Jazz star Ravi Coltrane gets set for his only UK date at the Sage Gateshead; The show represents a real scoop for Sage Gateshead and Ravi is taking leave from an Italian tour to play the venue.
Byline: Alan Nichol
New York-born jazz saxophonist/composer/bandleader, Ravi Coltrane, takes leave from a short tour of Italy to play a single UK concert at Sage Gateshead's Hall 2 next Wednesday night.
The show represents a real scoop for the Gateshead venue. Ravi is the second son of John and Alice Coltrane and it would be difficult to imagine a more illustrious jazz music pedigree.
His parents, aside from being iconic jazz musicians were both profoundly spiritual individuals, bestowed the first name in honour of the highly influential -- and equally spiritual -- Indian sitar virtuoso, Ravi Shankar.
Ravi Coltrane was only two years old when his pre-eminent father died (in 1967 at the tragically young age of 40) but a combination of genetics, nurture by his highly accomplished mother -- a pianist, organist, harpist and composer with two dozen albums as a bandleader plus more with her husband -- and years of study and hard work have forged an impressive career.
The family moved to California when he was very young and after graduating embarked on his musical career. Since his early days as a sideman in (ace drummer and John Coltrane alumnus) Elvin Jones' band, he has recorded dozens of albums with a range of other top-class musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Terence Blanchard, David Murray, Steve Coleman and played live with many more.
The Grammy-nominated Coltrane, who like his father also plays alto-sax and clarinet, was a member of the Blue Note 7 and fronts the Saxophone Summit in tandem with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman. Coltrane is also co-founder/owner of the independent RKM record label, producing several acts for the label.
Coltrane encouraged his mother to return to the recording studio after a decade or so hiatus to make the album, Translinear Light (2004), for what was her final studio album (she died three years later).
Ravi played on and produced the record which contained a couple of John Coltrane compositions, Crescent and Light.
Ravi's own most recent album was Spirit of Fiction (2012) for Blue Note and is his sixth as bandleader. The album was produced by his friend and fellow saxophonist, Joe Lovano.
Coltrane's stellar combo for this show comprises Adam Rogers (guitar), Scott Colley (bass) and Nate Smith (drums) -- each of whom has an unimpeachably impressive musical CV -- and the gig has significant personal symmetry for the leader.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the release of arguably John Coltrane's...
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