John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman   Impulse! (MCA & GRP) GRP-157   1 CD, 20-bit   Released in 1995.

Performed by:
  John Coltrane, tenor sax
  Johnny Hartman, vocals
  McCoy Tyner, piano
  Jimmy Garrison, bass
  Elvin Jones, drums

Contents:
  Irving Berlin: They Say It's Wonderful
  Cahn, Chaplin & Zaret: Dedicated to You
  Mellin & Wood: My One and Only Love
  Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life
  Rodgers & Hart: You Are Too Beautiful
  Gallop & DeRose: Autumn Serenade

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This is one very special CD. Johnny Hartman has the smoothest voice we have ever heard. It is a shame that he has not recorded much. John Coltrane and his band are excellent like they always are. But we must emphasize that Johnny Hartman is the star here.

The recording itself is superb. It has extraordinary detail; each instrument is precisely positioned; and the ambience is captured perfectly. The recording transforms your living room into a Jazz cafe. It is amazing that an analog recording made in 1963 can be so masterfully digitized and transferred to a CD.

The program is excellent, for it contains some of our favorite tunes. Whenever we introduce a friend to Jazz, we play this CD. Everyone we know has fallen in love with this CD within minutes of hearing it. You can listen to the samples at Amazon.com.

This is a "normally priced" CD, not a budget one. But if you must have one Jazz CD, this is an excellent choice. If you must have a male-vocal Jazz CD, this is undoubtly your best choice. It makes a wonderful gift as well.

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