Alice Coltrane Transliner Quartet in Ann Arbor Sept. 23;

[Lazaro Vega]

A couple of more reviews from Michigan Improv. First one from Marc Andren and then from Harvie McKnight.

Hi all....I went last night as well with 15 in-the-know jazz fans who are venue owners,jazz press, musicians and superfans and ALL of us had a less than stellar experience at Hill Aud. Alice started off with the title track of her latest cd "Translinear Light" which was well played and probably the strongest song on the cd. However, everyone expected a much stronger effort after being gone for over 22 years...the rust showed a bit.

While I loved her use of the 70's Wurlitzer organ, many in the group hated it...to them it sounded dated, but I think that was kind of the point!

Most thought the evening was way too long...over 2.5 hours without an opening group. 1/2 hour for intermission, under a 1/2 hour for nice JC film clips, then students of the JC foundation had to play.

Alice played piano very nicely throughout...she is capable, but age has taken the fire out from the early days with JC. Charlie Haden played very well for those who could hear...most had trouble with the sound level and interferred with our intense listening. He did a wonderful duet with Alice on a very strong tune.

Roy Haynes, at 81, played like a man half his age and was the most energetic player of the evening as he really let loose on a few solo spots...we all voted 2 thumbs up.

Ravi...well Ravi is a wonderful technical player who seemed to play soprano better. That is also the problem in that he totally lacked ANY emotion whatsoever. He tecjnically played everything very well, but nothing of the invisible "WOW". Ravi's cds as a leader also reflect this. Nobody expects him to by like his dad, but we do expect him to be his own man with his own sense....he sounded like any other regular or local sax players who are a dime a dozen.

Overall, most rated the show average to good...everyone played technically well, but the entire show lacked emotion in playing. Yes the show had a Eastern Meditation flavor, but that is not the same as emotion or fire-in-the-belly playing...a few in the group even left after intermission as they were downright bored.

The buzz and the hype was there in full force, both pre and post show, but it just didn't live up to it all. Alice has not played,toured,written for cds/performances in decades...she has concentrated on her personal spirituality path. Their was no "greatness" that came from her and she did not "lead" the proceedings to higher levels expected of the hype. I think if she had been a continous musician over the years, the 80th Birthday celebration would have gone off better. Also, we think that Ravi should have not been in the group, but a top performer more atuned to JC's way of playing like Sonny Fortune or Pharoah Sanders would have more of the

emotional fire that JC always played with. C+/B- Thanks Harvey for

starting and sharing. I will add that because of the "hype", many more friends came out and had dinner/enjoyed the show...so it was a fun night overall!

Marc

>From: "Harvey McKnight" <McKnighH@gvsu.edu>

>Reply-To: mich-improv@yahoogroups.com

>To: <mich-improv@yahoogroups.com>

>Subject: [mich-improv] ALICE COLTRANE IN ANN ARBOR

>Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:11:03 -0400

>

>What an auspicious occasion, the autumnal equinox, and doubly

>auspicious because it marks the date when John Coltrane reincarnated to

>earth. Hill Auditorium was heavy with spirit last evening as Alice and

>Ravi Coltrane, along with Charlie Haden and Roy Haynes celebrated the

>life of jazz great John Coltrane. Wearing a flowing orange sari, the

>chosen color of devotees of Swami Satchananda, Alice poured out her

>joy, grief and transcendence throughout the evening. Her first

>composition, ____________, revealed her multitudinous journey as

>student, musician, wife, mother, widow, and spiritual seeker with all of these accompanying emotions.

>

>Roy Haynes, 81 years young, marveled the audience with his drums. With

>such energy and feeling, Haynes dazzled and delighted. As I listened

>to this master of percussion, I kept thinking that yes, he played with

>Coltrane and assisted in the birth of all this freedom in jazz.

>Charlie Haden on bass ________________. (your words here)

>

>Ravi Coltrane, 41, courageously transmitted his message throughout the

>evening with soprano and tenor saxes. The love that flowed between

>mother and son was beautiful to witness. Looking at Ravi, I couldn't

>help but think that his father was about this age when he died of

>cancer. What a legacy to maintain. However, both Ravi and Alice have

>independently taken their gifts of music in their own directions.

>

>Alice glowed in Hill Auditorium while sharing her music--vibrant

>celestial, ethereal music from her Wurlitzer and Steinway. Apparently

>in her 70s, she defied time and space and took us with her in flight.

>We soared via her compositions, so personal and transcending. What a gift Trane was to this

>planet. And what a gift it is for us that Alice and Ravi continue to

>share his music and spirit with us. There was definitely a healing for

>all who experienced last evening. The autumnal equinox is thought by

>the ancients to be a time when the Earth is made anew and fertile by

>the force of the Sun, directly overhead. Coltrane's spirit, felt

>directly overhead throughout the evening, still beckons, strongly.