According to the liner notes of Jazz Casual, very little actual live footage exists of Coltrane and even less with the seminal quartet featured here. Playing with McCoy Tyner (piano), Elvin Jones (drums) and Jimmy Garrison (bass), Coltrane lays down an all-too-brief 23 minute set (originally broadcast on music critic Ralph Gleason's show a few years before the release of "A Love Supreme") that has the power to inspire. Consisting only of three tracks, this set displays exactly the virtuosity on which Coltrane built his reputation, both with his technically brilliant playing and with his tender, subtle phrasing. He moves from lilting passages to distorted, high-pitched squeals easily, taking unpredictability to new heights.

Coltrane's mysticism and clear belief in the purity of musical expression comes across clearly in the program. When Coltrane steps aside and gives Tyner a lengthy piano solo early in the first cut his modesty enhances the piece. Tyner's rhythmic mastery lends this segment a hypnotic quality: He uses repetitive chord changes mixed with a subtle, slow progression to lull the audience while still challenging it. When Coltrane steps back in and brings his sax (soprano on this track, tenor on the rest) back into the mix the effect is both startling and a relief. When he brings the band back to the song's main theme at the end the full-circle feel is breathtaking.

It's obvious watching these masters work their way through these three endlessly complex pieces that this music is a joy to play but that it also takes deep concentration. Not rote memorization but the ability to internalize the themes, chords and concepts so that the music can recreate itself in an organic, truthful way. This short program shows some of the best at their best.

VIDEO:
The black and white video has that early TV look: High contrast, super-saturated blacks. Still, it holds up well and has a beauty of its own. The show is shot in a simply style and still feels modern. It's full-frame.

AUDIO:
The Dolby mix is simple and a bit muted, without the dynamic quality of Coltrane's records. Still, it sounds fine. Only the bass sounds a bit too muted on the recording.

EXTRAS:
There are none.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Even though the program is short (under half and hour) and there are no extras the beauty of the music and the importance of the performances makes it still easily worth it for the jazz fan. Casual listeners or those curious should absolutely rent this disc and get a chance to peek into this amazing style.