Ravi Coltrane

Ravi Coltrane- tenor and soprano saxophonist, bandleader, and composer - has fronted a variety of jazz lineups, recorded critically-hailed albums as leader, produced recordings by other artists - including his mother, worked as sideman for jazz luminaries, overseen important jazz reissues, and founded an independent record label. Seventeen years since finding his life's path, it seems music was Ravi's destiny from the outset.

Born the second son of John and Alice Coltrane in 1965 in Long Island, New York and raised in the Los Angeles area, he was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. Starting in middle school, Ravi began playing clarinet, though he grew up hearing a variety of music. ("My mother was playing piano and organ in the house, everyday. She took us to her performances and to recording sessions. She played my father's LP's and recordings of classical music. Early on, I listened to a lot of R and B, Soul music, popular music of the day - James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Motown music, Earth Wind and Fire. Later I got into Prince, The Beatles, I listened to more Symphonic music - Stravinsky, Dvorak. I was a big fan of film scores. Jazz music was something I always appreciated but I had to reach my late teens and go through profound family changes before the music became a dominate force in my life.") In 1986, Ravi entered the California Institute of the Arts to pursue musical studies, focusing on the saxophone.

In 1991, Ravi hooked up with Elvin Jones, his father's renowned drummer from the 60's and received his first taste of the jazz life. Within a year, he relocated to New York City and began playing with a variety of players: Jack DeJohnnette, Rashied Ali, Wallace Roney, Antoine Roney, Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Cindy Blackman, Joe Lovano, Joanne Brackeen, Gerry Gibbs, Graham Haynes, and Steve Coleman. Ravi's relationship with Coleman through most of the 90's was particularly influential on the budding saxophonist, including tours and appearances on several Coleman albums.

In 1997, after performing on over thirty recordings as a sideman, Ravi entered the studio to record his first album as leader. Moving Pictures was his well-rounded debut on RCA Victor, leading Ravi to assemble his first touring group (pianist Andy Milne, bassist Daryl Hall and drummer Steve Hass, with bassist James Genus and pianist George Colligan frequently filling in) and to travel widely in North America and Europe. In 1999, he married Kathleen Hennessy and his son William was born. From the Round Box, Ravi's second album as leader, was released in 2000 and was warmly received by critics and revealed a growing sense of self-challenge, balancing esoteric covers with compelling originals.

In 2002, to acknowledge a void slowly developing at major label jazz departments Ravi launched his own recording company - RKM Music - with albums by trumpeter Ralph Alessi and saxophonist Michael McGinnis. Partnered with Kathleen Hennessy and McGinnis, he is currently preparing projects with pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore and poet Julie Patton.

That same year, Ravi produced Legacy, a four-disc, thematic study of his father's career, for Verve, and co-produced and penned liner notes for the Deluxe Edition repackaging of A Love Supreme. Ravi continues his role as family archivist of his father's unreleased material and is working closely on preparing new projects with Verve. 2003 brought the release of Ravi's third album - Mad 6, on Columbia Records. Well received by critics and musicians alike, Mad 6 emulates the pace and energy of an intimate club performance and features two rhythm sections showcasing the talents of Ravi's working bands at the time.

Most recently, Ravi was the driving and guiding force behind his mother Alice Coltrane's return to recording after a 26-year hiatus; Translinear Light, featuring performances by Alice and Ravi along with Charlie Haden, Jack Dejohnette, James Genus, Jeff Watts, Oran Coltrane and others, was released in late September, 2004 on Impulse!. Shaping his own quartet through a series of recent tours and appearances, February of 2005 saw the release of Ravi's fourth album as a leader - In Flux - for the Savoy Jazz label. The recording features pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland - his primary working unit since 2003. Of "In Flux", Ben Ratliff of the New York Times writes, "Mr. Coltrane avoids tired song structures and doesn't want to bore you. He's fascinated on one hand by miniatures and on the other by the idea of longer songs that sound like collective improvisation from start to finish. It's a record that you can point to and say: This is what jazz sounds like now in New York."

In addition to working and traveling with his own group, Ravi recently has made several guest performances with McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Michael Brecker, George Duke, Stanley Clarke Jeff "Tain" Watts, Branford Marsalis, Mark Turner, Jacky Terrasson and others.

Ravi Coltrane remains busy, dedicated and remarkably clear as to the spirit behind his decision to pursue music as his profession.

