Saxophonist Isaiah Collier and his band, The Chosen Few, will perform John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme this Saturday as part of a 60th anniversary concert to commemorate the album. A Celebration of Divine Inspiration, Joy, and Transformation will take place in Los Angeles at the Grand Performances from 6 to 10 PM. Collier has been praised by the jazz press as the new saxophone player to watch. His Cosmic Traditions, a five-part suite, was recorded on Coltrane’s September 23rd birthday back in 2020. Jimetta Rose & The Voices and Dwight Trible are also part of the lineup. The show is free and can be streamed on the Grand Performances YouTube Channel. For more information and to RSVP go to the Grand Performances site. 

John Coltrane’s rise as a solo voice in jazz after being in bands led by Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk reached an apex in 1958. The work he recorded for Prestige in 1958 was what critic Ira Gitler described as “sheets of sound.” The saxophonist’s time in Davis’ First Great Quintet helped to develop his sound and expand his ideas about improvisation. Once the group disbanded in 1957, Coltrane started working with the Prestige label on his own without Davis’ group. 

Coltrane’s recordings of “Lush Life,” “Stardust” and “Black Pearls” are among the songs included on Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings coming out March 29th on Craft Recordings. The box set has 8 LPs or 5CDs and the digital format. The sessions took place at Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The majority of the music recorded then did not get released until the ’60s. The new box set is the first time the songs will be distributed together to tell the story of Coltrane’s artistic direction at the time. 

The 37-song box set can be pre-ordered now and special bundle packages featuring a limited-edition Prestige t-shirt are available from the Craft Recordings online store. 

[vimeo id=”185765477″] Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary will make its premiere April 14th at the IFC Center in New York City. John Scheinfeld, who is known for The U.S. vs. John Lennon, is directing the film.

Coltrane’s estate supports the project which is narrated by Denzel Washington and features rare photographs and never seen before footage of Coltrane at work and home.  Coltrane’s music from his entire career is the score because of the filmmakers never granted before access to his catalog.

Kamasi Washington, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Common and Wayne Shorter are among the musicians to discuss Coltrane’s impact on music.

Coltrane worked extensively with Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk developing what was famously called by the critic Ira Gitler, ‘sheets of sound.’ His ultimate contributions were as a leader of modal and avant-garde jazz before his passing at age 40 in 1967.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary is a film directed by John Scheinfeld about the life and music of John Coltrane. Scheinfeld follows Coltrane’s story from his early life in North Carolina to his days with Miles Davis’s First Great Quintet to his ascension as a solo innovator. Denzel Washington narrates the story in Coltrane’s words and they are appearances from Common, Cornel West, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Kamasi Washington, John Densmore, Reggie Workman and Carlos Santana.Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary  makes its debut next week at the Toronto Film Festival.