music to um...sex,  unless you are into some rather bizarre Kama Sutra techniques.

 

Eighth: technical: I must confess that I never had much patience (or willingness to explore) the differences between Edition I and Edition II . Personally, the two editions are so alike that it would require a significant effort to tell them apart, which would seriously and needlessly distract from the listening experience. I like Edition I a little better, not so much for its marginally different distribution of solos, but because I detect a somewhat different mixing approach on Edition II, which – I think – makes the sound on Edition II a wee bit more harsh, sharp and abrasive than it needs to be. But again, the difference is entirely marginal and ephemeral and, in my not-so-humble opinion, unworthy of focusing on. Whichever version you end up having, you have a classic, and a winner.

 

Ninth and (I promise), the last. This is a difficult, abrasive, confrontational and demanding album, and those who have serious issues with it can certainly be excused. Those who have lost patience with it can be excused, too. Those who can only play bits and pieces of it at a time can most definitely be pardoned. But, for all its darkness, cacophony and sonic agony, Ascension still holds up amazingly well today,  exactly half century after it was recorded, and for those willing to give it a chance – the first or the umpteenth – it still carries a world of spiritual joy and catharsis. I would say, give it a(nother) chance, even if, at times, you feel entirely violated and near-insulted by it. For, beyond the burning, smoldering and noxious Gates of Hell Ascending awaits the Garden of Paradise.

***

 

Ascension is the single recording that placed John Coltrane firmly into the avant-garde. Whereas, prior to 1965, Coltrane could be heard playing in an avant vein with stretched-out solos, atonality, and a seemingly free design to the beat, Ascension throws most rules right out the window with complete freedom from the groove and strikingly abrasive sheets of horn interplay. Recorded with three tenors (Trane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp), two altos (Marion Brown, John Tchicai), two trumpet players (Freddie Hubbard, Dewey Johnson), two bassists (Art Davis, Jimmy Garrison), the lone McCoy Tyner on piano, and Elvin Jones on the drums, this large group is both relentless and soulful simultaneously. While there are segments where the ensemble plays discordant and abrasive skronks, these are usually segues into intriguing blues-based solos from each member. The comparison that is immediately realized is Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz of five years previous. However, it should be known that Ascension certainly carries its own weight, and in a strange sense makes Coleman's foray a passive adventure -- mostly due to an updated sonic quality (à la Bob Thiele) and also Trane's greater sense of passionate spiritualism. Timed at around 40 minutes, this can be a difficult listen at first, but with a patient ear and an appreciation for the finer things in life, the reward is a greater understanding of the personal path that the artist was on at that particular time in his development. Coltrane was always on an unceasing mission for personal expansion through the mouthpiece of his horn, but by the time of this recording he had begun to reach the level of "elder statesman" and to find other voices (Shepp, Sanders, and Marion Brown) to propel and expand his sounds and emotions. Therefore, Ascension reflects more of an event rather than just a jazz record and should be sought out by either experienced jazz appreciators or other open-minded listeners, but not by unsuspecting bystanders.

 

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY JACK L.V. ISLES, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

 

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CONDITION:

 

RECORD

 

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

 

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL  AS  (WEAK) NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

 

(b)          The record has a ► name, or  his initials (RVG) stamped or hand-etched in the trail-off vinyl (dead wax). On SOME  Jazz labels (Blue Note, Savoy, Regent, Prestige, Impulse, Verve…) this stamp signifies highly professional masterings either done by - or  personally authorized by - the legendary engineer himself.

 

(c)           The record comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

 

(d)          The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

 

(e)           Stereo  pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more preferable to its mono  counterpart. The mix is more graphic, the sound resolution more precise, and the channel separation (which does not exist on mono version) adds a whole new dimension to the music. Also, the stereo mixes are (by definition) somewhat different than on the mono version. We estimate that mono copies of this album outnumber stereo copies  by a ratio of at least 3:1.

 

(f)            Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

 

 

·       COVER (THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, LAMINATED, GLOSSY COVER):

 

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

 

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

 

-        Back cover has a few tiny, spot-like peel-off marks, most likely from the exposure to the humidity  (less than ¼ square inch in size, total)

 

-        Cover has JUST A HINT of ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 2   (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY) .

 

-        Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging   (nothing significant).   Yellowing is also noted on the INSIDE gatefold

 

 

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

 

 

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

 

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

 

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WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►  for the full text of our policy

 

 

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