RAY DRAPER QUINTET - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane (1958-1998) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Ray Draper was only 17 when he led this date (all four of his sessions as a leader were made before he turned 20) and was brave (or foolhardy) enough to team up with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane (who was 14 years older and already a major name) in a quintet also including pianist Gil Coggins, bassist Spanky DeBrest, and drummer Larry Ritchie. Draper had ambitious dreams of making the tuba a major jazz solo instrument; the tuba/tenor front line is an unusual and generally successful sound, although Draper's solos -- on three of his originals: Sonny Rollins' "Paul's Pal," the show tune "Under Paris Skies," and a tuba feature without Coltrane, "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" -- are clearly not on the same level as those of Coltrane or Coggin. One does admire Draper's courage, and it is a pity that he hardly recorded at all after 1960, because he showed strong potential. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Clifford's Kappa 9:16
Ray Draper
2 Filidia 7:16
Ray Draper

3 Two Sons 5:24

Ray Draper
4 Paul's Pal 7:14
Sonny Rollins
5 Under Paris Skies 7:47
Hubert Giraud
6 I Hadn't Anyone till You 3:05
Ray Noble
Credits:

Bass – Spanky De Brest

Drums – Larry Ritchie
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Gil Coggins
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane (tracks: 1 to 5)
Tuba – Ray Draper

JOHN COLTRANE - The Believer (1964-1996) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Believer offers an early glimpse at the talents of a still-developing John Coltrane. Recorded in the late '50s while he was still a member of the Miles Davis Sextet, this early solo outing finds Coltrane confident but just beginning to explore the kind of modalities with which he would soon revolutionize the world of jazz. One of the reasons Coltrane is so at ease here is the familiar setting: he's joined by fellow Davis cohorts Paul Chambers and Red Garland, among others. Drummer Louis Hayes provides a Latin-inflected beat on "Nakatini Serenade," as Coltrane and Donald Byrd soar above the rhythm section. The understated Rogers & Hammerstein standard "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" presents Coltrane the balladeer waxing lyrical over the subtle dynamics. Things to come are hinted at briefly in flurries of notes here and there, and it's fascinating to listen to the early work of this developing genius. by Rovi Staff
Tracklist:
1 The Believer 13:49
McCoy Tyner
2 Nakatini Serenade 11:03
Calvin Massey
3 Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? 5:12
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
- Bonus Tracks -
4 Filidia 7:15
Ray Draper
5 Paul's Pal 7:13
Sonny Rollins
Credits:
Bass – Paul Chambers (tracks; 1 to 3), Spanky DeBrest (tracks: 4, 5)
Drums – Arthur Taylor (tracks: 3), Larry Ritchie, Louis Hayes (tracks: 1, 2)
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Gil Coggins (tracks: 4, 5), Red Garland (tracks; 1 to 3)
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 1, 2), Freddie Hubbard (tracks: 3)
Tuba – Ray Draper (tracks: 4, 5)