Ravi Coltrane Quartet
As the saxophone-playing son of John Coltrane, the iconic saxophonist, composer and band leader who turned the music world inside out in the 1950s and 1960s, Ravi Coltrane has carried a double-bladed sword throughout his career.
His surname confers instant recognition — and sky-high expectations. This holds doubly true since his mother, harpist, keyboardist and composer Alice Coltrane is a legend, both in her own right and as a frequent musical partner of John Coltrane.
“Honestly, she’s probably (my) No. 1 influence,” Ravi Coltrane told me in a 2003 San Diego Union-Tribune interview.
“I watched her play music every day in the house growing up. There was just something about her openness and her generosity and her spirituality. As a young person trying to learn a craft, you feel like you have to get your (stuff) together so you can get up there and sound good, for yourself. She had this open sense that it starts with you, but you’re transmitting it somewhere… My father passed away before I turned 2, so I didn’t grow up with this ‘iconic figure’ in front of me.”
Now 58, Ravi Coltrane has forged his own artistic path.
He has made nearly a dozen increasingly accomplished albums as a band leader and has been featured on recordings by such diverse talents as Lionel Hampton, Chick Corea, Cassandra Wison, Luis Perdomo, Billy Childs and former John Coltrane Quartet drum giant Elvin Jones.
If memory serves, Ravi Coltrane last headlined here 21 years ago. That makes his Wednesday Jazz 88 KSDS-FM “Jazz Live” concert a long overdue treat. His band features fellow saxophonist Doug Webb, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Tony Austin.
7 p.m. Wednesday. Saville Theater, San Diego City College, 1400 C Street, downtown. $30. (Series packages for the next six “Jazz Live” concerts, including Coltrane’s, cost $240 and include tickets for two people per concert.) jazz88.org
Sam Grisman Project
A good number of bands nationwide and beyond have devoted themselves to honoring the legacy of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia, the pioneering San Francisco group’s deceased guitarist, singer and focal point. But multi-instrumentalist Sam Grisman provides a different spin.
His repertoire mixes original compositions with songs Garcia performed and recorded with Sam’s dad, jazzy bluegrass mandolin great David Grisman, whose musical partnership with the late Garcia dated back to the early 1970s and stretched over three decades.
That means you can expect to heard Dead favorites like “Sugaree” and “Ramble On Rose” alongside such bluegrass and string band classics as “Muskrat” and “Sow ‘Em on the Mountain.” Plus, very likely, some choice Bob Dylan covers and much more.
9:30 p.m. today. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. $25 (must be 21 or older to attend). (619) 222-6822; winstonsob.com
“Mardi Gras Mambo,” featuring Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
Break out your beads and dancing shoes for this double-header by two of Louisiana’s finest musical exports.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which celebrates and extends various New Orleans street parade traditions, counts Dizzy Gillespie, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and Lil’ Wayne among its past collaborators.
Nathan Williams, who was mentored by fellow accordion wiz Buckwheat Zydeco, will get the party started with his rollicking ensemble.
And you can experience a humidity-free, Big Easy-styled musical romp.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $30-$80. (760) 839-4138; artcenter.org