Live in Japan is a four-disc box set by American saxophonist John Coltrane and his last group, a quintet featuring Coltrane, his wife/pianist Alice, saxophonist/bass clarinetist Pharoah Sanders, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Rashied Ali. The 4-CD set compiles all the music issued as three albums in the seventies by Impulse!; Concert In Japan (1973, US 2-LP), Coltrane In Japan (1973, Japan 3-LP (side six is blank), mono) and Second Night In Tokyo (1977, Japan 3-LP (side six contains an interview, mono). (Some of this material was also reissued as two 2-LP sets in 1980 by MCA under the titles Coltrane In Tokyo Vol. 1 and Coltrane In Tokyo Vol. 2) The first CD issues were by Impulse! Japan as two 2-CD sets: Live In Japan Vol. 1 (same as "Coltrane In Japan") and Live In Japan Vol. 2 (same as "Second Night In Tokyo"). The US 4-CD edition includes both of these volumes, with identical mastering from the original mono tapes. The side six interview from "Second Night In Tokyo" has never been reissued on any CD edition.
Recorded live on Coltrane's only Japanese tour in July 1966 at two Tokyo venues, Shinjuku Kosei Nenkin Hall and Sankei Hall, it is taken from mono radio broadcasts. Unusually for these players, both Coltrane and Sanders sometimes play alto saxophone in these recordings.
By this point in his career, Coltrane was firmly enmeshed into the avant-garde style of jazz. Sanders, who was an innovator of free jazz, influenced Coltrane's playing through his technical use of overblowing and fierce vibrations of the reed. Both saxophone players use multiphonics, overtones, and other extended musical techniques.
- John Coltrane - soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, percussion
- Alice Coltrane - piano
- Pharoah Sanders - alto and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, percussion
- Jimmy Garrison - bass
- Rashied Ali - drums
All compositions by John Coltrane except as indicated
Disc One
- Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaría) - 38:49 Previously released on Second Night In Tokyo
- Peace on Earth - 26:25 Previously released on Second Night In Tokyo
Disc Two
- Crescent - 54:33 Previously released on Second Night In Tokyo
Disc Three
- Peace on Earth - 25:05 Previously released on Concert in Japan and Coltrane In Japan
- Leo - 44:49 Previously released on Concert in Japan and Coltrane In Japan
Disc Four
- My Favorite Things (Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein II) - 57:19 Previously released on Coltrane In Japan
Notes
Disc 1 & 2 recorded at Sankei Hall, Tokyo, on July 11, 1966
Disc 3 & 4 recorded at Shinjuku Kosei Nenkin Hall, Tokyo, on July 22, 1966
