Recording history and tape provenance
The two leaders mixed personnel from each other's bands rather than using one rhythm section. Coltrane brought Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Ellington brought Aaron Bell on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums. The pairings shift from track to track.
The seven tunes are five Ellington compositions, one by Billy Strayhorn and Coltrane's "Big Nick," a tribute to saxophonist Big Nick Nicholas. All were completed in the single session, with nothing written out in advance.
Ellington band alumnus John Lamb later recalled the date at a Jazz at Lincoln Center gathering. Nothing was written down, and the players stood waiting to see what would happen, per Jazzfuel.
Coltrane played under physical difficulty. He had recently had dental work affecting his embouchure, and had damaged his own mouthpiece beyond repair while adjusting its lay.
Ellington recorded this session nine days after Money Jungle, his trio date with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Both crossover albums come from the same fortnight of September 1962.
Label text and pressing generation
Impulse's label text changed over time, and it dates a copy more reliably than the overall label design. Copies from 1960 to 1963 read "A PRODUCT OF AM-PAR RECORD CORP." Copies from 1963 to 1966 read "A PRODUCT OF ABC-PARAMOUNT" or similar ABC-era wording.
The distinction catches experienced collectors. An AnalogPlanet reviewer notes that his own mono copy, long understood as a first pressing, is technically a third pressing by this detail. Its Van Gelder runout etchings are genuine all the same.
The Bell Sound stereo remaster
The stereo trap is more consequential than the label-text question. The original AS-30 was mastered by Rudy Van Gelder, with "VAN GELDER" etched in the runout.
A later stereo pressing under the same catalogue number was remastered at Bell Sound. That is a different facility, not a repress from the same lacquers.
LondonJazzCollector describes a copy with the older orange and black Impulse label design, the look most buyers associate with an early pressing. Its runout reads "Bell Sound LW" rather than carrying a Van Gelder credit.
The label design alone does not identify the mastering. Only the dead wax does, reading either "VAN GELDER" or a Bell Sound credit.
Original Impulse! pressings (1963)
The mono A-30 is the first mono pressing. Its matrices read "A-30.A 00A-11 VAN GELDER" and "A-30.B 00A-11 VAN GELDER," alongside a stamped "VAN GELDER" credit.
For the earliest generation, confirm the "AM-PAR RECORD CORP" label text as well as the runout.
The stereo AS-30 with Van Gelder etchings is the original stereo mastering. The Bell Sound version shares its catalogue number and can share its label design.
Verve Acoustic Sounds Series (2022)
The Acoustic Sounds edition was cut by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180g at Quality Record Pressings in a gatefold tip-on jacket. Its runouts carry a stamped "STERLING" credit.
Mark Smotroff compared it directly against his own original mono pressing for Audiophile Review. He found the reissue gave a clean high end with a better sense of air and room, against a more compressed feel from the original mono mix.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$: A 1973 ABC/Impulse! stereo reissue, an inexpensive later pressing.
$$$: The Verve Acoustic Sounds Series edition, with a confirmed mastering credit at standard modern pricing.
$$$$: A clean original A-30 or AS-30, with the runout and label text checked before paying a premium.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Verve Acoustic Sounds Series | – | 2022 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Ryan K. Smith, Sterling Sound. Pressed at QRP | Gatefold tip-on. Stamped "STERLING" in the runout | – |
| A | Impulse! original, mono | A-30 | 1963 | Mono, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder | Check "AM-PAR RECORD CORP" label text for the earliest generation | none currently listed $126VG+ $164NM $184M |
| A | Impulse! original, stereo | AS-30 | 1963 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder | "VAN GELDER" in the dead wax distinguishes it from the Bell Sound cut | – |
| B | Impulse! stereo, Bell Sound remaster | AS-30 | – | Stereo, 33⅓ | Bell Sound, not Van Gelder | Can carry an early-looking label. Check the dead wax | – |
| B | ABC/Impulse! reissue | AS-30 | 1973 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Not credited | Later repress | – |
References
- Wikipedia, "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington_%26_John_Coltrane
- AnalogPlanet, "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane Together Make Beautiful Music": https://www.analogplanet.com/content/duke-ellington-john-coltrane-together-make-beautiful-music
- LondonJazzCollector, "Ellington and Coltrane (1962)": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/two-more-giants/
- Jazzfuel, "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963) Impulse!": https://jazzfuel.com/duke-ellington-john-coltrane-1963/
- Audiophile Review, "Listening Report: Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Acoustic Sounds Impulse Records Vinyl Reissue": https://audiophilereview.com/vinyl/listening-report-duke-ellington-john-coltrane-acoustic-sounds-impulse-records-vinyl-reissue/