Latest news with #ALoveSupreme
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Adrian Quesada, Ozomatli and more. Grand Performances announces 2025 free concert series lineup
Grand Performances, one of Southern California's longest-running outdoor concert series, has announced the musical lineup for its 39th season. The free concert series kicks off at its summer-long venue — the California Plaza in downtown L.A. — with a performance by L.A. band Ozomatli on June 14. 'We're going to be celebrating 30 years of Ozomatli and this was the stage that catapulted them,' Grand Performances President and CEO Rafael González told The Times. 'We've played stages all over the world, but GP always feels like coming home,' said Ozomatli in a statement. 'Thirty years later, L.A. still dances with us — and we're bringing everyone with us to celebrate.' That show is followed up by a tribute to John Coltrane's seminal album 'A Love Supreme,' which is celebrating 60 years since its release, on June 21. Neo soul singer Baby Rose will join singer-songwriter Angélica Garcia on July 26 as part of 'KCRW Summer Nights.' '[Garcia's 2024 album] 'Gemelo' is a fascinating mix of the mystical and the feminine, of self-love and grief, that glides effortlessly from synth-pop to cumbia to trip-hop,' The Times wrote in a review of Garcia's most recent project. 'Songs like 'Color de Dolor' or 'Juanita' slink and shimmy infectiously, even as they channel generational trauma or commune with the dead.' On Aug. 2, Grammy winner Adrian Quesada will play a show in promotion of his forthcoming album 'Boleros Psicodélicos II,' the follow-up to his 2022 Latin psychedelic release 'Boleros Psicodélicos.' Quesada was also nominated for original song at this year's 97th annual Academy Awards alongside Abraham Alexander for writing the track 'Like A Bird,' as featured in the Colman Domingo-led film 'Sing Sing.' (Disclosure notice: De Los is co-presenting Quesada's Grand Performances set.) The annual series comes at a moment when many arts organization are facing budget cuts and being defunded, as was recently seen with NPR and PBS. 'In many instances, the arts is one of the first areas that is cut, and many of my peer organizations across L.A. County are definitely feeling the impact,' González said. 'We're so fortunate because there are so many artists out there that recognize that they need to contribute. Not only do they love playing at Grand performances and being free to experiment and to take risk, but they're also very aware that this is a free service for the community.' The series closes out with a show by Dominican merengue group Oro Sólido on Aug. 23. The music collective is best known for its classic house party track 'El Beeper,' which has collected hundreds of millions of streams across all music platforms. 'We're bringing merengue to Grand Performances,' González said. 'When we have the neighborhoods around the downtown area, you have the mom and pops coming out here.' That community experience is what González believes makes the work of Grand Performances stand out. It's these folks who are coming to celebrate, to hear the music of their lives, to dance, to be with each other,' he said. 'You see folks that you don't necessarily expect to see on Grand Avenue, come to Grand Avenue and make it home.' Since 1987, Grand Performances has hosted free outdoor performances. The organization's focus is on giving a platform to both global and local acts. Previously, acts such as Stevie Wonder, Aloe Blacc and Ana Tijoux have participated in its programming. You can find the full lineup here.
