Today, John William Coltrane is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz. But when he first appeared in the line-up of Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra in the late 1940s, nobody would have thought that this shy young man in his early twenties would develop into an iconic musician within a decade.

The album presents John Coltrane at the height of his solo career, although there is of course more important music by him.

This album was recorded on September 15, 1957 in Hackensack, New Jersey. The line-up included Coltrane's colleagues from the Miles Davis Band, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, as well as Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone) and Kenny Drew (piano). All compositions were written by Coltrane, with the exception of the standard "I'm Old Fashioned". The title track is a long, rhythmically varying blues with a sentimental theme that gradually reveals the main key during Coltrane's first chorus. "Locomotion" is also a blues-like melody in four-four time.

A1 Blue Train
A2 Moment'S Notice
B1 Locomotion
B2 I'M Old Fashioned
B3 Lazy Bird