Pop and Jazz Reviews : Coltrane Fest Short of Time, Not Music

The John Coltrane Festival Vision Concert ran short of time on Saturday night at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, but it never ran out of music.

The headliner, Elvin Jones--a fixture in the Coltrane groups of the ‘60s--didn’t arrive on stage until just before the theater’s midnight curfew. That meant the brilliantly multi-rhythmic drummer only had time to play one number with his six-piece ensemble.

It was a good one, with extended solos by talented young trumpeter Nicholas Payton, soprano saxophonist Antoine Roney and Ravi Coltrane on tenor, but it wasn’t quite enough to provide a proper climax to an otherwise musically entertaining evening.

The program opened with a vigorously energetic appearance by the Karl Denson group, winners of the festival’s Young Musicians & Artists Competition. Saxophonist Denson--who, ironically, sounded far more influenced by Sonny Rollins than Coltrane--gave a fiery display of technical virtuosity.

But if he is to move into the upper levels of jazz, (which he clearly seems capable of doing), Denson will have to permit his still-nascent sense of creative flow and melodic imagination to play a larger role in his improvisations.

Other acts included a set of vocals by pianist/singer Teri Thornton’s trio and a brisk, boppish collection of jazz classics by “Tonight Show” trumpeter Sal Marquez and his quintet.

Miki Coltrane sounded pleasantly Sarah Vaughn-like on appealing readings of “Night and Day” and “Tenderly,” and Alice Coltrane joined her other son, Oran, for a leisurely exploration of several free jazz-oriented work.