Although it is often reported that Coltrane and Hartman had known each other since their days playing with Dizzy Gillespie's band in the late 1940s, the truth is that their time in the band never overlapped. Coltrane might have heard Hartman sing at a 1950 Apollo Theater performance at which they shared the stage.Hartman is the only vocalist with whom the saxophonist would record as a leader. Initially when producer Bob Thiele approached Hartman with Coltrane's request that the two record together Hartman was hesitant as he did not consider himself a jazz singer and did not think he and Coltrane would complement one another musically.However, Thiele encouraged Hartman to go see Coltrane perform at Birdland in New York to see if something could be worked out. Hartman did so, and after the club closed he, Coltrane and Coltrane's pianist, McCoy Tyner, went over some songs together. On March 7, 1963, Coltrane and Hartman had decided on 10 songs for the record album, but en route to the studio they heard Nat King Cole on the radio performing "Lush Life", and Hartman immediately decided that song had to be included in their album.
The compilation was made that same day at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Hartman once said that each song was done in only one take, except for "You Are Too Beautiful", which required two takes because Elvin Jones dropped one of his drumsticks during the first take.In 2005, the raw tapes were reviewed by jazz archivist Barry Kernfeld, who documented there were actually complete alternate takes for all six songs that he considered "absolutely riveting."Until clear ownership of these tapes is established between the Coltrane family and Universal Music, there are no plans for their release.
John Coltrane – tenor sax
Jimmy Garrison – double bass
Johnny Hartman - vocals
Elvin Jones – drums
McCoy Tyner – piano

