Photo Credit: Herb Snitzer

A previously unheard set of live music featuring the John Coltrane Quintet performing during a month-long August 1961 residency at the highly regarded Village Gate venue in Greenwich Village, N.Y., will be unveiled on July 13, 2023, via Impulse Records and UMe. As a preview of the impending 80-minute set, Evening at the Village Gate, listen to “Impressions” below. 

The recording from the quintet’s live performance was recently unearthed from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ sound archive. On the album, listeners will hear Coltrane play alongside Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman and Elvis Jones on a series of five tracks. 

Featured is a stunning delivery of “When Lights Are Low,” which finds Dolphy’s bass clarinet wailing from start to finish. Also included is the only known non-studio recording of the esteemed Coltrane composition, “Africa,” from the celebrated 1961 Africa/Bass album. The set also includes a cut of “My Favorite Things” and “Greensleeves.”

In addition to previously unheard live music, the Evening at the Village Gate package will include essays from two individuals who attended the band’s Village Gate residency. They will add their stories into the mix to paint in order to paint an accurate picture of the event. Ashley Kahn, Branford Marsalis and Lakecia Benjamin will also provide linear notes. 

Pre-order Evening at the Village Gate now. Listen to “Impressions” below.

Scroll down to view the complete tracking list.

Evening at the Village Gate Track List:

  1. My Favorite Things
  2. When Lights Are Low
  3. Impressions
  4. Greensleeves
  5. Africa