The Believer is a compilation album by John Coltrane released in 1964 by Prestige Records, bringing together recordings made between 1958 and 1959, during the period when Coltrane was still a member of Miles Davis's group. The sessions include musicians such as Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums.
The album stands out for including Coltrane's original composition titled 'The Believer', one of his earliest pieces as a leader. The other tracks are jazz standards and compositions by other authors, showcasing Coltrane's stylistic transition from hard bop toward a more personal and harmonically complex language.
Although not conceived as a unified studio album, The Believer is valued for documenting a crucial stage in Coltrane's evolution. Critics have noted that while it is not a masterpiece, it offers an authentic view of his development as an improviser and composer before reaching the maturity of his later works.