1. Say It (Over And Over Again)
2. You Don't Know What Love Is
3. Too Young To Go Steady
4. All Or Nothing At All
5. I Wish I Knew
6. What's New
7. It's Easy To Remember
8. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
9. Naima
10. Why Was I Born?
11. Everytime We Say Goodbye
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
More than most tribute albums, singer Karrin Allyson's remembrance of John Coltrane makes a genuine attempt to relate to its subject--not only in retracing his 1961 offering, Ballads, song by song and luxuriating in the deep, swelling tenor sounds of Bob Berg and James Carter, but also in giving the tunes plenty of room to breathe. Resisting the temptation to dress them up with overt displays of style, she approaches them in a straightforward, emotionally understated fashion, capturing their essence with taste and intelligence. In the end, Allyson doesn't have quite enough color or depth to sustain such a long set of slow stuff (the album, also featuring Steve Wilson on soprano sax, concludes with three other ballads associated with Trane, notably his classic "Naima"). This is a singer who needs to breathe as much as sigh. But taken individually or in short doses, songs such as "Say It (Over and Over Again)" and "What's New" impart an exquisite sense of control. Allyson's radiant high notes never fail to move you. --Lloyd Sachs
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Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2001-05-22)
- Publisher: Concord Records
- Label: Concord Records
- Studio: Concord Records
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 44 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #8468
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: I Listen to It Over and Over Again 2008-08-24
Comment: Karrin Allyson is my wife's favorite jazz singer - which simply says that there's no accounting for taste, (but if that sounds like the beginning of a negative review, read on). To my ears, Ms Allyson's voice is a little too thin, a little too wispy, a little too limited in range, a little too little - and seeing her live at least half a dozen times, hasn't changed my opinion. But she makes the most of what she's got, has great diction, and has what Glenn Astarita calls, "near flawless phraseology." Bottom line: Great singers don't necessarily have great voices. Ms Allyson is a great singer.
"Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane," is a wonderful album. Tracking the great saxophonist's "Ballads" album, Ms Allyson's homage is nigh-on perfect. Backed by James Williams, (piano); John Petitucci, (bass); Lewis Nash, (drums); and with Bob Berg, James Carter and Steve Wilson at various times holding down Mr Coltrane's spot on the sax - Ms Allyson's album can only be described as lovely. And, like the first cut on the record, "Say It (Over and Over Again)," I listen to it over and over again. I bet you will too.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
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Summary: karrin allyson and james carter 2008-07-28
Comment: with the recent release of john coltrane's ballads, from the original recording, this is the right time to mention karrin allyson's recording of his songs.
interestingly, allyson has chosen to record the eight songs in the order of appearance on coltrane's recording. additions to the coltrane ballads recording, are naima, why was i born?, and everytime we say goodbye.
i'd be out of my league were i to talk of pitch, timber and tone. so let me just say that as a lover of coltrane's ballads (you can't begin to imagine my disappointment over years in asking at record stores for a cd not yet made) she sounds alright to me.
and james carter on say it, all or nothing at all, and naima, is just icing on the cake.
tell karrin allyson, i love her.
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Too Young to Go Steady 2008-06-14
Comment: If her version of this song doesn't break your heart you may not have one to break.
Haunting album, beautifully rendered, with fine musicians behind her.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: "Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane", Karrin Allyson 2008-02-27
Comment: Worth buying just for the cut of "Too Young to Go Steady".
John Coltrane had demonstrated what could be done with a teenage pop tune from the early 1950's. How well I remember that!
Allyson sings in mood of Coltrane's (instrumental)album.
Mood & style can get monotonous across all the selections - but she was covering Coltrane's album.
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Awsome 2007-09-27
Comment: This is certainly one of Karrin's best CDs, perhaps only second to "From Paris to Rio". I have been disappointed by much of her newer stuff, which I attribute no so much to her vocal ability as the selection of material.
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Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
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