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::MUSIC NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012
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The Great Expectations Of Saxman Ravi Coltrane
Source:
www.globeandmail.com - By J.D. Considine
(Feb 1, 2012) Expectations are something every recording
musician has
to face in one form or another.
But for
Ravi Coltrane,
who just finished work on his first album for Blue Note Records,
expectations probably run a little higher than most. It isn't
just that his father, legendary saxophonist
John Coltrane,
recorded the landmark Blue Train for the label in 1957.
Last year, Blue Note released only two instrumental jazz albums,
Ambrose Akinmusire's The Heart Emerges Glistening, and
Joe Lovano/Us Five's Bird Songs; they were ranked at Nos.
2 and 3, respectively, on the 2011 Rhapsody jazz critics poll.
Kind of a tough act to follow, all told.
"Well, there's always a pressure when you're shooting for the
unknown," says Coltrane, and laughs. As he speaks, the
46-year-old saxophonist is in Houston, on the early part of a
tour that will bring him to Canada this week.
"In this type of music, risks are important for us to grow," he
says. "Doing that within the environment of a legendary and
historic jazz label like Blue Note, it definitely presented some
challenges for me, without a doubt.
"But you're always going to have something in the back of your
mind, and it's either going to help you get to where you're
going, or kind of keep you treading water. I think I did a
little of both on this album."
That may sound a bit self-deprecating, but Coltrane - the son of
two jazz legends, John and Alice Coltrane - maintains high
standards for himself. His goal isn't just to play well, but to
make music that is personal and original even as it honours the
tradition and history of jazz music.
"Being an improviser, it's a conundrum today," he says. "You
learn all this stuff that has been categorized as jazz music,
and unless you learn that we can't really say you're playing
jazz." But it can be very tempting simply to reiterate what
you've learned, to be an emulator rather than an originator.
"There are people who are considered great musicians who only
have the strongest ability to just emulate," he says. "They
learn quickly, they have enough physical ability to get all this
stuff to come out of their instruments, and they can do it in a
real-time fashion that feels fluid and new, so it doesn't sound
like a guy who's mechanically approaching jazz music."
By contrast, he says, even with players who are able to
transform their influences into a personal and original sound,
"You're not going to make it happen 100 per cent of the time.
You can make it happen at least 50 per cent of the time, but
even then, that can be a lot to ask for."
In that sense, he's been lucky to have had a number of such
musicians as collaborators over the years. Take, for example,
trumpeter Ralph Alessi, who'll be with Coltrane's quintet for
the upcoming tour. "I've known Ralph and have been playing with
him since 1986," he says. "We both were at Cal Arts together,
and he was always extremely capable, and extremely aware of the
music. You know, some people try to play a certain type of tune,
and they try to emulate another guy's sound; Ralph could always
sound like himself, no matter what style he was playing or who
he was playing with. That blows me away."
In addition to his own band, Coltrane is in the group Saxophone
Summit, along with fellow sax men Joe Lovano - who produced
Coltrane's Blue Note debut - and Dave Liebman. "That's such a
great group of guys just to be with," he says, "and it
encourages you to really try not to copy, not to emulate.
"Primarily, that group functions around the later music of John
Coltrane, and that music is so original, it is so involved -
much more involved than the exterior of that music often
presents itself to the listener. It lends itself to people who
get up and find their own ways with the material.
"John Coltrane was not an emulator," he adds, and laughs at the
understatement. "He's not considered great because he could play
like all his heroes. That's not why we speak about him today."
Ravi Coltrane will perform at the Brock Centre in St.
Catharines, Ont., on Feb. 2; the Grand Theatre in Kingston on
Feb. 3; and Koerner Hall in Toronto on Feb. 4. |
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::
