John Coltrane – 1960-1964 (6-CD)

The years bracketed here represent one of the most concentrated periods of transformation in jazz history, as Coltrane moved from the modal breakthroughs of the Atlantic era into his classic quartet recordings for Impulse. Mono playback strips away the stereo spread and puts you inside the room with him, the way most listeners first heard these sessions when they were new. For serious collectors, hearing these recordings in their original format is less a nostalgia exercise than a revelation.