Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy

By 1961, Coltrane had begun experimenting with modes and genre, moving towards the avant-garde sound that would be featured on records like Africa/Brass.^[2] This period of experimentation proved highly controversial and Coltrane and collaborator Eric Dolphy faced criticism that their music during this period was "anti-jazz".^[4] The recordings on this album are from a brief residency in mid-1961 that the duo had at the Village Gate and were recorded for posterity's sake by engineer Richard Alderson. They were rediscovered decades later in a New York Public Library collection.^[2]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 from four critic scores.^[5]

In Financial Times, Mike Hobart gave this work 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "the set stands up well against Coltrane’s other live recordings of the time".^[6] In Glide Magazine, Jim Hynes called this recording "seminal" and additionally praised the extensive liner notes.^[1] Andrew Male of Mojo gave this release 4 out of 5 stars, praising several tracks, including the concluding recording of "Africa" as being like a "historic moment", and also notes the extensive liner notes from Ashley Kahn.^[7] The New Yorker's Richard Brody praised all of the performers and connected Coltrane's musical evolution here with the 1964 recording of A Love Supreme; he sums up his review "the new release exemplifies, in its passionate strivings, the essence of jazz modernity and the spirit of the age".^[8]

Editors at Pitchfork chose this as one of the Best New Reissues and critic Daniel Felsenthal scored it a 9.2 for being "a freeze-frame of jazz as it escapes the present and absconds to the future".^[9] At Qobuz's music magazine, this was chosen as Album of the Week, with critic Fred Cisterna calling it a "masterpiece" and continues that "the instrumental balance on the unearthed tapes isn’t flawless, but that’s a quibble: the overall sound and room tone are good, and the music stuns".^[10] Writing for Tidal, Brad Farberman called this period "an important stepping stone" toward Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Dolphy's Out to Lunch!^[3] Chris Pearson of The Times rated this release 4 out of 5 stars, writing that Coltrane and Dolphy were at artistic heights, but criticizes Reggie Workman's solo in "Africa".^[11] In Under the Radar, Matthew Berlyant scored this album 8 out of 10, characterizing the release as "an absolute delight for those who want to hear these two colossuses of the saxophone".^[12]

Editors at Stereogum run a monthly article on the state of jazz and the July 2023 edition included a retrospective on Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah and the intersection of African music with jazz forms. The article ends with a discussion of Coltrane's "Africa" and critic Phil Freeman calls this recording of the composition "an incredible mood piece".^[13]

In a piece on jazz drumming for Paste, Geoffrey Himes called this the "most exciting jazz reissue of the year" and called special attention to Elvin Jones;^[14] Himes also called this one of the most overlooked albums of 2023.^[15] Editors at online retailer Qobuz included this on their list of the best jazz albums of 2023.^[16] Graham Reid of The New Zealand Herald included this in his favorite albums of 2023.^[17] David Weininger of The Boston Globe listed this among the nine best album reissues of 2023.^[18] Editors at Mojo chose this for the second best reissue of 2023.^[19]

Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy was nominated for Best Album Notes at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.^[20]

1. "My Favorite Things" (Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers) – 15:45
2. "When Lights Are Low" (Benny Carter) – 15:10
3. "Impressions" (Coltrane) – 10:00
4. "Greensleeves" (traditional) – 16:15
5. "Africa" (Coltrane) – 22:41

• John Coltrane – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
• Art Davis – double bass
• Elvin Jones – drums
• McCoy Tyner – piano
• Reggie Workman – double bass, liner notes

Technical personnel

• Richard Alderson – recording, liner notes
• Lakecia Benjamin – liner notes
• Ashley Kahn – liner notes
• Branford Marsalis – liner notes
• Herb Snitzer – photography

Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy was commercially successful, debuting at No. 8 on Top Album Sales, No. 1 on Jazz Albums, No. 1 on Traditional Jazz Albums, No. 4 on Tastemaker Albums, No. 7 on Top Current Album Sales, No. 10 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 156 on Billboard 200 charts.^[21]

• 2023 in American music
• 2023 in jazz
• List of 2023 albums