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Branford Marsalis and Steve Lehman Rethink the Jazz Cover Album
Great jazz composers are legion. But the list of great jazz composers whose work gets played by other artists with any regularity? That's a far more exclusive club. So when a jazz musician devotes an entire record to the work of a less-celebrated figure, it reads like a deliberate, even courageous, act of advocacy. The soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy did this for Thelonious Monk in 1959, releasing 'Reflections,' the first-ever tribute album to the pianist, which paved the way for a wider engagement with Monk's sui generis songbook; likewise, in the '80s and '90s, the pianist Misha Mengelberg, the trombonist Roswell Rudd and the collective known as the Herbie Nichols Project each made strong cases on record for the work of the once obscure Nichols. Two new jazz releases find a pair of saxophonists taking similar stands. On 'Belonging,' Branford Marsalis leads his working quartet through a full-album take on Keith Jarrett's 1974 LP of the same name. And on 'The Music of Anthony Braxton,' Steve Lehman and his longtime trio mates, with the guest tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, play a live set heavy on material by Braxton, the unorthodox, genre-transcending visionary who was also Lehman's personal mentor and former collaborator. Both records showcase the potency of the material at hand while achieving a certain kind of expressive liftoff that makes them more than just rote covers. Jarrett's 'Belonging' places unusual demands on the would-be interpreter. It's an album of emotional extremes that encompasses ecstatic exuberance and prayerful yearning. It also seems almost inextricable from the idiosyncrasies of its maker, revered as an improviser but still undervalued for his prolific writing, which peaked in the '70s with bespoke works for both a stateside quartet and the European one heard on 'Belonging.' Marsalis has tackled imposing jazz masterworks before, covering the entirety of John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' in the studio and onstage in the early 2000s, but at its best, his 'Belonging' goes deeper. On the original album, the title track is a brief, reflective interlude, played as a solo-free duet between Jarrett on piano and Jan Garbarek on tenor. Marsalis takes his time with the piece, stating the theme on soprano saxophone and leaving space for the rhythm section — the pianist Joey Calderazzo, the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Justin Faulkner — to set up a lovely rubato ballad texture. Re-entering, Marsalis starts out playing gentle, aqueous phrases, then steadily crescendoes to a piercing intensity for the final theme statement, the band swelling to match him as his tone grows ever more urgent. It's a performance that both honors and amplifies the somber beauty of the source material. 'The Windup' represents the other pole of 'Belonging.' A rollicking, acrobatically twisty theme, it suggests boogie-woogie gone prog, conjuring a mood of infectious delight. Marsalis's quartet has embraced it as a favorite in recent years, and an earlier version appeared on the band's 2019 live album, 'The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul.' Like in that performance, Faulkner is the driving force on the new studio take. Here he pushes even harder, complementing the opening piano-and-bass vamp with a busily festive beat marked by a barrage of syncopations on snare and cowbell. Later in the track, the band borrows a quirk of the original Jarrett arrangement, in which piano, bass and drums drop out before the saxophone solo, leaving Garbarek to play an unaccompanied lead-in. Marsalis and company use the moment to veer temporarily into stormy free jazz, a move that only makes their shift back into up-tempo swing for the rest of the leader's solo feel that much more exhilarating. On ''Long as You Know You're Living Yours,' meanwhile, they dig into the strutting backbeat feel of the original — cribbed by Steely Dan for the title track of 'Gaucho' — with similar gusto. The Marsalis band's readings of the more upbeat 'Belonging' tunes underscore the sense of fun inherent in those pieces, and Lehman and his bandmates likewise tease out the playfulness within Braxton's exacting compositional style. Most of the selections on 'The Music of Anthony Braxton' — recorded in 2023 at the Los Angeles bar ETA and released ahead of its namesake's 80th birthday this June — date from his mid-70s stint on Arista Records, when his highly individual approach, drawing on both the jazz and classical avant-gardes, won enthusiastic support from open-minded critics and dour pans from more myopic ones. The rendition of '23C,' one of the more striking pieces from Braxton's classic 'New York, Fall 1974' LP, is a standout. On the original, Braxton (on flute), the trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and the bassist Dave Holland align on an ingenious cyclical theme, tacking on one new phrase with each run-through, while the drummer Jerome Cooper adds fluttering texture. Here, though, the drummer Damion Reid joins Lehman, Turner and the bassist Matt Brewer in playing the written material, while stirring in bits of crisp, driving groove, adding a subtle shimmy to Braxton's staccato lines. Later, the band loops the composition's concluding phrase to create a sleek, asymmetrical pattern for the saxophonists to solo over. The overall effect is that of a hip contemporary remix. On '34A,' a piece found on the excellent, underrated 