With ‘Selflessness,’ Dave Liebman puts late-period John Coltrane into an accessible frame

NEA Jazz Grasp Dave Liebman’s new launch, Selflessness, is a passionate reimagining of the John Coltrane songbook. Liebman and his Expansions ensemble have cracked the code to an idea seldom expressed in earlier renderings of Coltrane’s most burning mid-to-late-period compositions.

Liebman’s band, with pianist Bobby Avey, bassist Tony Marino, drummer Alex Ritz and alto saxophonist Matt Vashlishan, masterfully match brevity with the entire depth that Coltrane’s model of sonic hearth calls for. As Liebman is heard solely on soprano saxophone all through, the outcomes are extremely concentrated and to-the-point in a program that can probably achieve new listeners for a few of Coltrane’s tougher late-period works.

“You can also make a case that each ten years this music modifications,” Liebman says. “The best way this era seems to be at an ordinary… they fully go for the jugular instantly… and the viewers is prepared for it.”

As considered one of jazz’s premier educators and bandleaders for over 40 years, Liebman has been a dedicated advocate for Coltrane’s late interval. An avid concertgoer in his teenage and younger grownup years, Liebman witnessed Coltrane up shut a number of instances round New York Metropolis from 1962-66. His final expertise was in Might of 1966, throughout a live performance that might later be launched as Dwell at The Village Vanguard Once more, and included a radically exploratory and prolonged model of “My Favourite Issues.”

“Once I heard [Coltrane play] that music on the Vanguard, I assumed it was unbelievable,” Liebman says. “It was music that was extra suited to an auditorium than a membership. Once they began enjoying [‘My Favorite Things’], they took no prisoners. It was a momentous evening.”

As a sideman, Liebman’s moments within the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis teams are effectively documented. His rise from a fan of the Coltrane quartet to a member of Jones’ band was significantly impactful.

“Subsequent to my father, Elvin Jones was the person I most revered,” Liebman displays. “He was the ocean, the sky, the mountains, and also you knew it as quickly as he hit the bandstand.”

In our dialog, Liebman expresses the exuberance of working together with his Expansions ensemble; shares some perception into free improvisation, as demonstrated on latest tasks with Adam Rudolph and Tyshawn Sorey; and explains how he was in a position to get in sync with Jones’ distinctive rhythmic placement.

Selflessness: The Music of John Coltrane is now available on Dot Time Information.