Ballads (album)

Ballads is a jazz album by the John Coltrane Quartet. It was recorded in December 1961 and 1962, and released on the Impulse! label in 1963 as A-32 and later AS-32 (the "s" is for "stereo"). Critic Gene Lees stated that the quartet had never played the tunes before. "They arrived with music-store sheet music of the songs" and just before the recordings, they "would discuss each tune, write-out copies of the changes they'd use, semi-rehearse for a half hour and then do it". All the pieces were recorded in one take, except for "All or Nothing at All".

Track listing

 * 1) "Say It (Over and Over Again)" (Jimmy McHugh) – 4:18
 * 2) * Frank Loesser wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 3) "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene DePaul) – 5:15
 * 4) * Don Raye wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 5) "Too Young to Go Steady" (Jimmy McHugh) – 4:23
 * 6) * Harold Adamson wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 7) "All or Nothing at All" (Arthur Altman) – 3:39
 * 8) * Jack Lawrence wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 9) "I Wish I Knew" (Harry Warren) – 4:54
 * 10) * Mack Gordon wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 11) "What's New?" (Bob Haggart) – 3:47
 * 12) * Johnny Burke wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 13) "It's Easy to Remember" (Richard Rodgers) – 2:49
 * 14) * Lorenz Hart wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.
 * 15) "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" (Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:10
 * 16) * Phil Silvers wrote lyrics for this song, but this recording is instrumental.

Personnel

 * John Coltrane – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
 * McCoy Tyner – piano
 * Jimmy Garrison (#1-6, 8), Reggie Workman (#7) – bass
 * Elvin Jones – drums

Additional personnel

 * Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
 * Jim Marshall – photography