Acoustic Sounds

John Coltrane

Olé

Music

Sound

Rhino High Fidelity Ole

Label: Rhino High Fidelity/Atlantic

Produced By: Nesuhi Ertegun (Patrick Milligan, project supervision)

Engineered By: Phil Ramone

Mixed By: Phil Ramone

Mastered By: Kevin Gray

Lacquers Cut By: Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

By: Michael Fremer

April 9th, 2024

Genre:

Jazz

Format:

Vinyl

Rhino's Olé: The Real McCoy

Coltrane's Atlantic Finale was at A&R

According to Ashley Kahn's outstanding annotation for this Rhino High Fidelity release, a few days before stepping into Phil Ramone's A&R studios to record Olé—his final session for Atlantic Records— John Coltrane had been at RVG's in Englewood Cliffs, NJ recording his first Africa/Brass session for Impulse! Kahn writes that the relatively new A&R was handling "overflow" for Atlantic, which is fortunate. It meant that Olé would be both Coltrane's final for Atlantic but by far his best sounding.

This is more a sound than a music review because most readers are familiar with this album and just want to know how Kevin Gray's cut stacks up. So I compared it to the three other versions I have here: one from the old Atlantic The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of John Coltrane, which we were all so grateful to have on vinyl back in 1995. An early '70s red/green Atlantic 1841 Broadway pressing, pressed at Presswell with a nice laminated front cover and "STEREO" embossed or stamped in black on it—which has been my "go to" since the early '70s, the double 45 ORG with stereo labels and jacket but which was actually mono (oops) and this new one from Rhino High Fidelity available only on the Rhino store website.

This is an easy call: the box set version was sourced either from the CD master or from the actual CD and never sounded great but it was nice to have 12 Coltrane albums on vinyl back when there wasn't much, the ORG is obviously not in the running for the stereo version and the title cut is "8 tracked" split onto two sides. That leaves the 70's era and this new one, with the new one from the Analogue Productions double 45 stereo edition waiting in the wings.

The '70s era record is very nice but this new Kevin Gray cut is worlds better. So much better in every way that when McCoy Tyner's piano entered sounding more like a real piano than on any Coltrane album, either Tom Dowd's Atlantics or Rudy's Impulses, I jumped. And it sounds far more like a piano than the '70s era Atlantic I've been listening to for many years.

It's probably the same piano Antonio Carlos Jobim used on Getz/Gilberto. I once ran into the guy who bought it when A&R closed. But it got me to thinking: maybe some day AI can be used to first de-mix Tyner's piano from every Coltrane record (except this one) and then using this piano's sound, replicate Tyner's playing and then have it reinserted back into the records!

Okay, that's crazy but that's how good Tyner's piano sounds on this reissue compared to how he sounds on most. The dueling arco bass lines from Art Davis and Reggie Workman have added grit, bottom end rumble and power when they get going half way through Olé and of course Coltrane's soprano sax and "George Lane"'s flute both have never sounded this well articulated and timbrally accurate. Ditto Elvin Jone's cymbal crashes. When that track gets going, it'll strip the rich Corinthian leather from your listening chair. The tape is in outstanding condition!

Add Kahn's really useful annotation and the laminated gatefold jacket and you have an outstanding Olé! I have no way of knowing how the double 45 Atlantic series version will sound or how they will deal with the long title song. You can wait for that and maybe miss this, or get this and wait for that. If you prefer that one you'll easily be able to sell this one limited to 5000 copies.

And that's all I have to say about it.

Music Specifications

Catalog No: RHF1 1373/081227817374

Pressing Plant: Optimal

SPARS Code: AAA

Speed/RPM: 33 1/3

Weight: 180 grams

Size: 12"

Channels: Stereo

Source: original master tapes

Presentation: Single LP

Comments

  • 2024-04-10 01:55:55 AM

    Josquin des Prez wrote:

    Yeah, that ORG stereo. LOL

    Thanks for the review. I just got a shipping notice for my copy of the Rhino. I love this album and look forward to hearing it. Should arrive while I'm home-auditioning a Boulder 1108 phonostage. Can't wait.

