Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
Branford Marsalis with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
(Photo: Courtesy New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival)The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a bounteous banquet of music, from local New Orleans and Louisiana bayou artists to guest headliners like Lenny Kravitz and Santana, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And even if you focus primarily on the lineups in the WWOZ Jazz Tent, over the course of two four-day weekends it’s impossible to see everyone on your short list.
Among the acts I was especially sorry to miss: Nicholas Payton; George Wein Centennial, featuring Randy Brecker; Adonis Rose & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra; and Kermit Ruffins’ Tribute to Louis Armstrong. The good news? The three artists I did get to see delivered in spades, and I was able to catch their entire sets, not just a few numbers.
Branford Marsalis’ Jazz Fest appearance at the WWOZ Jazz Tent was also a homecoming for the eldest scion of the Marsalis jazz dynasty, who recently returned to New Orleans to take over as artistic director at the Ellis Marsalis Center.
Currently touring in support of his new album, Belonging (Blue Note), a reimagining of pianist Keith Jarrett’s groundbreaking 1974 release that he recorded at the Marsalis Center in March 2024, Marsalis revisited that album with his longtime chamber ensemble: pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner. But he also reached back a century to cover Fred Fisher’s “There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth The Salt In My Tears,” and reconceptualized Jimmy McHugh’s “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” (1930) with a delightfully laid-back version.
Switching from soprano to tenor saxophone, Marsalis frequently stepped out of the spotlight to groove on what his ensemble was playing, including Calderazzo’s beautifully elegiac “Conversation Among The Ruins.” And the audience was right there with him, nodding their heads to “Sunny Side” and clapping along to his jazzed-up version of the honky-tonk tune “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It,” which segued into a surprise guest appearance by Dr. Michael White.
Watching those two giants play together, bridging trad and modern jazz, brought the final WWOZ Jazz Tent performance of Jazz Fest’s first weekend to a pitch-perfect conclusion.
Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa received a standing ovation for their sultry rendition of “Hotel California” at the WWOZ Jazz Tent on the second Friday of the fest. “This is one of the great musical festivals of all time,” the saxophonist said, “and being here is coming full circle, since my current project began in New Orleans in 2022.”
That’s when he hooked up with New Orleans native Cavassa and combined forces for Where We Are, their first Blue Note release. An intensely physical player, Redman also showcased his ensemble: bassist Philip Norris, drummer Nazir Ebo and pianist Paul Cornish, whose keyboard solos were especially mesmerizing. Soaring above it all were Cavassa’s lilting vocals, as cool and fresh as an ocean breeze.
“We couldn’t not play this next one,” Redman announced at the end of the set before launching into the Louis Armstrong classic “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” Cavassa introduced the song, which segued into a duo with Redman before the band joined in, then brought it home with her super-fine scatting.
“I’ve traveled all over the world, and this is still my favorite festival,” said New Orleans native Terence Blanchard after dazzling the overflow crowd at the start of his set at the WWOZ Jazz Tent on the fest’s second Sunday. Blanchard traveled back in time to revisit his 2005 album Flow, produced by his mentor Herbie Hancock, regaling us with stories about its production along the way.“Toward the end, I told Herbie I was running out of music, and he said, ‘All jazz musicians should run out of music,’” he added, to appreciative laughs. Joined by his E-Collective band — guitarist Charles Altura, drummer Oscar Seaton, bassist David “DJ” Ginyard and keyboardist Julian Pollack — he propelled extended versions of Flow compositions with his trumpet, leaving ample space for the collective to embroider. Altura’s lyrical guitar was especially compelling; so was guest vocalist Michael Mayo, a world-class scatter.
“This last tune is a new one, possibly for a new project, based on your reaction,” Blanchard announced. “‘Prism’ refracts different colors, and right now this country needs more of that.” Judging from the reaction of the crowd, who rose to their feet with a long ovation after letting it wash over them, “Prism” is a keeper. DB
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
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