Whatever the thermostat says, we’re approaching Coltrane season here in Philadelphia. Just look at the first two back-to-back events in our lineup this week: an orchestral centennial tribute to John Coltrane, and a book-release event celebrating Alice Coltrane. And that’s just the beginning. As always, Moment’s Notice has the full rundown.
Spotlight: Coltrane 100: Legacy — Wednesday, TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann
Ravi Coltrane was not quite two years old when his father, John Coltrane, died in 1967. So he came to that outsize musical birthright in his own way, as any serious young improvising saxophonist must. His deeper and more accessible influence was his mother, the keyboardist and harpist Alice Coltrane. But over time, Ravi became a powerful steward of his father’s legacy — on the bandstand and on the record. He has overseen the Coltrane catalog, including a spate of new discoveries, and he’s deeply involved in the restoration of the John Coltrane House in Strawberry Mansion, as we reported here last year.
The house sits just across the river from Fairmount Park, where Ravi celebrates his father’s centennial this week in a special concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Edwin Outwater. Coltrane 100: Legacy will feature newly commissioned arrangements of some of John Coltrane’s most iconic works, and it will be fascinating to hear how they coalesce in this orchestral setting, with Ravi standing in on tenor and soprano saxophones.
July 22 at 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave, $43-$57; tickets and information.
Cosmic Music: The Life, Art and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane — Thursday, Solar Myth
In his perceptive new biography of Alice Coltrane, critic Andy Beta unearths new insights and draws fresh connections, showing how this pianist, harpist, organist and composer transformed the musical landscape — and not just in the creative orbit of her husband, John. In this ticketed book-release event, I’ll sit down with Beta for a conversation about his book and her legacy, before a special performance by keyboardist Surya Botofasina, who was raised as a spiritual student of Alice Coltrane at her ashram in Agoura Hills, Calif.
July 23 at 7 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $20; tickets and information.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band — Thursday, Upper Merion Township Building Park
Under the leadership of tubaist Ben Jaffe, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band long ago branched out from strict New Orleans jazz traditionalism into a realm of funk, Cuban Son and all manner of soul. But don’t get it twisted: the heart and soul of the band still beats to the second line. Their latest album, For Fat Man, is a loving tribute to the late percussionist Kerry “Fat Man” Hunter; they’ll play some of its tunes, among others, in this outdoor show in King of Prussia.
July 23 at 6 p.m., Upper Merion Township Building Park, 175 W Valley Forge Road, $52-$101; tickets and information.
Sasha Berliner — Friday, Solar Myth
Flow is a priority in the music of Sasha Berliner, a vibraphonist fast emerging as a bright light of her generation. That dynamic quality, which has brought Berliner into the orbit of bandleaders like Tyshawn Sorey and Nicholas Payton, also suffuses her third album, Fantôme. She draws partly from it here, with a band that features Joe Block on piano, Ben Tiberio on bass and Tim Angulo on drums.
July 24 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $30; tickets and information.
Katie Oberholtzer & John Dimase — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Katie Oberholtzer is an up-and-coming jazz singer with a warm, rounded tone and a strong footing in the songbook tradition. She hails from southern Maine, and now lives in New York City — making the occasional Philly drop-in like this one, with her fellow vocalist John Dimase and expert accompaniment from the Tim Brey Trio.
July 25 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
Trash Gadget — Sunday, July 26, South Jazz Kitchen
Pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Matthew Parrish and drummer Byron Landham share more than 30 years of Philly jazz history: they first convened for a gig at the Blue Moon Jazz Club in the Bourse, and went on to make an album called “The Trio,” later reissued as Deja Vu. The three now travel under the name Trash Gadget, and they’ll bring that irreverent humor as well as deep musicality to this hometown gig at South.
July 26 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $25; tickets and information.
