Compassion: the music of John Coltrane

Description

A few months before the 50th anniversary of John Coltrane's passing, the album Compassion is a tribute worthy of his legacy. Seven pieces by Coltrane are interpreted by legendary saxophonists Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, accompanied by an "all-star band" featuring pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Ron McClure, and drummer Billy Hart. In the spring of 2007, Dave Liebman is contacted by the BBC to record a session celebrating the memory of John Coltrane. Unable to fully reunite the Saxophone Summit Group, Dave entrusts the bass to a prestigious interim in the person of Ron McClure, with the rest of the group being 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" and the mythical "Compassion") as well as his more ethnic period ("Olé" and "Equinox"). 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 resolutely modern approach.