  • 2024-04-10 02:53:17 AM

    Eric Mack wrote:

    Second time I've gotten you on this lately but this series is pressed at Optimal, not RTI. (Great to see they are doing pressings worthy of an 11!)

    • 2024-04-10 03:53:00 AM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      My bad! I’ll ficks. Pressing is flawless

    • 2024-04-10 03:53:02 AM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      My bad! I’ll ficks. Pressing is flawless

  • 2024-04-10 07:02:28 AM

    Come on wrote:

    Thanks Michael, but is there anything you can say about the ORG/Rhino45 sound quality/mastering/source quality comparison (inspite of the Mono/Stereo difference)? Usually, the Stereo/Mono difference of releases doesn’t seem to be a reason for you, not to compare them.

    If not, later I will hear anyway, as the new Stereo will be on my order list.

    • 2024-04-10 08:11:21 AM

      Come on wrote:

      I mean I’ll get the new 45 and the 33, as playing the hypnotically developing title track with a break, is ridiculous. Btw, the 24/192 Rhino stereo files don’t sound bad either.

    • 2024-04-25 08:31:39 PM

      Come on wrote:

      Compared them now. The stereo (no surprise) has more dimensionality, air, palpable imaging, it’s technically better sounding in audiophile terms. The ORG mono has a more compact, round tonality, which, together with the centered sound, enables a better flow/concentration on the music.

      Not sure what I’ll prefer long term. For a temporary listen, the new Rhino is more spectacular in transparency, imaging, air.

  • 2024-04-10 05:09:29 PM

    Samuel Rossi wrote:

    Great review and another Kevin Gray/Rhino release that I need to secure. (BTW, check out Mr. Gray's just released remastering of flat-picking genius Tony Rice's "Church Street Blues". Pure, minimalist acoustic guitar and Americana heaven!)

  • 2024-04-10 05:22:06 PM

    PeterG wrote:

    Thanks! Just pulled the trigger. An 11/10 from you is tough enough to resist, but to get those scores at 33rpm and $40--yay!

  • 2024-04-10 06:59:47 PM

    Jeffrey C. Robbins wrote:

    On my list. But now waiting for Michael’s review of the Rhino reissue of Miles Davis’s Tutu, which I would order at the same time if it gets a similar 10 on the sound. JCR

  • 2024-04-11 11:14:00 AM

    Will wrote:

    👍👍👍👍👍

  • 2024-04-14 07:35:10 PM

    Rashers wrote:

    It’s really annoying that these records are produced in the European Union but can only be purchased from the US Rhino store. The result is that a product that should cost about €50 including tax and shipping - ends up costing about €80 when US postage and import taxes are included. How difficult would it be to leave a few boxes in Germany and sell through JPC or Amazon?

    • 2024-04-22 01:45:48 PM

      Simon Walker wrote:

      Bizarrely though, I managed to pay just $55 from the U.K. and paid no vat at all.

      Equally bizarre is that this release which is stereo makes no mention of that fact on the jacket or the disc; we have a mono jacket with a stereo record unlike the ORG 45 which is a mono record(s) in a stereo jacket, wtf? Can’t these idiots get this right? Haven’t played it yet but I trust MF’s judgement so look forward to giving it a spin, I wager it’ll better the 45 which sounds pretty flat to me plus the split track is not a good idea.

    • 2024-04-22 01:45:57 PM

      Simon Walker wrote:

      Bizarrely though, I managed to pay just $55 from the U.K. and paid no vat at all.

      Equally bizarre is that this release which is stereo makes no mention of that fact on the jacket or the disc; we have a mono jacket with a stereo record unlike the ORG 45 which is a mono record(s) in a stereo jacket, wtf? Can’t these idiots get this right? Haven’t played it yet but I trust MF’s judgement so look forward to giving it a spin, I wager it’ll better the 45 which sounds pretty flat to me plus the split track is not a good idea.

  • 2024-04-21 11:09:02 PM

    Buzz wrote:

    Hi all, can someone help me confirm…I’m getting some bleed over between channels with this recording on the drums/cymbals. Are other hearing this or is this a system alignment thing for me? Thanks . Love the record!