The Believer (John Coltrane album)

The Believer

Studio album by John Coltrane
Released	April 20, 1964
Recorded	December 20, 1957 (4-5) January 10, 1958 (1-2) December 26, 1958 (3)
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:43
Label	Prestige PRLP 7292
Producer	Bob Weinstock and Esmond Edwards (3)

The Believer is a jazz album by John Coltrane released in 1964 on Prestige Records, catalogue 7292. It was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958.^[1]

As Coltrane's profile increased, for several years after his Prestige contract had expired, the label issued new Coltrane's albums. The original album consists of three previously unissued tracks with Coltrane as a leader ("The Believer", "Nakatini Serenade" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?") from two separate recording sessions in 1958.

A CD version of the album released by the Original Jazz Classics label in 1996 has two additional tracks recorded in 1957, "Filidé" and "Paul's Pal", from the 1960 New Jazz Records release The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane, catalogue 8228.

Many versions of the album exist (AllMusic lists nine), including a 2015 vinyl re-release on the Waxtime label (catalogue 772003 LP) and a Japanese CD version with "20bit K2 Mastering". A 2006 digital media release by Prestige includes the two additional tracks from the 1996 CD release, but a 2014 Doxy Records release has only the three original tracks.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	^[3]

A review for AllMusic states: "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... 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."^[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz called the album "a fascinating compilation for early sight and sound of young talent", and observed that "McCoy Tyner is the composer of the title-piece, two years before he joined Coltrane's group."^[3]

Track listing[]

"The Believer" (McCoy Tyner) – 13:51
"Nakatini Serenade" (Calvin Massey) – 11:05
"Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 5:14
"Filidé" (Ray Draper) – 7:18
"Paul's Pal" (Sonny Rollins) – 7:13

Personnel[]

Tracks 1-3

John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Red Garland – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Donald Byrd – trumpet (#1-2)
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet (#3)
Louis Hayes – drums (#1-2)
Art Taylor – drums (#3)

Tracks 4-5

John Coltrane – tenor sax
Gil Coggins – piano
Ray Draper – tuba
Spanky DeBrest – bass
Larry Ritchie – drums

References[]

^ irom (2016-03-24). "Doc's Prescription for 'Trane: John Coltrane-The Believer". The International Review of Music. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Rovi Staff. "John Coltrane: The Believer". AllMusic. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 268.

show v t John Coltrane
Discography
Prestige albums	Mating Call (with Tadd Dameron) Tenor Conclave Coltrane Interplay Wheelin' & Dealin' John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio Soultrane Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette The Cats Lush Life Settin' the Pace Standard Coltrane Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane Stardust Dakar The Believer Black Pearls Bahia The Last Trane Two Tenors
Blue Note albums	Blue Train Coltrane Time
Atlantic albums	Giant Steps Bags & Trane (with Milt Jackson) Coltrane Jazz My Favorite Things Olé Coltrane Coltrane Plays the Blues Coltrane's Sound The Avant-Garde
Impulse! albums	Africa/Brass Coltrane Duke Ellington & John Coltrane Ballads Impressions John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman Crescent A Love Supreme The John Coltrane Quartet Plays Ascension Meditations Kulu Sé Mama
Posthumous albums	Expression Om Cosmic Music (with Alice Coltrane) Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things Transition Sun Ship Infinity Interstellar Space The Africa/Brass Sessions, Volume 2 First Meditations Dear Old Stockholm Stellar Regions Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album Blue World
With Miles Davis	Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet 'Round About Midnight Cookin' Relaxin' Milestones Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants Kind of Blue Jazz Track Workin' Steamin' Someday My Prince Will Come Miles & Monk at Newport Basic Miles At Newport 1958 Jazz at the Plaza Vol. I 1958 Miles Miles Davis Quintet at Peacock Alley
With Thelonious Monk	The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings Thelonious Himself Monk's Music Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
Live albums	"Live" at the Village Vanguard Live at Birdland New Thing at Newport Live at the Village Vanguard Again! Live in Seattle Live in Japan Afro Blue Impressions The Paris Concert The European Tour Live Trane: The European Tours Bye Bye Blackbird Newport '63 The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording Live at the Half Note: One Down, One Up Offering: Live at Temple University
Compilations	Alternate Takes The Best of John Coltrane The Classic Quartet: The Complete Impulse! Recordings Coltrane for Lovers The Coltrane Legacy The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis with John Coltrane The Prestige Recordings Countdown: The Savoy Sessions Dial Africa: The Savoy Sessions Feelin' Good Gold Coast The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings High Step The Major Works of John Coltrane Jupiter Variation Ken Burns Jazz: John Coltrane The Last Giant: Anthology Living Space To the Beat of a Different Drum Trane's Blues Trane's Modes
Compositions	"26-2" "Alabama" "Equinox" "Giant Steps" "Impressions" "Lazy Bird" "Moment's Notice" "Mr. P.C." "Naima" "Ogunde"
Documentaries	The Church of Saint Coltrane The World According to John Coltrane Trane Tracks: The Legacy of John Coltrane Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Related	List of sessions Coltrane changes Sheets of sound Alice Coltrane Ravi Coltrane Dix Hills home Philadelphia house 5893 Coltrane asteroid John W. Coltrane Cultural Society Tribute albums Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

