The Bethlehem Years

Bethlehem Records was a New York–based independent record label active in the 1950s and ’60s. It boasted an impressive array of jazz talent, including Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Mel Tormé, Dexter Gordon, and many others. Shout! Factory is proud to be reissuing some of the key Bethlehem albums.

The Bethlehem Years is a compilation of sessions featuring tenor saxophone legend John Coltrane and made for the Bethlehem label in 1957. These little-heard recordings, which catch Trane just after he recorded the monumental album Blue Train, offer a revealing look at the sax player in large-group settings, as part of the Poll Winners group and Art Blakey’s Big Band. Taken together, these underexposed recordings add to our understanding and enjoyment of one of the leading figures in modern jazz.