Ballads is a special Coltrane masterpiece and consistent best-seller, recorded in December 1961 with Coltrane’s classic quartet - pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones. When asked why such an undertaking, Coltrane replied, "variety." The recording captures the famed quartet in a performance of timeless ballads. Coltrane was one of jazz's greatest ballad players, and his lyrical gifts are in sharp relief here.