Ravi Coltrane Plays Music by Parents John and Alice in Healdsburg

Legendary jazz saxist, composer, arranger and recording artist John Coltran would be turning 100 this Sept. 23rd. Unfortunately, he passed away at the surprising age of 40 having left a treasure grove of classical jazz standards and innovative interpretations. Healdsburg Jazz Exec. Dir. Marcus Shelby welcomed the sold-out audience to the Raven Theater in Healdsburg. Shelby introduced Ravi Coltrane and his Jazz Quartet. Shelby mentioned he and Ravi "were classmates back in the day (30 years ago.)" Ravi Coltrane (b. 1965) is a 3 time Grammy nominee. He came on stage carrying his tenor sax and told us, "Tonight we're going to honor my dad whom you may have heard of. If he were here, he'd be celebrating his 100th birthday on Wednesday {Sept. 23, 2026}. My dad was only 40 when he died but left an amazing body of work. Tonight we're going to honor my dad's legacy by playing his music. And, since I wouldn't be here without my mom. We're also going to play some of her {Alice Coltrane} compositions. John Coltrane (JC) died of liver cancer. It's also known JC had hepatitis which was attributed to his use of heroin and heavy drinking. In 1982 JC was posthumously awarded a Grammy for Best Jazz Solo Performance on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his Masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz." Ravi quickly introduced his bandmates though he reintroduced them again throughout the set.  RC moved into the first piece which played for 45 minutes and featured solos from each musician except for himself. Playing with Ravi on tenor sax was  Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Gadi Lehavi on piano & keyboards and Ele Howell on drums. Howell was quite spectacular on drums. For the final number of the evening Ravi brought out a special guest, Richard Howell (RH) on tenor sax and father of drummer Ele Howell. RH was awarded the "Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music (2014).  The evening was magical filled with music that made for an unforgettable jazz event which ended much too soon. The audience showed their appreciation with a rousing ovation which alas did not receive an encore leaving us all wanting more.