1982 Braxton effort 'Six Compositions: Quartet,' the band adds a crackling swing feel to the work's central 6/8 loop, finding a loose, jam session-style energy in the composer's raw materials. Two new Lehman originals stirred into the program reflect his own signature style, tricky yet powerfully kinetic, and show how Braxton's painstaking approach has empowered members of a younger generation (also including other former students such as the guitarist Mary Halvorson and the cornet player Taylor Ho Bynum) to hone their own unconventional aesthetics. And a closing version of Monk's 'Trinkle, Tinkle,' one of the thorniest tunes in the pianist's songbook, frames the whole program as a celebration of inspired eccentricity throughout jazz history. Much like Lacy's 'Reflections,' both 'The Music of Anthony Braxton' and Marsalis's 'Belonging' argue persuasively that the Braxton and Jarrett songbooks merit not just fresh listening but constructive engagement. Reinvention of older material is a pillar of jazz practice, nourishing the music with the wisdom and challenge of its past. These releases show that if other artists are willing to look beyond the most familiar names, the lessons are out there in abundance.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
San Francisco church leader pleads for return of stolen historic saxophone
March 10 (UPI) -- A church leader in San Francisco is asking for the public's help to find a historic saxophone, linked to legendary jazz musician John Coltrane. Archbishop Reverend Franzo King, who founded the Saint John Coltrane Church 60 years ago as a spiritual hub for jazz lovers and had used the Selmer Mark VI Tenor saxophone in church services for five decades, said the saxophone was stolen earlier this year from his front porch. "This cherished instrument was a cornerstone of his musical ministry, and also carried a profound historical significance -- the mouthpiece is a gift from Alice Coltrane and previously used by John Coltrane," the family wrote in a GoFundMe page to replace the instrument if the original is not recovered. "We humbly seek your support in raising funds for replacing this special instrument of the same type and quality," the campaign said. As of Monday, the fundraiser had received more than $5,900 of its $30,000 goal. "Your generosity will restore a vital piece of Archbishop King's musical ministry, and will also serve as a tribute to the 60th anniversary of 'A Love Supreme' (1965-2025) and John Coltrane's timeless contribution to the highest order of artistic and spiritual expression," the family added. Coltrane's 33-minute signature piece, "A Love Supreme," had been used to accompany the church's weekly meditation services. "It's our hope that someone, out of charity and love, will appreciate who St. John Will-I-Am Coltrane was and understand the importance of our work," King said. "That would be our hope and our prayer, that someone will return it."
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Black Panther artist's painting of jazz legend John Coltrane catches eye of Spike Lee
Sitting in the window of the Artfunk gallery on Jackson Street in San Francisco is a painting of jazz legend John Coltrane. While most people walking by will see the image of a great musician, Archbishop Franzo King sees something more divine. "When I see this painting, I see God," said King. He and his wife, Reverend Mother Marina King, founded the Saint John Coltrane Church in 1969. The church based on the music of Coltrane and his iconic album A Love Supreme, that is played in four parts: Part 1: Acknowledgement, Part 2: Resolution, Part 3: Pursuance, Part 4: "Psalm. "I'm thanking God for that uncompromising revolutionary that we know to be Jesus, the Christ of God, the uncompromising revolutionary that spoke to power through man," said King while preaching to his Sunday congregation. Today, services for the Coltrane Church are held every Sunday inside the Magic Theater in Fort Mason. For more than five decades, the church has moved from location to location throughout the city, but now they are hoping they have found a permanent home at the current spot. "This church has been like a gypsy movement," said King. "We want to find a home, because if you are going to leave something to a generation, you got to at least have somewhere to sit, somewhere to stand, somewhere to be." That was when longtime San Francisco artist and photographer Peter Shaw came up with an idea, by taking the original painting of John Coltrane and turning it into a fundraiser for the Church and their Coltrane Arts Foundation. "We have recently made a limited edition of 20, with four artist proofs of this original Coltrane work," said Shaw. It was enough to get the attention of film director Spike Lee, who paid Shaw and the Kings a visit while on a trip to San Francisco. "So Spike came by and saw it," said King. "And Spike Lee wanted to buy the original, and we said, 'No, we are not selling it.'" The original piece of art was painted in 1972 by Emory Douglas, who was the Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist for the Black Panther Party. It was gifted to the St. John Coltrane Church by Douglas and Black Panther Party co-founder and chairman Huey P. Newton. "It took us from another level having it being painted by Emory Douglas, who it he vanguard artist of this time in this decade," said King. "His art was really, as I knew it, it was about revolution and change." A change they hope will become the manifestation of a painting into a permanent home through the sound and image of A Love Supreme.
