The Paris Concert (John Coltrane album)

The Paris Concert is a live album by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in Paris, France, on November 23, 1961. It was released in 1972 on the Pablo label.

The album features Coltrane’s classic quartet: John Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The performance captures the band at a particularly intense and exploratory period in their development.

The album comprises two extended performances: "Mr. P.C." and "The Inch Worm." "Mr. P.C." is a blues-based tune, originally a Coltrane composition dedicated to bassist Paul Chambers. This version highlights the quartet's improvisational prowess and rhythmic interplay. "The Inch Worm," a Frank Loesser composition from the film Hans Christian Andersen, is transformed by Coltrane into a vehicle for spiritual and modal exploration. It showcases Coltrane's soprano saxophone playing and the quartet's ability to find new depths within familiar melodies.

The Paris Concert is considered a significant document of Coltrane's 1961 European tour and is highly regarded by jazz enthusiasts for its energy, innovation, and the interplay between the members of Coltrane’s quartet.