Melissa Aldana one of the Voice’s Best Shows for October

by Kelsey Higgins

Melissa Aldana is a 24-year-old tenor saxophonist. Originally from Santiago, Chile, she has been active in New York since 2009.

The Village Voice put her and her quartet of Glenn Zaleski (piano), Pablo Menares (bass) and Francisco Mela (drums), on the top of their Best Jazz Shows in NYC for the month of October. The four performed at Kitano together on Oct. 3.

Photo property of the New York Times.

Making History

On Sept. 16, 2013 Aldana became the first woman to take the top prize in an instrumental contest at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and according to Berklee she is only the fifth alumnus to do so.

Photo from NPR

Jazz Times said she, “won the contest with savvy subversions to jazz’s modern mainstream,” and that her victory was, “well deserved and hard earned.”

Second Cycle

Prior to winning the competition, Aldana released two albums on the Inner Circle label, which was founded by saxophonist Greg Osby.

Her first album “Free Fall” is, “a pure mix of jazz improvisation rooted deep in the tradition and compositions that are taking the music in a more modern direction,” Inner Circle Music said.

Her second album, “Second Cycle” is what really grabbed her a portion of the spotlight in the New York jazz scene. In this album, “for extended periods she’s riding intricate bass-and-drum rhythms by herself, ” said the New York Times.

Her next album will debut her Crash Trio, which features members of her quartet Francisco Mela on drums and Pablo Menares on bass. The three performed together at Berklee on Oct. 9, according to NPR.

Further Reading

Aldana appeared at the Jazz Gallery in February of 2013 and Ben Ratliff of the New York Times said her performance, “covered great range of form and sound: controlled and loose, old and new, learned and intuitive. She was patient but showed that she could be extravagant.”

Ravi Coltrane Quartet to play at the Village Vanguard

by Kelsey Higgins

Calling John Coltrane one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century, the New York Times said, “just about every jazz saxophone player born after 1960 plays in the shadow of John Coltrane.”

Despite bearing the last name of two influential jazz musicians, saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane has emerged from the shadows and  forged his own name in jazz history.

“He’s descended from jazz royalty, and he wears it with pride,” said NPR, “[but he] blows an original and distinctly modern strain of jazz, distilling but never seeking to imitate his family’s adventurous improvising spirits.”

Even though Ravi plays the tenor and soprano saxophone as his father did before him, his unique sound and “analytic and contemplative” approach have set him apart from his father, according to the New Yorker.

His quartet will be performing at the Village Vanguard this week beginning on Tuesday Oct. 1 through Saturday Oct. 6. Tickets can be purchased through the Village Vanguard site here.

Coltrane at the Village Vanguard

John Coltrane was a frequent headliner at the Village Vanguard, which for 70 years has served as the place where, “the ghosts of past jazz giants still play, where the best living jazz talent aspire to record, and where sound waves seem to reverberate in a manner unlike any other club, anywhere.”

Ravi Coltrane, naturally, is also no stranger to the Vanguard stage. He received great reviews from NPR for his performance in November of 2008 and from the New York Times for his performances in September of 2009 and March of 2013.

The New York Times called his March 2013 performance something, “You don’t experience that often in a jazz club.”

Ravi Coltrane returns to the Village Vanguard with his quartet, composed of pianist David Virelles, bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Johnathan Blake, this week on Tuesday.

Tickets are $25 or $35 on Fridays and Saturdays with a one drink minimum. The Village Vanguard is located on 178 S. Avenue, and doors open at 7:30. Further information can be found here.

His most recent album is “Spirit Fiction,” released in 2011. It is his first album with Blue Note Records.

If you are unable to catch Ravi at the Village Vangaurd

NPR will present a live video webcast and radio broadcast of the Ravi Coltrane Quartet on Wednesday Oct. 2 at 8:30 p.m. Coverage can be found here.

Further Reading

In the article “Growing Up Coltrane,” Ravi talks about his favorite tracks that feature his parents (recordings provided within the article).