John Coltrane - The Tiberi Tapes! (Impulse)

[EKE BBB]

JOHN COLTRANE

The Tiberi Tapes: A Preview of the Mythic Recordings

Event: RECORD STORE DAY 2026
Release Date: 4/18/2026
Format: LP
Label: Verve/Impulse!
Quantity: 6000
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

Among the most fabled and mythologized recordings of the last 65 years, the private recordings of John Coltrane’s group made by musician Frank Tiberi in the early 1960s have long been the subject of jazz world rumor and intense speculation. Tiberi followed Coltrane and his Classic Quartet into clubs in New York and Philadelphia, capturing the otherworldly music being created nightly on his portable tape recorder.
For the first time ever, these recordings will be made available in September 2026 as part of John Coltrane’s Centennial celebrations. For Record Store Day 2026, we’re offering a single LP preview of these historic recordings—a project that will undoubtedly grow and enhance the legend of John Coltrane.
 

Tracklist
SIDE A:
1. Giant Steps (13:51)
SIDE B:
2. Satellite (11:44)

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/19994

Edited 23 hours ago by EKE BBB

[Milestones]

I don't mean to sound grumpy, but two songs?  And I always thought "Satellite" was one of Trane's lesser compositions.

 

  

[EKE BBB]

Allegedly, this is just a teaser for the September 2026 release of the complete (?) tapes.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

Oh dear, does this mean the Tiberi material will all be pricey, limited edition vinyl?  

[Milestones]

OK, I see I skimmed the info.

But how revelatory will this be?  And what price are we dealing with?

 

 

[felser]

17 minutes ago, Milestones said:

I don't mean to sound grumpy, but two songs?  And I always thought "Satellite" was one of Trane's lesser compositions.  

+1 on both counts.

[John L]

29 minutes ago, Milestones said:

I don't mean to sound grumpy, but two songs?  And I always thought "Satellite" was one of Trane's lesser compositions.

 

  

Actually, my reaction was just the opposite.  Holy shit!!  As far as I know, there have so far been no known Coltrane live recordings of either of those two songs.  Am I wrong?

[JSngry]

Put me down for the full release. That's a no-brainer!

[mhatta]

I knew there was a live recording of Giant Steps with very poor sound quality (it must be somewhere on YouTube), but I don't know if it's the same one Tiberi recorded. I knew nothing at all about a live recording of Satellite.
I disagree with everyone about Satellite; it's a composition I really like. I think it has a sentimental yet futuristic soaring melody. Though the core is How High The Moon, of course.

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Put me down for the full release. That's a no-brainer!

All 86 of them??

[JSngry]

There won't be all of that, at least not at once.

I hope...

But if I was still working and there was, then yes?

 

This was right after Trane got back from Paris with Miles. where he blew the lid off of everything. So now he went ahead and got busy with his own band, working out his own math. A crucial time, and I for one will be interested in all of it I can afford (and maybe some I can't...)

 

[John L]

1 hour ago, mhatta said:

I knew there was a live recording of Giant Steps with very poor sound quality (it must be somewhere on YouTube), but I don't know if it's the same one Tiberi recorded. I knew nothing at all about a live recording of Satellite.
I disagree with everyone about Satellite; it's a composition I really like. I think it has a sentimental yet futuristic soaring melody. Though the core is How High The Moon, of course.

Yes, there is one on YouTube.  Somehow I missed it.    

[clifford_thornton]

26 minutes total on one LP? That's a little stingy. I do look forward to more, and will hold out until that happens.

[Guy Berger]

This is very exciting though I’ll wait until there is a bigger release

[hbbfam]

I read that a significant part of this collection is of poor SQ.  So maybe the release will consist of what recordings are worthhy?

[clifford_thornton]

I have read that as well, so it's fair to assume an expanded selection won't cover a huge portion of the tapes.

[Pim]

I hope for a box with the best recordings. I’d say it would be fair to put out the rest as an additional download?

[EKE BBB]

According to one person with access to “inside information”:

”Understand that the eventual release in September will not include all the Tiberi recordings. I was told by someone that some of the recordings are technically not of the best quality. Some are just excerpts, for example.”

BTW: here's the expected cover for the "April teaser":

Edited 6 hours ago by EKE BBB

[ghost of miles]

1 hour ago, EKE BBB said:

According to one person with access to “inside information”:

”Understand that the eventual release in September will not include all the Tiberi recordings. I was told by someone that some of the recordings are technically not of the best quality. Some are just excerpts, for example.”

BTW: here's the expected cover for the "April teaser":

My guess is that they've distilled Tiberi's original 86-CD-R transfer stash to something in the neighborhood of 4-8 CDs for general release? And I'd also imagine that modern audio clean-up technology has made whatever they're going to put out more listenable, as opposed to what was available in 2000 when the transfers were originally made. This is a really big deal--the Tiberi tapes have been akin to Dean Benedetti's Charlie Parker recordings for Coltrane fans. 

[John L]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

My guess is that they've distilled Tiberi's original 86-CD-R transfer stash to something in the neighborhood of 4-8 CDs for general release? And I'd also imagine that modern audio clean-up technology has made whatever they're going to put out more listenable, as opposed to what was available in 2000 when the transfers were originally made. This is a really big deal--the Tiberi tapes have been akin to Dean Benedetti's Charlie Parker recordings for Coltrane fans. 

Yes, and now we need Mosaic to come along and do the exact same thing that they did for the Dean Beneditti recordings!

[jazzbo]

As they used to say on Seinfeld "Not bloody likely!" I think Mosaic would be priced out of that opportunity.

[Niko]

3 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

My guess is that they've distilled Tiberi's original 86-CD-R transfer stash to something in the neighborhood of 4-8 CDs for general release? And I'd also imagine that modern audio clean-up technology has made whatever they're going to put out more listenable, as opposed to what was available in 2000 when the transfers were originally made. This is a really big deal--the Tiberi tapes have been akin to Dean Benedetti's Charlie Parker recordings for Coltrane fans. 

that's also what I think... the way I understand it, the Tiberi tapes cover different visits of Coltrane to Philly (or Tiberi to NY) so it could also be an option to have different releases for the different occasions... for instance, the preview belongs to a visit to Philly in July 1960 of Coltrane with Tyner/Davis/La Roca from which there are about 3-4 hours the way I read the Coltrane Reference... so that could be a nice set of 2/3/4 CDs... and then there could be 1961 set, 1962 set etc... something like that would make me happier than a download option for 86 CDs.