"I want to be involved with music that is truly honest - that's not trying to follow trends or fit into someone's idea about what jazz 'is'. For Bird, Miles, Monk, Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter, I hold the highest level of appreciation because their love and knowledge of tradition was never greater than their need to follow their own path. The need to be themselves. This is my goal - my aspiration - to acknowledge with love my influences while attempting a move forward - to be open and receptive to shifts in the musical terrain - to make music that is relevant to my present day experience".
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Vivid Expressions: Ravi Coltrane Live at the Blue Note

by Dave Kaufman
June 17, 2024

In March of 2024, Ravi Coltrane played a five-night stand at the Blue Note jazz club in New York. I caught the last set on Sunday night. I have had the pleasure of seeing Ravi perform several times over the years, and he is a consistently outstanding performer. He was joined by two talented young musicians with whom he has worked over the past couple of years. Gadi Lehavi played piano, Fender Rhodes, and a Novation--a slim keyboard instrument that ...

Live Review

Ravi Coltrane Quartet: Cosmic Music Tour

by Chris May
October 14, 2022

Ravi Coltrane QuartetBarbican Hall London October 11, 2022 London's go-to concert venue for high-grade international jazz in friendly and comfortable surroundings, the Barbican Centre is no stranger to celebrations of the music of Alice Coltrane and John Coltrane. In autumn 2017, A Concert For Alice And John presented bands led by Pharoah Sanders, British tenor saxophonist Denys Baptiste and Ukrainian-born, London-based harpist Alina Bzhezhinska. Any performance by Sanders was to be treasured, but it ...

Live Review

Ravi Coltrane at SFJAZZ Center

by Harry S. Pariser
May 10, 2022

Ravi Coltrane SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, California April 29, 2022 When you have a famous father, whether you are Seun Kuti, Miley Cyrus, or one of the innumerable talented offspring of other celebrated musicians, expectations can be enormous. That especially holds true when one is the second son of the late saxophone genius John Coltrane, and named after the foremost master of the sitar, Ravi Shankar. However, at 56 Ravi Coltrane has ...

Album Review

James Carney Sextet: Pure Heart

Read "Pure Heart" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo

by Maurizio Zerbo
February 17, 2021

Parallelamente al più noto mercato discografico delle major, esiste un mondo sotterraneo di significative proposte parimente degne di grande attenzione da parte di critica e pubblico. Emblematico è in tal senso il CD in esame, nel rispecchiare sin dal titolo la musica di James Carney, notevole pianista newyorchese, che vanta esperienze multiformi tra il jazz di avanguardia e il pop, oltre ad essere da oltre un decennio un mobilizzatore della scena di Brooklyn. Senza ricorrere ad alchimie ...

Album Review

James Carney: Pure Heart

Read "Pure Heart" reviewed by Peter J. Hoetjes

by Peter J. Hoetjes
July 4, 2020

When a large ensemble like the one heard on Pure Heart contains such dynamic personalities as Ravi Coltrane, Oscar Noreiga and Dezron Douglas, it's a sure bet that a bandleader is going to have their hands full directing them through his compositions. However, with just five songs to the album, pianist James Carney is able to allow these musicians room to maneuver. What's more, he does so without falling prey to the corrosive lethargy of routine formula. Coltrane ...

Live Review

Ravi Coltrane Quartet at the New Hazlett Theater

by Mackenzie Horne
October 15, 2019

Ravi Coltrane Quartet New Hazlett Theater Pittsburgh, PA October 5, 2019 Since 2007, the Kente Arts Alliance (KAA) has worked diligently to underscore the relationship between the arts and community by providing accessible cultural programming within the city of Pittsburgh. KAA has hosted a number of elder jazz statesmen, including Hugh Masakela, Billy Harper, and Geri Allen, and next-generation voices such as James Carter, Antonio Hart, and Charenée Wade. Mensah Wali, a member of Kente's ...

Live Review

Never Alone: Reflections on the 2018 Winter Jazzfest

by Tyran Grillo
January 21, 2018

Ornette Coleman once said that sound has no parents. But that doesn't mean we can't be its children. On that point, jazz has always been something of a parental force, connecting progenies of representation across geographic and cultural borders. Its relationship to struggle has, however, at times been overshadowed by debate. On the one hand, jazz is a space in which divisions melt away in the interest of collective expression. On the other, such idealism risks ignoring the blood of ...

Performance / Tour

Announcing SMOKE Jazz Club’s December Line-up Featuring The 12th Annual Coltrane Festival With Ravi Coltrane’s Smoke Debut, A Spectacular New Year’s Eve Celebration, Catherine Russell & Sean Mason, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations
November 19, 2024

Entering its second quarter century as committed as ever to pure jazz (All About Jazz),” SMOKE Jazz Club continues its 25th anniversary season with an exciting line-up in December. The holiday season kickstarts with “A Nat King Cole Christmas” featuring singer Allan Harris (Dec 4). SMOKE is thrilled to welcome acclaimed vocalist Catherine Russell in her club debut in a thrilling duo with pianist Sean Mason (Dec 5-8) performing repertoire off their latest album My Ideal. ...
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Festival

