Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album cover

Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album

John Coltrane · 2018

47 min · 7 tracks · post-bop · free jazz · hard bop

A vibrant exploration of Coltrane's free jazz ethos, blending raw improvisation with melodic introspection.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • wave-like pacing with dynamic shifts
  • improvisational journeys of exploration
  • introspective moments of melodic depth
  • late-night reflective listening experience

Maybe skip if you want

  • prefer straightforward song structures
  • seek immediate gratification in music

Where this album fits

Themes
modal jazz exploration· 1960s spiritual quest· improvisational mastery
Career context
Released posthumously in 2018, 'Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album' captures John Coltrane during a prolific period in the mid-1960s. This session, recorded in 1963, showcases his innovative approach to modal jazz and reflects his artistic evolution following landmark albums like 'A Love Supreme'.
Stylistic neighbors
Pharoah Sanders· Ornette Coleman· Albert Ayler
Sounds like this from elsewhere
Spiritual Unity by Albert Ayler — Explores similar free jazz improvisation with a deeply spiritual and emotive undercurrent.
Karma by Pharoah Sanders — Shares a focus on modal exploration and spiritual themes through extended improvisational forms.
In a Silent Way by Miles Davis — Combines atmospheric soundscapes with a blend of modal jazz and innovative improvisation.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Untitled Original 11383 5:41
  • 2 Nature Boy 3:23
  • 3 Untitled Original 11386 8:38
  • 4 Vilia 5:32
  • 5 Impressions 4:31
  • 6 Slow Blues 11:26
  • 7 One Up, One Down 7:58

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata