Impulse! · in the Kissa Kissa racks
Ascension
| Recorded | Jun 28, 1965 |
|---|---|
| Label | Impulse! |
| Released | 1965 |
| Personnel | 11 credited players |
| Discogs | master 33212 |
The record
An eleven-piece frontline detonation that pushed the classic quartet into free-jazz territory, stacking solos and collective roars across two takes later issued in different edition orders. The turning point where Coltrane's spiritual searching became communal, clearing ground for Sanders, Shepp, and the New Thing to follow.
Session personnel
- John Tchicai — alto saxophone
- Marion Brown — alto saxophone
- Art Davis — bass
- Jimmy Garrison — bass
- Elvin Jones — drums
- McCoy Tyner — piano
- Archie Shepp — tenor saxophone
- John Coltrane — tenor saxophone
- Pharoah Sanders — tenor saxophone
- Dewey Johnson — trumpet
- Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
Contemporary reception
No period review located yet. The vintage-press pipeline searches DownBeat, Cash Box, and Billboard for this session.
Pressings
We hold no US original-era LP for this title. The earliest pressing on file is a 1966 UK His Master's Voice CSD 3543 in stereo, with a Japanese Impulse! SH-3076 the same year. The first US Impulse! LP we list is AS-95 in 1972, and a 1971 French AS-95 gatefold reissue predates even that. From there it is MCA territory -- MCA-29020 in 1980. Impulse! has kept AS-95 in print, with stereo gatefold pressings listed in 2015 and 2025.
Showing the first pressing, audiophile reissues and copies carrying a collector marker, out of 50 pressings on file.
| 1966 | His Master's Voice · CSD 3543 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo earliest on file |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Impulse! · AS-95 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold · RVG stamp; gatefold |
| 1987 | Impulse! · 254 618-2 — CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered · RVG stamp |
| 2000 | Impulse! · 543 413-2 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2000 | Impulse! · 314 543 413-2 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2000 | Impulse! · 543 413-2 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2000 | Impulse! · 314 543 413-2 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak; PMDC · RVG stamp |
| 2000 | Impulse! · 314 543 413-2 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Stereo, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2001 | Impulse! · UCCI-9014 — CD, Album, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Paper Sleeve · RVG stamp; gatefold |
| 2009 | Impulse! · B0012402-02 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2009 | Impulse! · 0602517920248 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2009 | Impulse! · 0602517920248 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue · RVG stamp |
| 2009 | Impulse! · 0602517920248 — CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Digipak · RVG stamp |
| 2026 | Impulse! · A-95 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered · RVG stamp; gatefold |
Follow the players
John Tchicai also plays on
Marion Brown also plays on
Art Davis also plays on