Coltrane  by John Coltrane

The 1957 album Coltrane (often also referred to as First Trane!) marks John Coltrane's debut as a band leader. It was recorded on May 31, 1957, at the legendary studio of Rudy Van Gelder and was released by Prestige Records in September of the same year. The ensemble included Johnnie Splawn on trumpet, Sahib Shihab on baritone saxophone, Paul Chambers (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), while Red Garland and Mal Waldron alternated on the piano.

The recording was made at a critical time for Coltrane, shortly after he had been removed from the Miles Davis quintet due to addiction, and it marks the beginning of his "spiritual awakening." The album primarily belongs to the hard bop idiom with a strong rhythm and improvisational energy.

The album includes two original compositions by him: Straight Street and Chronic Blues, the titles of which refer to his personal struggle for heroin addiction recovery.