show v t Donald Byrd
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader	Byrd's Eye View (1955) Byrd Jazz (1955) Byrd's Word (1955) Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1956) 2 Trumpets (with Art Farmer, 1956) The Young Bloods (with Phil Woods, 1956) Jazz Eyes (and John Jenkins ao, 1957) Fuego (1959) Byrd in Flight (1960) Free Form (1961) A New Perspective (1963) I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964) Up with Donald Byrd (1964) Mustang! (1966) Blackjack (1967) Slow Drag (1967) Fancy Free (1969) Kofi (1969–70) Ethiopian Knights (1971) Black Byrd (1972) Street Lady (1973) Stepping into Tomorrow (1974) Places and Spaces (1975) Caricatures (1976) Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978) Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979) Love Byrd (1981) Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1982) Harlem Blues (1987) Getting Down to Business (1989) A City Called Heaven (1991)
With Pepper Adams	10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (1958) Off to the Races (1959) Byrd in Hand (1959) At the Half Note Cafe (1960) Motor City Scene (1960) Out of This World (1961) Chant (1961) The Cat Walk (1961) Royal Flush (1961) The Creeper (1967) Electric Byrd (1970)
With The Jazz Messengers	The Jazz Messengers (1956) Originally (1956) Art Blakey Big Band (1957) Holiday for Skins (2 volumes, 1958)
With Gigi Gryce	At Newport (and Cecil Taylor, 1957) Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside, 1957) Jazz Lab (Columbia album) (1957) Jazz Lab (Jubilee album) (1957 [1958]) Modern Jazz Perspective (with Jackie Paris, 1957) New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (1957)
With Jackie McLean	Lights Out! (1956) 4, 5 and 6 (1956) New Soil (1959) Jackie's Bag (1959) Vertigo (1963)
With Hank Mobley	The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956) Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956) Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957) Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Hank (1957) No Room for Squares (1963) Straight No Filter (1963) The Turnaround! (1963) Far Away Lands (1967)
With others	Discoveries/Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Cannonball Adderley, 1955) Jammin' with Gene (Gene Ammons, 1956) All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956) All Day Long (Kenny Burrell, 1957) 2 Guitars (Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney, 1957) Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956) Paul Chambers Quintet (1957) Sonny's Crib (Sonny Clark, 1957) My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1959) Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955) Lush Life (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Believer (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Last Trane (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Black Pearls (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Davis Cup (Walter Davis Jr., 1959) Wailing With Lou (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957) All Mornin' Long (Red Garland, 1957) Soul Junction (Red Garland, 1957) High Pressure (Red Garland, 1957) One Flight Up (Dexter Gordon, 1964) Ladybird (Dexter Gordon, 1965) Snap Your Fingers (Al Grey, 1962) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (Guru, 1993) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guru, 1994–95) My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1993) Tone Tantrum (Gene Harris, 1977) Swamp Seed (Jimmy Heath, 1963) Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956) African High Life (Solomon Ilori, 1963) Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Ahmad Jamal, 1994 or 1995) Quartet-Quintet (Hank Jones, 1955) Bluebird (Hank Jones, 1955) TV Action Jazz! (Mundell Lowe, 1959) The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959) Goin' Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery, 1965) Hush! (Duke Pearson, 1962) Wahoo! (Duke Pearson, 1964) Another One/Oscar Pettiford Volume 2 (1955) Winner's Circle (Oscar Pettiford, et al, 1957) Blues in Trinity (Dizzy Reece, 1958) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956) Dimensions & Extensions (Sam Rivers, 1967) Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 (1956) Don't Stop the Carnival (Sonny Rollins, 1978) Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956) 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957) Taylor's Wailers (Art Taylor, 1957) Soul Sauce (Cal Tjader, 1964) A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967) Top Brass (Ernie Wilkins, 1955) Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956)

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