50th Anniversary Of A Love Supreme - Curated By Ravi Coltrane At SFJAZZ Center

Source: Marshall Lamm
December 2, 2014

SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco's exclusive celebration of 50th Anniversary of A Love Supreme - curated by Ravi Coltrane During the week of December 10-14, 2014, SFJAZZ in San Francisco is presenting an exclusive 50th Anniversary Celebration of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of A Love Supreme, recorded on December 9, 1964 and released by Impulse! in February of 1965, Ravi Coltrane, son of the late jazz giant, has curated a week’s worth of special ...
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Recording

Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, And Ravi Coltrane Release Fan-Funded “Visitation” CD Through ArtistShare

Source: Brian Camelio
May 13, 2014

ARTISTSHARE RELEASES SAX SUMMIT’S FAN-FUNDED VISITATION CD – FEATURING JAZZ SAXOPHONE GIANTS JOE LOVANO, DAVE LIEBMAN, AND RAVI COLTRANE. SAXOPHONE SUMMIT RETURNS FOR THEIR THIRD RECORDING AS LIEBMAN, LOVANO, AND COLTRANE EXPLORE NEW CONCEPTUAL REALMS IN THEIR LATEST FAN-FUNDED ALBUM, VISITATION Saxophone Summit features saxophonists Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, and Ravi Coltrane, along with pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart. Individually, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, and Ravi Coltrane are widely recognized as contemporary titans of jazz ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Ravi Coltrane, Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo, a New Big Band Debuts, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
January 19, 2012

The tenor sax plays a major role in this week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with two of the instrument's most prominent current exponents in town, plus several other noteworthy shows including the debut of a new big band as well. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane (pictured) opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Coltrane, the son of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist/harpist Alice Coltrane, last ...
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Performance / Tour

Grammy-Nominated Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane Kicks Off 2012 at the Annenberg Center

Source: AAJ Staff
January 4, 2012

Philadelphia, PA—Touted as “amazing, deep, soulful, masterful" by Jazz Police, prodigious saxophonist Ravi Coltrane takes the stage with his quintet on January 14 at the Annenberg Center as a part of its Jazz Series. In a one-night-only treat just in time to kick that holiday hangover, jazz enthusiasts and newbies alike can delight in Coltrane's robust and distinctive saxophone sound. The performance will take place in the Zellerbach Theatre on January 14, 2012 at 8 PM. Tickets start at $20. ...
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Music Industry

Blue Note Records Signs Ravi Coltrane

Source: Michael Ricci
August 5, 2010

EMI's Blue Note Records is proud to announce the signing of saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Ravi Coltrane. Coltrane will be entering the studio in December to record his debut as a leader for the label, which is due to be released in Spring 2011. Coltrane has previously recorded for the label as a member of The Blue Note 7, the all-star septet that released the album Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records and embarked on an extensive North American ...
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151

Interview

Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 13, 2009

Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, he of the inescapable surname, is continuing to grow both as a musician and a person. His playing these days contains more maturity; a sense of exploration, combined with a sureness of attack and a brawny sound.

The growing musical proficiency is documented on Blending Times (Savoy Jazz, 2009). Coltrane and his working band--pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland--address a group of tunes both written and improvised on the spot. The band takes ...
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138

Recording

Critics Jazz CD Reviews

Source: Michael Ricci
January 12, 2009

New York Times Critics CD Reviews

ROKIA TRAOR Tchamantch (Nonesuch)

In its traditional roles as historical chronicle and community conscience, West African music doesnt favor introspection. Thats what makes the Malian songwriter and singer Rokia Traor such a graceful exception. Not a member of a musical dynasty like the many musicians named Diabat and Kouyat, with no family tradition to uphold, Ms. Traor is a well-traveled diplomats daughter who is creating her own radically delicate fusions.

She almost ...
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Performance / Tour

Ravi Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard: Listen at NPR Music

Source: All About Jazz
November 20, 2008

He bears the name of jazz royalty, and he's spent many hours curating, archiving and producing his parents' recordings. But when he picks up his own saxophones, Ravi Coltrane blows an original and distinctly modern strain of jazz, distilling but never seeking to imitate his family's adventurous improvising spirits. Now one of today's top saxophonists, Coltrane takes his own quartet into the same Manhattan venue where his father John Coltrane so famously held court: The Village Vanguard.
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132

Recording

Ravi Coltrane Returns with "Blending Times"

Source: All About Jazz
November 18, 2008

Tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane has put the finishing touches on his long-awaited new recording Blending Times which is set for release on the Savoy Jazz label on January 13th. The follow up to the Grammy-nominated “In Flux" (a recording of such distinction that the New York Times declared him an artist who had “come into his own"), Coltrane again performs primarily with his stellar quartet consisting of Luis Perdomo on piano, Drew Gress on bass and E.J. Strickland on drums. ...
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