An abundance of John Coltrane centennial celebrations has taken place to date, but the most anticipated was the recent Carnegie Hall headliner: Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane.
Rather than continue down the same familiar centennial path of Coltrane’s riveting spiritual acknowledgments or his deeper explorations of boundless music, Masalis and Reeves decided to explore Coltrane’s love of beautiful ballads and love songs that led to his only collaborative album with a vocalist, “John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman” (Impulse! 1963), a blend of Coltrane’s enticing tenor and Hartman’s rich, honeycombed baritone.
Marsalis and his longstanding quartet of pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner joined forces with five-time Grammy winner Reeves for their recent album release, “Dedicated to You” (Blue Note 2026). The album features fresh interpretations of all six standards from the Coltrane-Hartman recording.
The quartet opened the concert with the fast-paced “Moment’s Notice,” giving revived energy to a Coltrane standard. Reeves graced the stage wearing a black dress with stunning feathery white trim and white heels; pandemonium took over as she was greeted with loud cheers. Over the shouts, Revis opened with a cool bassline as Reeves drifted into the intoxicating “Autumn Serenade,” Calderazzo walking the pearly keys and Branford with riffs that lingered like arrows from Cupid, drenched in sweet rumba beats.
In “You Are Too Beautiful,” a tenor romp fades in and out, conversing with a trio, as a quick verse of “Happy Birthday” appeared on the bridge (Reeves’s birthday was Oct. 23). Explosive drums raged on “Afro Blue” with mean Afro-Latin rhythms flyin’ as Reeves dazzled with her virtuosity and improvisational scatting skills. After loud hand clapping and standing ovations, the ensemble ended their grand finale with “My Favorite Things.”
Marsalis, Reeves, and company performed brilliantly throughout, taking our breath away on every note — approval arrived in loud whistles and shouts.
NEA Jazz Master Reeves is a true song stylist, with crystal-clear enunciation and expressive phrasing. On those high notes, ballads or otherwise, you might as well be in Heaven listening to an angelic choir. In her own distinctive style, she swings in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald. Is it possible that three-time Grammy Award winner Marsalis and Reeves could become a collaborative team? Similarly, they consistently extend their music vocabulary by merging the Black American music canon, along with rock and classical music (Reeves performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and Marsalis with the New York Philharmonic), and Latin influences.
Coltrane performed on this historical Carnegie Hall stage with the Thelonious Monk Quartet in 1957. The concert was recorded by the Voice of America during “Thanksgiving Jazz,” a benefit event organized by Kenneth Lee Karpe for the Morningside Community Center in Harlem. Now we know Coltrane’s spirit was definitely in the packed auditorium at this show, along with the likes of saxophonist Bill Saxton and Ravi Coltrane (John’s son).
On Nov. 4, trumpeter, composer, and author Jeremy Pelt will celebrate his Big 50 birthday. The young man, whom I met when he first arrived in New York City, when he was considered a young lion. It’s been a pleasure to watch him mature into a prominent contributor to this jazz continuum.
Pelt celebrates his “50” Nov. 7–8 at Dizzy’s (10 Columbus Circle), two sets each night. His young creative quintet are all leaders and composers in their own right: vibraphonist Jalen Baker, guitarist Myhailo Mendelenko, bassist Leighton Harrell, and drummer Jared Spears. Collectively, they bring a potpourri of sounds to the stage, from classical intentions with influences from hymns, spirituals, and jazz, blending with Pelt’s eagerness to push the music in multiple directions.
With more than 25 recordings as a leader, his latest nine-track CD, “Our Community Will Not Be Erased” (HighNote Records, 2026), references the country’s chaotic state of affairs while paying personal homage and honoring community resilience. His definitive horn is sweet, and always fluid, whether muted or outright.
“Being 50 is great, I’m excited,” said Pelt in a brief text. “You’ll have to keep tuning in to find out where I’m headed.” For schedule and reservations, visit jazz.org/dizzys.
The following evening, Nov. 9, Dizzy’s will celebrate the centennial of NEA Jazz Master Lou Donaldson (Nov. 1, 1926). Two shows, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Lou, the comedic Rodney Dangerfield of jazz, mellow in his dark suits, tie, and white shirt, could have been a comedian if it hadn’t been for his love of music and playing baseball at his HBCU alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University, in Greensboro.
Lou shaped his own personal jazz sound, his alto saxophone pumping out down-home bluesy soul rhythms that emerge in fiery bebop riffs. His best-selling album, “Alligator Bogaloo” (Blue Note, 1967), was a prime example of his soulful funk — an interpretation of hard bop and Charlie Parker’s influence. “Alligator Bogaloo” featured tenor sax Melvin Lastie, the roaring organ of Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitar of George Benson, and drummer Idris Muhammad. Donaldson loved the pulsating majestic organ tones that took you to church or a juke joint fish fry, orchestrating the organ-saxophone groove. His organists through the years included Pat Bianchi, Akiko Tsuruga, Charles Earland, Big John Patton, and brother Jack McDuff.
His moniker, Sweet Poppa Lou, referred to his sweet, tender ballads dancing in bluesy-soul, like his signature “Don’t Worry About Me,” “Autumn Nocturne,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Blues Walk”; although midtempo, it was in the pocket. I am still waiting for his book to come out that he shared with me some years ago: real jazz history that needs to be read.
Performing will be his longtime collaborators and friends: vocalist and pianist Champian Fulton, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist John Webber, and drummer Fukushi Tainaka. Playing in the spirit and lasting influence of Poppa Lou, “No hip-hop, no Kenny G., just straight ahead bebop.”
For reservations, visit jazz.org.
Alto saxophonist and composer Charles McPherson is the pure essence of bebop. At age 87, he allows us mere mortals to experience his hard-swinging riffs, beaming melodies that light the skies like over-powered stars.
On Nov. 4–8, at Smoke jazz club (2751 Broadway), you have an opportunity to witness McPherson: a genius at work, a creative soul effortlessly sharing his craft of saxophone magic. His quintet includes pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond, and features trumpeter Terell Stafford.
The native of Detroit grew up in a big music town where he learned the foundation of jazz and bebop from the city’s master pianist Barry Harris, studying the concepts of harmony, chord progressions, rhythm, and improvisation.
Just as tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse was essential to Thelonious Monk, in later years, McPherson was an integral force in Charles Mingus’s ensembles, performing on more than a dozen of his most important recordings. However, McPherson has yet to join the long roster of NEA Jazz Masters, but I guess in time it will happen.
For reservations, visit smokejazz.com
“Turntable: Visions of the Jazzmen,” one of NYC’s most significant art exhibits in some years, is showcasing some of America’s prominent jazz artists now through Dec. 5, at the Wilmer Jennings Gallery, Kenkeleba House in the East Village (291 East 2nd Street). Exhibiting artists include Oliver Lake, Marion Brown, Will Calhoun, Gerald Cannon, Dick Griffin, Carmen Lundy, Roscoe Mitchell, Sun Ra, and Sonellux Smith, curated by trombonist and composer Griffin and Debra Vanderberg Spencer.
On Nov. 7 from 3–5 p.m., Sheila Anderson will moderate an Artist Talk with some of the participating artists, plus live performances and poetry readings.
“The art that we produce as musicians [is] often overlooked,” explained Griffin. “Their artistry is on the [same] level as some of our masters, but because we are musicians, our art is not taken seriously. The artists participating in this exhibition are just a few of the many talented musician visual artists. I’m so happy to have the opportunity to curate a show with these fine artists.”
For info, visit kenkeleba.org.
