Essential… 2LP

This compilation draws mostly from Coltrane's Impulse! years, the stretch of the 1960s where he covered the most ground: the Duke Ellington session gives up 'In a Sentimental Mood,' the Johnny Hartman collaboration supplies 'My One and Only Love' and 'You're a Weaver of Dreams,' and originals like 'Crescent' and 'Impressions' sit alongside 'Alabama,' his response to the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. It closes on the Atlantic-era 'My Favorite Things,' which puts the whole arc, ballads, originals, and protest, across two discs.