Los Angeles Times
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Hallelujah! Final Oscar voting is upon us!
'There's a reason why a John Coltrane comes around once and never happens again. It's like Bach. It's these people that transcend to a higher place because they get beyond the form. That's when it becomes timeless and for everybody.' That's Flea talking with music journalist Steve Baltin, one of many musicians interviewed for a beautiful celebration of Coltrane's classic album 'A Love Supreme' on its 60th anniversary. So much goodness in this story, but staying on Flea: He walked down the aisle to 'A Love Supreme.' He cued it up on a boombox when his kids were born. 'There are things that are so beautiful beyond our comprehension, and this is it right here,' Flea said of that soundtrack choice. 'This is the thing. This is what human beings are capable of at their very, very best.' I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope's Monday newsletter. 'A love supreme, a love supreme, a love supreme, a love supreme ...' Final Oscar voting begins tomorrow. What movie will win the Oscar for best picture? The race has felt like a free-for-all. For the 10 movies nominated, being invited to the party was just the first step. Now the focus is on winning. Talking points need to be refreshed and recalibrated. Existential crises about the meaning of it all must be kicked to the curb. The Oscars' biggest prize is there for the taking! What messages might these 10 movies be sending as we head into this final stretch? On the eve of voting, I imagined, based on stacks of FYC ads and emails, the films' final pitches. For example, here's one for 'A Complete Unknown,' sung to the tune of 'Like a Rolling Stone': Once upon a time, you voted so fineGave Oscars to guys like Spielberg in his prime, didn't you?Now people vote 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'You thought they were kidding youYou used to brag aboutAll the classic movies critics would toutNow you don't talk so loudNow you don't seem so proudAbout having to stream your next fiiiiiiilm How does it feel? How does it feel?To be on your ownVoting for 'A Complete Unknown' Want another one? Let's keep the Chalamet train rolling and pour this one out for the late, great 'Dune: Part Two.' 'We're trying to be magnanimous here and express our appreciation for this best picture nomination and the four others you gave us. Thank you! But seriously ... what the hell? We won six Oscars for the first movie, and this one's even better. Did you forget that it came out this year? Are your brains that riddled with age and decay? Sorry. That was a little out of line. Anyway, again, thank you. We're not expecting much ... now. But when the third movie comes out next year (and it will be arriving in December, so you won't have that 'It came out too early' excuse), you better make it up to us. Snub Denis Villeneuve again and we're spiking your popcorn with psychedelic dust.' Seriously. If the third 'Dune' lives up to the first two entries, we're expecting some make-goods. Do you remember who won the acting Oscars last year? The motion picture academy offered a quick reminder this week, letting us know that Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. and Da'Vine Joy Randolph will be returning this year as presenters, likely following the Oscars' tradition of presenting the winners of their category's opposite gender. It also has been reported that the show will open with 'Wicked' co-stars (and Oscar nominees) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing a medley of numbers from the Oscar-nominated musical. No, 'Wicked' did not have any original songs. But it did sport songs that moviegoers — and voters — embraced. When I saw 'Wicked' with a room full of Screen Actors Guild Awards voters, the room erupted in applause after nearly every number. Maybe they thought Erivo was hanging out in the lobby? (She probably was toward the end, as she joined moderator Kristen Bell for a Q&A.) Meanwhile, host Conan O'Brien is busy preparing, telling 'Good Morning America,' 'It's a tricky show. It's a tricky time. I'm gonna give it my best shot, and if it doesn't work out, you will never see me again. You will never ever see me again. And that's something America can look forward to.'
