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COLTRANE MEMORIAL
SACRED SOUNDS



If the large, diverse audience is any indication, the John Coltrane Memorial Concert, which took place for the 26th time last Saturday at Northeastern’s Blackman Auditorium, is as much a Boston community event as it is a musical one. Yet the organizers, who include two of the annual event’s founders, saxophonist Leonard Brown and drummer Syd Smart, find ways to keep the music fresh year after year. This time, the theme was Coltrane’s sacred music — which, when you come right down to it, means pretty much all of his music after 1960.

The evening concentrated on the Christian and African sources of Coltrane’s spirituality to the exclusion of the Indian and Eastern influences, and it focused on the contemplative side of his devotional music as opposed to the freer, more energized work of his final years. Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, returning as special guest for the first time since he participated 15 years ago, provided a direct link to Coltrane’s final, most religiously fervent period.

The Memorial Concerts’ emphasis on original arrangements and individual creativity is truer to the spirit of Coltrane’s music than imitation would be, and so these events consistently provide fresh insights. Leonard Brown’s medley of Coltrane’s "The Spiritual" and a traditional spiritual, which opened this three-hour concert, made clear the source of Coltrane’s inspiration. Since he rarely worked with singers, the inclusion of Armsted Christian, Je-Nae Duane, Patrice Williamson, and Stan Strickland (who was also in the saxophone section) brought something new to the music. These performers also provided many of the evening’s highlights. Christian’s gorgeous vocal-quartet arrangement of "Giant Steps," though hardly a sacred tune, was transformed into a spiritual song by Brown’s lyrics. Strickland’s arrangement of "Compassion" was energized and illuminated by the singers’ collective soloing.

Pianist George W. Russell Jr. raised the excitement level every time he played; his climactic block chords on Bill Pierce’s arrangement of "Crescent" and on "Compassion" were uplifting, rhythmically compelling high points. Sanders was in a relaxed mood, but his sanctified sound and the effortless flow of his lines were especially evident on "The Spiritual" and "Compassion."

Few artists of any color have achieved the emotional, intellectual, religious, or social complexities that Coltrane created in his music. Twenty-six memorial concerts have not exhausted the possibilities — indeed, you can expect the world’s longest-running tribute to the late saxophonist to find enough material for 26 more.

BY ED HAZELL

Issue Date: September 26 - October 2, 2003
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