John Coltrane’s Centennial Birthday to be Celebrated at McCarter Theatre Center and NJPAC

Originally published in Jersey Jazz Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the New Jersey Jazz Society

Joe Lovano learned about John Coltrane in the basement of his Cleveland home. “My dad played saxophone,” he said, “and he loved Coltrane. His record collection was full of Coltrane recordings from the earliest Bethlehem records, all the Prestige, into Atlantic, and, of course, the Impulse! period.”

Melissa Aldana grew up in Santiago, Chile, and she learned about Coltrane from her father, also a saxophonist. “I first heard Coltrane when I was very young, through my father,” she recalled. “At that time, I didn’t fully understand what he was doing, but I felt the intensity immediately. There was an urgency and honesty in his sound that really struck me. As I grew older, I began to understand how deeply personal his music was and how his technical mastery was always in service of something bigger.”

On Wednesday, April 8, at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton and Saturday, April 18, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Lovano and Aldana will be, in Lovano’s words, “two different saxophones and two different personalities, trying to be one. That’s going to be an exciting exploration for us, not to be reading parts but to be creating music.”

Lovano is Artistic Director of Coltrane 100, a nine-venue tour celebrating John Coltrane’s centennial birthday, which falls on September 23, 2026. In addition to McCarter and NJPAC, there will be two performances in Phoenix and one each in Houston; Seattle; Berkeley, La Jolla, and Davis, CA; and Dublin, Ireland. The Coltrane 100 quintet will feature a rhythm section of pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Coltrane passed away in July 1967 at the age of 40.

Among the albums that Lovano’s father liked to play were Meditations (Impulse!: 1965), A Blowin’ Session with Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, and Lee Morgan (Blue Note: 1957); and Tenor Conclave with Mobley, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims (Prestige: 1958). A Blowin’ Session, Lovano said, “was a big record for me growing up, with them playing off of each other, giving each other inspiration as they played.” The same was true of Tenor Conclave — “hearing those personalities. Those things were ingrained in my development.”

For Aldana, “The Coltrane compositions that resonate most are the ones that leave room for exploration, where the music can evolve naturally in the moment. That approach feels like the most meaningful way to honor his legacy.” Aldana said it is “hard to choose a favorite (Coltrane) period because each phase of his evolution feels essential. A Love Supreme (Impulse!: 1965) is absolutely a masterpiece — not only musically, but spiritually and conceptually. I also have a lot of appreciation for Ole Coltrane (Atlantic Records: 1961), a fascinating album in his later exploratory period. It’s full of open textures and unusual instrumentation, and it really captures his curiosity and willingness to take risks. It is an interesting record because it shows Coltrane experimenting with space, textures, and ensemble colors. I love how daring and imaginative it is — you can hear him pushing boundaries while still staying deeply expressive. For me, it’s a reminder of the endless possibilities of his music.”

Melissa Aldana, photo by Pablo Valle

AllAboutJazz‘s Marc Davis, reviewing A Blowin’ Session, wrote: “If you’re a sax fan, this one’s for you — not one, not two, but three red-hot tenors, plus one scorching trumpet, and the legendary Art Blakey smashing the drums behind them. Three tenors. How did that happen? Pure serendipity. Johnny Griffin, the young, new, super-fast saxman, was on his way to record at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in New Jersey one day in 1957 when he ran into John Coltrane. ‘Come along,’ Griffin suggested. ‘Sure,’ Coltrane replied.”

The result? “Coltrane and Griffin are the stars, blowing long, complex passages at supersonic speed. Trumpeter Lee Morgan keeps pace with his own exciting solos. The third tenor, Hank Mobley, has a slightly different sound — definitely bop, but slightly more relaxed and bluesy. Blakey, naturally, is the frantic, inventive timekeeper.”

According to AllMusic‘s Lindsay Planer, “The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Olé Coltraneare evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick — beyond his appreciable musical skills — guides works such as this to new levels, ultimately advancing the entire art form. The assembled musicians worked within a basic quartet setting, featuring Coltrane on soprano and tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums, with double-bass chores held down by Art Davis and Reggie Workman. Added to that are significant contributions and interactions with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and Eric Dolphy on flute and alto sax.”

Lovano heard the Coltrane Quartet with McCoy Tyner in 1965, pointing out that “They played in Cleveland in the earlier ’60s, too, when Eric Dolphy came. I grew up, not only with an appreciation, but a love of the different directions that Coltrane played throughout his career. I was hearing it all as one. I was also listening to all the cats that he came up with and hearing how they all had their own personalities: Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins — people who were in my dad’s record collection also.

“And, through my career, I played with a lot of players who played with Coltrane. I moved to New York in 1976, in my early 20s. One of the first places I went to was Ali’s Alley, drummer Rashied Ali’s loft on Greene Street in Soho. I was also playing some with (pianist) Albert Dailey, who was playing with Ali. Albert said I should come down, and I did and brought my horn. Reggie Workman was playing bass, and there were two saxophonists, Jimmy Vass on alto and Marvin Blackman on tenor. I ended up sitting in and starting a relationship with Rashied through the years.”

Ali played with Coltrane on Meditations as well as on such other Impulse! albums as Interstellar Space and The Olatunji Concert. The latter two albums were recorded in 1967 but not released until 1974. The Olatunji Concert was Coltrane’s last live recording.