Black Pearls is a studio album by American jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1964 on Prestige Records. It was recorded at a single recording session at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Black Pearls
Studio album by John Coltrane
Released	August 1964
Recorded	May 23, 1958
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack
Genre	Jazz
Length	38:53
Label	Prestige PRLP 7316
Producer	Bob Weinstock
John Coltrane chronology
Crescent (1964) Black Pearls (1964) A Love Supreme (1965)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]

On that Friday session, "the songs weren't long enough for a whole album", recalled producer Bob Weinstock in 2001, "so I said 'Let's do a slow blues to finish it out'." Coltrane invited Weinstock to write the song on the spot, but he didn't know music, so Coltrane replied "'Just tell me what you want me to play. Should it go like this?' and he would play some notes. After having played a rough melody, he'd say 'Okay, you wrote it.' That was the genesis of 'Sweet Sapphire Blues'".[4]

The title track is a sustained exhibition of Coltrane's sheets of sound technique during his solo.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Black Pearls" (Coltrane) – 13:13
2. "Lover, Come Back to Me" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) 7:27

Side two

1. "Sweet Sapphire Blues" (Bob Weinstock) – 18:13

Personnel

• John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
• Donald Byrd – trumpet
• Red Garland – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Art Taylor – drums

References

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