Compassion: the music of John Coltrane

Description

As the 50th anniversary of John Coltrane’s passing approaches, the album Compassion is a tribute worthy of his legacy. Seven Coltrane pieces are thus interpreted by the legendary saxophonists Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, accompanied by an “all-star band” bringing together pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart. In spring 2007, Dave Liebman was contacted by the BBC to record a session celebrating the memory of John Coltrane. Unable to bring together the full Saxophone Summit Group, Dave entrusted the bass to a prestigious stand-in in the person of Ron McClure, with the rest of the group very much present. The choice of covers spans different periods of Coltrane’s career, from the early days (“Locomotion”) to the later ones (the very rare “Reverend King” or the mythical “Compassion”), via his more ethnic period (“Olé” and “Equinoxe”). With Joe Lovano on flute, alto flute, tenor saxophone and aulochrome (a saxophone prototype), and Dave Liebman on soprano saxophone and flute, the group explores Coltrane’s legacy with a decidedly modern approach.