Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed saxophonist, composer, bandleader, producer and founder of the independent record company RKM Music. He won’t come right out and say that he is the son of the iconic John Coltrane — but in an interview, he does prompt, “Ask me whatever you’d like.” At that moment, family ties don’t seem to matter. “If our generation simply copycats the greats of the past, that’s not real,” he has said. “It’s important to be authentic and make music that means something now. It’s exciting to be on the journey.”
That journey guides him to Blues Alley this Saturday and Sunday where he will play with a quartet he has recently assembled: a group of musicians he holds in the highest regard.
| Onstage |
| Ravi Coltrane Quartet |
| Where: Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW |
| When: 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday |
| Info: $30; bluesalley.com; 202-337-4141 |
“The bassist is legendary,” Coltrane noted of Robert Hurst. “He played on ‘The Tonight Show’ for 10 years with Kevin Eubanks and [plays] with Diana Krall. He’s someone I’ve personally known for decades, and I’m thrilled to be doing some work with him now.”
It was through Hurst that Coltrane met his piano player, David Virelles, “one of the younger guys out there,” Coltrane said. He had heard the Cuban immigrant play in New York, and was impressed.
“This is probably the second time that this particular group of players has performed together,” Coltrane noted. “Our first gig was in Burlington, Vermont, a few weeks ago. We’re really excited about [the Blues Alley show].”
When asked what they will play for the audiences, Coltrane, who has so much original work to his credit, is vague. Fans can look for a bit of Thelonious Monk, some standards, some original compositions.
Coltrane’s current album, his first with Blue Note Records since signing with it back in the summer, will be released sometime next spring, an auspicious time for a new beginning with the definitive jazz label.
In the meantime, Coltrane keeps working.
“I’ve got no choice,” he explained. “It’s music; and for me the music does not end, and work is the conduit for what we have to do. We have to play music and express ourselves through sound. It’s a part of who we are — it’s why we’re here.”
