| | Full Review | Ratings (370) |
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| 5.0 classic | JoannaSwanson | July 7th 14 |
Ebb and flow, tension and release, music at its purest (and finest!) form...
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.6 great | Erwann S. STAFF | May 9th 23 |
Now that Trane has crafted his masterpiece, he can do whatever he wants. What he wants is to break free, and fully dive into the burgeoning free jazz sound. It's not just collective improvisation and dissoshit (though it kinda is), as Trane infuses spirituality into his material. It is crazy, but not all of Ascension is: Shepp and Sanders are bringing da dissonant chops, but Tyner (from the quartet) has never been a free jazz musician. Ascension thus feels stuck between harmony and non-harmony, which is cool but also not cool. I'm sure I don't fully understand this (yet?).
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| 5.0 classic | NietzschesMoustache | December 7th 22 |
Free Jazz, Spiritual Jazz // 1966 // Best: "Ascension (Part 1)"
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| 4.0 excellent | Bedex | May 22nd 21 |
Historically highly important as it marks Coltrane's full transition into more experimental/free jazz - the previous albums and indeed Meditations that came after this one dabble more or less extensively in free compositions, but this one is the first that does it all the way through. And it does it well; while it takes a specific mood to appreciate it, the enjoy is thoroughly enjoyable and doesn't feel annoying at all. It is controlled chaos, with just enough structure and variation to keep you hooked, but just too little for you to recognise much of the structure a all. It looks like it will work, a trace of discernable groove catches on, and then it goes chaotic agai. I think I am not fully mature for free jazz yet - I can enjoy it, this is cool, but it doesn't form images in my head like most other jazz records do. Still there's lots to be enjoyed here - starting from the album intro sounding like an orchestra tuning up then going increasingly dissonant, the end of part I, the start of part II, after which I felt slightly less engaged perhaps, the string solo at 13:30ish on part II that reminds more of avant-garde 'classical' away from jazz, before the brass comes back in to give a great cool latter half to part II as the rets from free jazz for a few minutes allows the listener to re-engage. And of course, there is incredible instrumental prowess on display here, with always my heart's favourite Tyner holding the fort all the way through. I jammed Edition I; I'll jam Edition II but I don't expect to see much difference between the two as this is abstract and free anyway. 4.1
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| 3.0 good | GamamJ | October 3rd 20 |
My brain; has been destroyed. A piece of completely dissonant nature, I do not think the instruments other than the drums follow its beat for more than 5 minutes at most of the track's run-time. Pure atonal free-jazz, I cannot comprehend what I heard based on just the two listens. What I can tell you is that Tyner's solo around the 30-minute mark was spectacular.
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| 5.0 classic | commonist | May 8th 18 |
96/100. It'd be really difficult for me to describe my experience with this album, as it felt incredibly emotional and otherworldly. The best I could describe it as would be like sitting in the eye of a hurricane, watching the world whip chaotically around you. Just listen to this.
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| 4.5 superb | MrHarrison | September 26th 17 |
The first time I heard this I thought it was fairly incredible but also noted that it kinda hurt my head a bit. The more you listen to it, though, the more sense it makes, and the more amazing it gets. Me oh my.
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| 4.5 superb | Alabaster Jones | January 17th 16 |
Dave Liebman, who was a great saxophonist in his own right, recalled Ascension as "the torch that lit the whole free jazz thing". And while men like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Pharaoh Sanders certainly got things rolling, John Coltrane set it firmly in motion. Ascension is a study of many things; the creative minds of some of jazz's greatest artists, the inner workings of dissonance and freedom as opposed to melody and structure, and just plain having a good time. And all of this was done pretty much at the drop of a hat, which is impressive if I do say so myself. I think, because it was done in such a way, that it's hard to say what Coltrane's purpose behind this record was. To make a statement regarding jazz, improvisation, and structure? Or to just create with some of his most trusted colleagues? Maybe that's why Ascension is so enticing; it doesn't really have an inherent meaning, so you create one for yourself if you so choose. Whatever the case may be, this is a truly beautiful, impressive, consuming listen, one that every fan of jazz owes themselves to hear.
