Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane comes to the Chan Centre, February 28

Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane leads an ensemble through his late mother’s final album

By emily lyth

Ravi Coltrane. Photo by Erin O’Brien

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts presents Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane at the Chan Shun Concert Hall on February 28 at 8 pm

BORN IN DETROIT, Michigan in 1937, pianist, organist, harpist, singer, and composer Alice Coltrane was a true pioneer of the jazz harp, an instrument seldom seen in the genre. With over 20 album releases to her name, her unique spiritual style blended jazz with gospel and classical influences.

In 1965, she married legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, with whom she had three children. In their short time together before John’s death in 1967, Alice served as pianist of the John Coltrane quartet, contributing to several performances and recordings. She later went on to embrace a life of spirituality, adopting the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda and forming a spiritual community in California’s Santa Monica Mountains.

Now Alice and John’s middle son, Grammy Award–nominated saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, is carrying on the matriarch’s legacy with Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane. The performance will come to Vancouver on February 28 in a presentation by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Released in 2004, Translinear Light was Alice’s last studio recording before her death in 2007. With Ravi’s encouragement to pursue the project (he ultimately produced it as well), the album brought her out of a 26-year hiatus from commercial music. It features Alice on piano and Wurlitzer organ, Ravi on tenor saxophone, and Alice and John’s youngest son, Oranyan Coltrane, on alto saxophone.

Over the span of his career, Ravi has released six studio albums and collaborated with artists such as McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron, and more. He is based in Brooklyn, New York, where he co-leads a project called Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman.

Ravi will be joined for his upcoming performance at the Chan Shun Concert Hall by an ensemble made up of harpist Brandee Younger, bassist Rashaan Carter, pianist and keyboardist Gadi Lehavi, and drummer Ele Howell.  

Translinear Light.

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