Ballads (John Coltrane album)

Ballads
Studio album by John Coltrane
Released	End of January/early February 1963
Recorded	December 21, 1961; September 18 and November 13, 1962 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre	Jazz
Length	32:18
Label	Impulse! A-32
Producer	Bob Thiele
John Coltrane chronology
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1962)Duke Ellington & John Coltrane1962 Ballads (1962) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963)John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman1963

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Down Beat (Original Lp release)
Allmusic
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

Ballads is a jazz album by John Coltrane. It was recorded in December 1961 and 1962, and released on the Impulse! label in 1963 as A-32 (mono) and later AS-32 (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". Each piece was recorded in one take, except for "All or Nothing at All". In 2008, the album was a recipient of the Grammy Hall of Fame award.

Track listing

1. "Say It (Over and Over Again)" (Frank Loesser)– 4:18
2. "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene DePaul)– 5:15
3. "Too Young to Go Steady" (Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson)– 4:23
4. "All or Nothing at All" (Arthur Altman)– 3:39
5. "I Wish I Knew" (Harry Warren)– 4:54
6. "What's New?" (Bob Haggart)– 3:47
7. "It's Easy to Remember" (Richard Rodgers)– 2:49
8. "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" (Jimmy Van Heusen)– 3:10

Personnel

• John Coltrane – tenor 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