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On November 23, 1961, critic John A. Tynan, wrote the following statement in Down Beat magazine: "At Hollywood's Renaissance Club recently, I listened to a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend exemplified by these foremost proponents of what is termed avant-garde music. Coltrane and Dolphy seem intent on deliberately destroying swing. I heard a good rhythm section go to waste behind the nihilistic exercises of the two horns. They seem bent on pursuing an anarchistic course in their music that can but be termed anti-jazz." Considering that Coltrane's exploratory style was constantly pushing the established norms of the genre, it isn't terribly surprising that many critics during the period simply didn't understand what he was doing. The wide range of contrasting opinions between critics is exemplified by the first review of the 1961 Village Vanguard sessions. While a modern critic like Len Lyons included Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard among the 101 best jazz recordings ever in his book that was issued in the '80s, the album originally received two different reviews in Down Beat. Ira Gitler gave it a rating of 2 and a half stars, while Pete Welding awarded it 3 and a half. Both critics felt that Side A contained decent music, while Side B, featuring "Chasin' the Trane" as the only tune, was a "failure". "One of the noblest failures on record", stated Welding, acknowledging Trane's efforts in expanding his own idiom, while Gitler just labelled it as "monotonous, a treadmill to the Kingdom of Boredom". This is interesting, especially considering that Len Lyons openly says he included Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard among the 101 best jazz recordings mostly because of "Trane's sixteen-minute solo on 'Chasin' the Trane', one of his best performances on record".