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| 5.0 classic | Athom EMERITUS | April 27th 12 |
Ascension is the sound of two dueling quartets playing opposite of each other in a maddening crescendo of adventurous rhythms.
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| 5.0 classic | Displayed | October 29th 09 |
This is Coltrane at his most experimental and avantgarde. Taking jazz into the realms of absolute freedom, both editions are masterpieces on improvisation, with every instrument contributing to the greater work. A record as inlfuential as A Love Supreme and anything by Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra, this is a must have.
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| 4.5 superb | ArtHerring | June 10th 08 |
Perhaps Coltrane's most avant-garde, despite its reputation for being "inaccessible," still delivers an amazing experience of sound. Filled with Coltrane's loud squeaks of his saxophone, constant, minimalistic drumming, and other horns, almost all completely separately and independently, oblivious to Coltrane, playing behind him. Both versions of Ascension, each about 40 minutes long, amazingly similar and yet also different. If you listen closely, there are a few recognizable, repeated themes or patterns, but not enough (thankfully) to give it definite form or make it close to predictable. It's not something necessarily you'd jog to (though nobody's stopping you), but it nevertheless is a true work of genius.
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| 3.0 good | doofy | January 10th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Khaini | March 16th 23 |
| 4.5 superb | Shwany | January 13th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | MvdW | October 26th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | yinei007 | September 14th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | Bren80 | June 25th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | ZIG | February 19th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | Pppete | November 2nd 21 |
| 4.5 superb | rajtako | February 2nd 21 |
| 5.0 classic | Fort23 | November 16th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Flomink | September 29th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | Dogie | August 12th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | KuyJuk | July 15th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | Josh | July 15th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Onater | April 26th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | crab | February 20th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Ryus | January 25th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rhyme | December 12th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | JoeFar | December 3rd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Sine | October 31st 18 |
| 4.5 superb | orakst | October 9th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jrpuri2 | September 6th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | bbgames | August 13th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | tracyt | June 21st 18 |
| 4.5 superb | W1NG00 | May 15th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | aew100 | April 19th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Jade | March 4th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | RUSH | January 13th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Piglet | September 26th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Pon EMERITUS | April 22nd 17 |
| 4.5 superb | rrodf | March 11th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Nights | November 21st 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Wolfe | October 15th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Tb1114 | July 26th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | robin | March 16th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Henry | January 14th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | adr | January 6th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Archael | January 5th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | AWOL3 | December 30th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | BoJean | August 24th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Runeii | July 4th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | Nigtwig | January 15th 15 |
| 2.0 poor | Roargh | November 12th 14 |
| 3.5 great | Jots EMERITUS | August 26th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | sje45 | August 4th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | Artaud | July 2nd 14 |
| 4.5 superb | papapk | June 1st 14 |
| 5.0 classic | ethos | May 20th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lettuce | February 7th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Acorn | October 3rd 13 |
| 3.5 great | bastni | September 14th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Kinch | June 15th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | osiuuu | March 11th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | armykat | January 7th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | sora236 | December 24th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | urzadek | December 17th 12 |
| 3.5 great | ZGP1992 | November 30th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | seldead | November 25th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | krkat | July 20th 12 |
| 3.0 good | Rail | May 24th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ruezann | March 9th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | measel44 | February 22nd 12 |
| 1.0 awful | Oblomov | December 13th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Wael | December 12th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | ermwa | October 2nd 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Skipdog | September 21st 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mendigo | September 19th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Manic_ | August 5th 11 |
| 3.5 great | ziroth | June 18th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | WooHa | June 18th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | ONI65 | May 11th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | nkbr | April 15th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Treska | October 30th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Skyler | October 28th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | froghawk | September 6th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | cuki92 | July 19th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Iai EMERITUS | February 13th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | NoiseIP | November 22nd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | rhinohog | November 13th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | avestin | October 28th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Kage | July 17th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Steeed | January 18th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | jlove1 | December 1st 07 |
| 3.0 good | tuff | October 30th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | MeowMeow | September 24th 07 |
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