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
![Pharoah [Expanded Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0680899800822_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Pharoah [Expanded Edition]")
![Waltz for Debby [1962]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072323261_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Waltz for Debby [1962]")
