One of the great undiscovered secrets in the Coltrane catalog, "First Meditations" follows in the style of "A Love Supreme," recorded several months before, and is every bit as enjoyable. This album was not released at the time it was recorded in 1964; soon after this session Coltrane re-recorded these same pieces with more turmoil and dissonance and an expanded ensemble (including a second saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders) for the official release, Meditations.
The major difference between M and FM is the quartet’s members, with Tyner’s perfect piano and Elvin’s awesome drumming, both of whom surpass Pharoah and Rashied Ali’s contributions on the Meditation release.
One can only wish this had been released in sequence relative to Trane's other recordings and taken its proper place in the evolutionary history of the artist's work - especially as it was the final recording made by the famed quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. There certainly would have been an audience for both the free-but-grounded modal explorations on this album and the untethered, more cacophonous versions released on "Meditations." While "A Love Supreme" is held up as one of the cornerstones of Coltrane's career, "First Meditations" could have also been an acclaimed classic had listeners and the music press heard it in its time.
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Attribution: https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/dakotadsmith/john-coltrane/first-meditations-for-quartet/127525142
