HEIR TO THE THRONE

The Multifaceted Ravi Coltrane

BY HAIKEEM STOKES

There are a few apple analogies, such as: one bad apple can spoil the bunch, and an apple a day will keep the doctor away. But this article is focused on the one that claims the apple does not fall far from the tree. In this case, all claims are indelibly true as they pertain to Ravi Coltrane. He has brought a certain ingenuity and groundbreaking sound to the world of Jazz as too did his father, the late great John Coltrane. Hearing him via the musical device is marvelous, but to witness Ravi’s greatness in person is remarkable…

READ FULL ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF INTELLECTUAL INK MAGAZINE

Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed Grammy™ nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. In the course of a twenty plus year career, Mr. Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others and founded a prominent independent record label, RKM.

Born in Long Island, the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, Ravi was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. He was raised in Los Angeles where his family moved after his father’s death in 1967. His mother, Alice Coltrane, was a significant influence on Ravi and it was he who encouraged Alice to return to performance and the recording studio after a long absence. Subsequently, Ravi produced and played on Alice Coltrane’s powerful, ‘Translinear Light’, which was released in 2004.

Ravi has released six albums as a leader. His latest, ‘Spirit Fiction’, was released in June of 2012 for the Blue Note label. Additional credits include performances as well as recordings with Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Geri Allen, Joanne Brackeem, The Blue Note 7, among others. He is a co-leader of the Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman.