Saxophonist Teodross Avery revisits the music of one his earliest influences on the 2019 live album After the Rain: A Night for Coltrane. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Avery first discovered John Coltrane in his teens while coming up as young jazz lion. While he would go on to explore the styles of other jazz icons, and even expand his purview beyond jazz with explorations into R&B, funk, and hip-hop, he would often return to Coltrane's mutative artistry for inspiration. Recorded at Oakland's The Sound Room, After ...
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Saxophonist Teodross Avery revisits the music of one his earliest influences on the 2019 live album After the Rain: A Night for Coltrane. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Avery first discovered John Coltrane in his teens while coming up as young jazz lion. While he would go on to explore the styles of other jazz icons, and even expand his purview beyond jazz with explorations into R&B, funk, and hip-hop, he would often return to Coltrane's mutative artistry for inspiration. Recorded at Oakland's The Sound Room, After the Rain finds Avery again ruminating on Coltrane's artistry in a single concert setting, backed by his quartet with pianist Adam Shulman, bassist Jeff Chambers, and drummer Darrell Green. Together, the tackle a nicely curated cross-section of Coltrane-associated tunes, achieving a balance between classics like Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue" and lesser-performed compositions like "After the Rain." As demonstrated by his propulsive take on "Afro Blue," Avery plays with an aggressive soulfulness that balances engaging harmonic choices, with a push-it-to-the-limits "burn out" approach. Both aspects are displayed nicely throughout the album, and bring to mind Coltrane's late-'60s period when free jazz concepts, social unrest, and the ongoing civil rights movement were pushing his creativity to new heights. It's a sound he brings into sharp focus on "Bakai," off Coltrane's 1957 Prestige date Coltrane. Opening with a series of rubato arpeggios, Avery wrenches deep guttural moans and skyward growls out of his saxophone before launching into the song's deep Afro-Latin groove. Elsewhere, he offers equally engaging readings of "Blues Minor" and "Africa," both from 1961's Africa/Brass, and closes with a deeply felt reading of "Pursuance" from 1965's landmark A Love Supreme. The most remarkable aspect of Avery's tribute to Coltrane is just how present, alive, and deeply personal it feels. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
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