A century after the birth of trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane, the seminal jazz innovators still pose a deep quandary for musicians looking to celebrate their legacies.
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Davis, who died in 1991 at the age of 65, exemplifies the artist as a restlessly curious searcher always ready to explore new sonic terrain. Possessing a preternatural gift for assembling bands that defined the musical moment, he spearheaded at least five major steps in jazz’s evolution, from bebop to cool jazz to hard bop to modal jazz to post-bop and jazz-rock fusion.
Despite Coltrane’s foreshortened career — he died from liver cancer in 1967 at 40 — he was a similarly protean figure, though his creative journey was increasingly shaped by a spiritual rather than an aesthetic quest.
A centennial celebration immediately raises the question: Which segment of Miles’ and Trane’s vast discographies are being honored?
The fact that Coltrane first gained renown and made many of his initial breakthroughs in Davis’ band between 1955-60 provides one possible answer, says trumpeter Terence Blanchard, who got to know Davis as a young lion making a name for himself in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, circa 1982.
As SFJAZZ executive artistic director, Blanchard has programmed several artists celebrating specific facets of Davis’ music this year, like bassist Marcus Shelby’s New Orchestra reimagining music from the 1949-50 “Birth of the Cool” sessions.
But for his four-night run May 28-31 at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, son of John and Alice Coltrane, “we thought about what Miles and Trane accomplished together,” Blanchard said.
Those parameters encompass many of jazz’s most influential recordings, like the four albums Davis recorded during two marathon 1956 sessions released later by Prestige as “Workin’,” “Relaxin’,” “Steamin’,” and “Cookin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet.” The addition of altoist Cannonball Adderley turned that group into an incendiary sextet on 1958’s “Milestones,” while both saxophonists dialed back their scorching improvisations to a simmer on 1959’s epochal “Kind of Blue.”
The yin/yang collaboration pairing Davis’ telegraphic, no-note-wasted approach with the voluble and increasingly volcanic Trane powered an unprecedented partnership. For Blanchard, that creative friction serves as “an example of what the country should be, where divergent approaches create a unique sound as a group,” he said. “None of them tried to play like the other. They were very comfortable about what they were bringing to the table, while admiring everybody’s gifts.”
Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane, Miles Davis & John Coltrane Centennial: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 28-30; 7 p.m. May 31 at the SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium in San Francisco; $44.50-$124.50; www.sfjazz.org.
Meanwhile, here are some other Bay Area manifestations of the Miles/Coltrane centennial.
Saint John Coltrane Church Celebration: The newly launched Rootstock Art Center in Oakland hosts an afternoon of prayerful jazz and world music led by the Saint John Coltrane Church. The program includes the church ensemble, harpist Destiny Muhammad’s trio, and a North-meets-South Indo-jazz trio with Carnatic saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan and percussionist Sameer Gupta (who founded RootStock Arts). Details: 2-7 p.m. May 31 at RootStock Arts Center, Oakland; $40-$60; www.viewcy.com.
Jazz On the Hill, Miles Smiles: As part of KCSM’s annual free Jazz On the Hill festival, veteran Bay Area drummer Akira Tana presents Miles Smiles, an all-star tribute to Coltrane, Davis and fellow centennial celebrants Jimmy Heath and Brother Jack McDuff. The quintet’s frontline features trumpet great Eddie Henderson and SFJAZZ Collective saxophonist David Sanchez. Details: 3 p.m. June 6 at the College of San Mateo; free; collegeofsanmateo.edu/jazzonthehill.
Willie Jones III Quintet featuring Jeremy Pelt, Miles Davis Centennial Concert: New York drummer Willie Jones III, who spent almost a decade with late trumpet star Roy Hargrove, presents a top-shelf quintet featuring trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. The poised and versatile horn player also came through the Bay Area last month with pianist Emmet Cohen’s “Miles & Coltrane @ 100” tour. Details: 2 p.m. June 21 at Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg; $41-$131; www.healdsburgjazz.org.
Miles Davis Centennial Celebration featuring Jeremy Pelt: Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt returns to take another bite of Davisian apple, this time for the Stanford Jazz Festival. His all-star sextet includes vibraphone star Stefon Harris. Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 at Stanford University’s Campbell Recital Hall; $62; stanfordjazz.org.
Marcus Shelby Nonet, Birth of the Cool Revisited: San Jose Jazz Summer Fest’s dozens of acts includes Marcus Shelby’s nonet reinterpreting the classic arrangements from Miles Davis’ 1949-50 “Birth of the Cool” sessions. With French horn, tuba and baritone sax, Shelby’s instrumentation tracks the original’s, with the estimable Mike Olmos in the trumpet chair. Details: 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at Montgomery Theater, San Jose; $64.80-$265.65; summerfest.sanjosejazz.org.
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