Saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, along with Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Charilie Parker, is widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 21st century and one of the foundational pillars of this uniquely American musical form. 2026 is the 100th anniversary of Coltrane’s birth and the centennial is being marked by the release of recorded music and numerous concerts celebrating his career and his impact on American music. It’s hard to think of a jazz saxophone player who has not been influenced by Coltrane’s legacy, be it stylistically or spiritually. Joe Lovano, who led the band last night during the ‘Coltrane at 100’ performance at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, is a confirmed Coltrane disciple, having recorded a number of albums dedicated to the late, great jazzman’s compositions. It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to pay tribute to the legacy of John Coltrane.
Lovano’s band Tuesday night was more than up to the task of tackling Coltrane’s challenging and varied catalog, from the bluesy hard bop of ‘Locomotion’, through the freewheeling improvisation of Coltrane’s ‘Love Supreme’ era material, to the lush romanticism of ‘Naima’, reportedly Coltrane’s favorite of his compositions, titled after and in honor of his first wife.
The band featured Melissa Aldana on second tenor sax (splitting duties with Lovano), bassist Linda May Han Oh, South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and Jeffry ‘Tain’ Watts on drums. While the entire band was stellar, I would single out pianist Nduduzo and Jeffry Watts on drums as being particularly well suited to Coltrane’s compositions and playing style. Nduduzo is clearly inspired by the playing of McCoy Tyner, Coltrane’s pianist in his classic 60’s quartet, along with Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison. Nduduzo incorporates Tyner-esque percussive open chords in tandem with fleet melodic runs while somehow maintaining his own Afrocentric voice. I found his playing thrilling and delightful, actually breaking into a chuckle over one particularly witty and well executed passage. Watt’s on drums is another indispensable component in the band, swinging in a bluesy fashion, ala Philly Joe Jones, on the early period Coltrane composition ‘Locomotion’, shifting into unmistakable Elvin Jones type rolling polyrhythms during the ‘Love Supreme Era’ portion of the program, and adopting a suitably ‘free’ Rashied Ali type attack during the more improvisational, exploratory sections of the band’s set. Watts is, for my money, one of the very finest drummers working in jazz today. His playing, especially in conjunction with Linda May Han Oh’s bass stylings, conveys the feeling of dancing. I will confess that my toes were tapping under my seat for the bulk of the set last night, and for that I credit the superb rhythm section.
