John Coltrane Discography - Early Recordings

Early Recordings

Coltrane’s first recordings were with the Jimmy Johnson Big Band and Dexter Culbertson’s U.S. Navy Band in 1945. His first recorded solo was on "Hot House" with Culbertson; it is available on the compilation The Last Giant: Anthology. Coltrane also recorded under the leadership of Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, Dinah Washington and Gay Crosse prior to joining the Miles Davis Quintet.

Most of these recordings were made before the LP (long play record) became the standard format, so the albums listed below were either 78s or LPs released a significant time after their recording. 45s (singles) are listed only if unavailable in other formats.

Earl Bostic

• Earl Bostic and his Orchestra (1952) (78)
• Earl Bostic and his Alto Sax, Vol. 4 (1952) (LP)

Gay Crosse

• Fat Sam from Birmingham b/w Bittersweet (1952) (45)
• Easy Rockin’ b/w G.C. Rock (1952) (45)
• No Better for You b/w Tired of Being Shoved Around (1952) (45)

Dexter Culbertson’s U.S. Navy Band

• Dexter Culbertson’s U.S. Navy Band (1946) (4 unnumbered 78s)

Dizzy Gillespie

• Dee Gee Days: The Savoy Sessions (Savoy, 1951 )
• Strictly Bebop (1950) (78)
• The Complete Recordings with Dizzy (1949-1951) (LP)
• The Champ (1951) (Coltrane on 2 tracks only) (78)
• Trane’s First Ride 1951 (2 volumes) (1951) (LP)
• School Days (1951) (78)
• The Champ (1951) (78)
• Birk’s Works (1951) (LP)

Johnny Hodges

• At a Dance, In the Studio, On the Radio (1954) (78)
• Used to Be a Duke (Coltrane on 2 tracks only) (1954) (78)

Dinah Washington

• The Good Old Days (1949) (45)
• The Blues (1949) (45)
• Fast Movin’ Mama b/w Juice Head Man of Mine (1949) (45)
• The Richest Guy in the Graveyard b/w unknown (1949) (45)