Player Supreme

In 1964 John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones. It's one of most influential and imposing jazz suites ever written, and on this debut CD for the Palmetto label, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, featuring Wynton Marsalis, adapts Coltrane's immortal composition to the big band. Not to be outdone by his brother Branford's quartet version of this material recorded live on DVD, Wynton and company skillfully extend and elaborate on the Coltrane's work, and preserve the soul-searching spirit of the four-part suite, which deals with the blues, 4/4 swing, Afro-Latin rhythms, and ballads. Pulsed by Carlos Henriquez's sure-footed basslines, Herlin Riley's spiritual syncopations and Earl Lewis's profound pianisms, saxophonist Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson's Tranish cries, and the leader's triumphant trumpet tones are as fluent and fierce as ever. Collectively, this brilliant orchestra goes where no large ensemble has gone before.

On July17, 1967, time stopped. The great saxophone player John Coltrane left us. I was lucky enough to discover, at a very young age, an exceptional musician. The beauty, the spirituality, the strength, the softness, as well as the fragility of his notes. The expression of that sound which spoke to me like a voice. From that moment on, he became my daily bread. Indispensable. No one can ignore the immensity of his visionary works. It still resonates in all of today’s musical productions, and certainly in those of tomorrow. This record was recorded, day after day, between July 17, the date on which he departed, and July 21, the day on which his funeral was held. On each day, an offering, a musical, poetic gift, for him, created in real time. On the 21st at midnight, the record was completed. - Christian Vander