《独驾蓝色列车曲风试航号》
如果一定要在John Coltrane浩如烟海的录音中，选出一张可以和他经典地位休戚与共的唱片，那么《Blue Train》当选的概率应该超过90%。虽然这种强人所难的选择题，总是会感觉到其趋向变态的实质，但是往好处想，人类也正是有了这种对唯一性的特殊变态追求，才会用一次又一次去芜存精的实际行动，以大浪淘沙的手法去触摸理想化的艺术极限。
回到1957年，这一年对于John Coltrane来说可谓是喜忧参半，喜是大喜、忧是大忧，虽然经过岁月的沉淀之后，后者更像是对前者历练过程中所必须的铺垫，但无论如何，因为毒瘾太重而被Miles Davis开除出五重奏，在当时对于John Coltrane来讲，毕竟不是一件值得举杯相庆的光彩事，况且大器晚成的他，两年前才因为老迈的慧眼才闯出了一些小小的名堂。不过，这次除名事件看起来却并非只是往坏的方面一意孤行，因为紧随其后，John Coltrane却又得遇了另一位贵人Thelonious Monk，并在四月份与这位爵士史上出名的钢琴怪杰，于爵士名厂Riverside录制了《Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane》和《Thelonious Monk&John Coltrane》两张经典的唱片，从而不仅加速了John Coltrane吹奏技艺的更进一步，更在与名家大师开放形地接触中，逐步确立起自己独特和与众不同的演奏手法。而这一点绝对是一个只局限于一个乐团的某君御用乐手在短时间很难再进一步的关键所在，哪怕这个某君是爵士史上鼎鼎大名的Miles Davis也不例外。
而在John Coltrane演奏生涯中，最具划时代意义的当然还是1957年的9月15日，当时与Prestige尚有合约的他，因为受到了Blue Note老板Alfred Lion的亲睐，而由两家公司协商后，以外借身份来到了眼科医生兼录音师的Rudy Van Gelder父母家的客厅（即Blue Note鼎鼎有名的RVG录音室），并在与Blue Note一班名师的合作中，开启了他真正意义上自力更生、特立独行的第一篇章。虽然此前短短的一年多时间，他也以个人名义发行了超过两位数的唱片，但《Blue Train》却是他第一张摆脱Miles Davis阴影并开始勾勒自己风格线条的专辑。
当然，《Blue Train》能够在爵士史上书写如此经典的地位，除了它恰恰处于John Coltrane演绎上升期的一个重要交汇点外，专辑乐手整体的扶持同样功不可莫，这不仅仅是因为录制唱片的其他五位乐手的知名度比较高，毕竟这样的说法太过形而上。其实一个重要的原因还是乐手中有些依然还是Miles Davis旗下的老臣子，这在音乐的磨合上，多少给了John Coltrane心有灵犀的一种前提保障。像与John Coltrane同年出生同年加入老迈五重奏的鼓手Philly Joe Jones，和另一位迈大叔五重奏的御用贝司手Paul Chambers，以及在上世纪五十年代初就曾经和Miles Davis打过江山的钢琴手Kenny Drew。有了这些乐手的配合再加上John Coltrane正值盛年期的创作能力，他想不卖力都不成！小号手则是Lee Morgan这位继承Dizzy Gillespie和Clifford Brown风范的乐手，虽然他统领爵士乐坛的能力难及帅才Miles Davis之项背，但其在吹奏的速度和精准上，却比老迈有过之而无不及。其实，从这张专辑的演绎来看，时年才十九岁的他的确让人眼睛为之一亮，其风芒不仅盖过了该专辑三根管子之一的长号手Curtis Fuller，甚至在与John Coltrane的对手戏中也抢下不少的镜头。
《Blue Train》可以说是John Coltrane探索中形成自我风格的第一张唱片，也是他Bop生涯里最为强势的第一重击。五首曲子有四首出自他的创作，不过在编曲安排上倒是遵循了Blue Note一贯的口味，因此，其不够尽兴也成了部分乐迷对这张经典唱片哧之以鼻的重要理由，但这对正处于风格探索期的John Coltrane做到曲风凝聚倒是无疑中起到了保障作用。主题曲《Blue Train》用三根管子同时吹奏来模拟这列蓝色列车起航时的“号角”声可谓独具匠心，而John Coltrane天马行空、任想像力驰骋的演奏，配合着紧密却平稳的节奏，也让Bop曲风在更简易、更流畅的韵律中，加速了听觉的畅快淋漓之感觉。唯一一首非Johh Coltrane的作品《I’m Old Fashioned》，也是专辑中最为慵懒的一首音乐，却充分显示出John Coltrane演绎风格中尖锐而具有穿透力的特性，尤其是用长乐句造气氛的能力，先是如同溪水流动时清辙的音符和刀锋般的触觉，继而又是灵魂飘离身体的幻觉升起，逐渐将音乐由可触引向了不可触的神秘世界，这想必也正是John Coltrane日后开拓Avant-Garde Jazz的一种先期探索。而专辑中最为叫绝的还是John Coltrane和长号手Curtis Fuller用双主音Blow By Blow演绎醇正Hard Bop的《Locomotion》，AABA的结构，十二小节Blues加属七和弦半音的循序下行，节奏超频、即兴乱眼，堪为这张专辑中对Bop曲风演绎最为成功的一首传统作品。
当然，让这张专辑更显经曲中之独特地位的，是这张专辑居然为John Coltrane唯一一张以个人挂名的形式出现在Blue Note曲库中的专辑。(写的太好,不得不转)
JOHN COLTRANE,tenor saxophone
LEE MORGAN,trumpet
CURTIS FULLER,trombone
KENNY DREW,piano
PAUL CHAMBERS,bass
PHILLY JOE JONES,drums

Saxophone [Tenor] - John Coltrane
Bass - Jimmy Garrison
Drums - Elvin Jones
Piano - McCoy Tyner
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio:
3 & 6 - April 11, 1962
1 & 2 - June 19, 1962
5 - June 20, 1962
4 - June 29, 1962
7 - September 18, 1962
Track 6 and 7 are CD bonus tracks

1962年發行的這張專輯收錄的曲目以Duke Ellington的經典為主，演奏雖以Coltrane的四除奏擔綱，但節奏部分則以Duke Ellington慣常合作的貝斯手Aaron Bell、鼓手Sam Woodyard擔任，聆聽者可由Coltrane的主奏風格中聽到Duke Ellington作品的另一優秀的詮釋，如"In A Sentimental Mood"的高潮迭起，或是"Take A Coltrane"、"Big Nick"與"My Little Brown Book"等讓人記憶深刻的演奏，都值得推薦聆賞。 　 鋼琴手Don Shirley說「雖然Duke Ellington不是上帝，但已不遠矣！」說明了Duke Ellington在爵士樂壇的重要地位，身兼作曲、編曲者及樂隊領班，以無限的才華寫下無數的經典，並創下樂隊50年的榮景。而Coltrane則是以優雅充滿靈性的薩克斯風聲響，不斷超越自我並以豐富的作品建構成音樂版圖的爵士樂巨人，一舉改變人們對爵士演奏的人認知。