John Coltrane’s Ascension Review: Both 1966 Versions Come Together on Verve’s Superb 2LP Vault Edition

How would you follow up after making one of the most influential recordings in jazz history? If you were John Coltrane, you would confound all expectations, releasing one of the most challenging, complex pieces of music to date in his career one year after January 1965’s A Love Supreme.

His first “free jazz”-leaning release, February 1966’s Ascension, was far from an unstructured free-for-all, but it inevitably divided audiences. Add in the fact that Coltrane decided he preferred an earlier take, resulting in a remastered repress being rushed to market, and a wonderfully confusing legacy of jazz collecting and listening ensued.

My introduction to the free jazz universe was, in fact, through Ascension (and I thank one of my older brothers for turning me on to it and explaining how to listen to/appreciate it). It wasn’t until years later that I learned of the different versions. Thus far, I only own a very clean 2nd press from that initial rollout (with “Edition II” etched in the deadwax) and a pretty nice monaural pressing of “Edition I” (which has no etching in the deadwax at all!).

If all this sounds confusing, don’t worry: it is! But fortunately, there are fine liner notes by writer (and former professor of music at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ) Lewis Porter in the fine-sounding new 2LP “Verve Vault” edition of Ascension, which explain everything. Apparently, this is the first time both versions are being presented together on vinyl (a complete CD edition was released back in 2000, which I also own).

This is a good-sounding reissue, arguably better than my originals due to sympathetic remastering and quiet vinyl. It is an almost all-analog production, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal in Germany from new lacquers cut from original sources by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound. I used the term “almost” intentionally, as we learn from the liner notes that Side 2 of “Edition II” features a new digital reassembly of a key performance moment.

While the packaging features the original album art, it is not the same sort of laminated deluxe sleeve presentation that we’ve become accustomed to from Universal Music’s Acoustic Sounds and Tone Poet reissues. This flat, matte-style cover is nice but crafted in a simpler, more modern aesthetic, which no doubt helps keep costs down.

Do you need this new 2LP edition? If you are a “completist” collector who already owns Editions I and II on original vinyl, the answer is probably yes. If you always wanted both versions on vinyl but have grown weary of trying to find a reasonably priced, good-condition copy (the album doesn’t show up frequently in used stores), this is a perfectly fine reissue, which recreates the original labels (in not quite the right orange color, but that is a nitpick) and even includes an “Edition II” etching in the Disc 2 deadwax.

You can order then new 2LP edition of John Coltrane’s Ascension at Amazon for $37.99.

Our Ratings

★★★★★★★★★★ Music

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound

★★★★★★★★★★ Packaging

Where to Buy

Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc.  You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.