Coltrane 100
PROJECTS:
2026 marks the centennial of the birth of iconic saxophonist John Coltrane. Coltrane 100 brings together saxophonists Joe Lovano and Melissa Aldana, pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts for a collective tribute reflecting Coltrane’s enduring influence across generations, geographies, and musical traditions.
Joe Lovano, a central figure in modern jazz for more than three decades, brings a deep connection to the post-Coltrane saxophone lineage. Melissa Aldana contributes a distinctive contemporary voice shaped by close engagement with the jazz canon and a focus on narrative and identity. Nduduzo Makhathini draws on South African musical and spiritual traditions, as well as the legacy of McCoy Tyner, to articulate a highly personal pianistic language. Linda May Han Oh adds a globally informed perspective as a bassist whose work spans ensemble writing, film, and collaborative performance. Jeff “Tain” Watts brings decades of experience and rhythmic authority forged alongside many of the defining artists of modern jazz.
Joe Lovano states, “This quintet will honor Coltrane’s compositions as a springboard to explore and express ourselves. We do not seek to recreate, but rather to create in the spirit of Coltrane.”
The Coltrane 100 tour is produced with the approval of Jowcol Music LLC o/b/o Estate of John Coltrane
QUOTES:
“starting a sentence in the middle, and then going to the beginning and the end of it at the same time…both directions at once."”
John Coltrane (as recalled by Wayne Shorter)
“My music is the spiritual expression of what I am - my faith, my knowledge, my being.”
John Coltrane
“When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hang-ups.”
John Coltrane
“I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme”
Nduduzo Makhathini
[On Joe Lovano]: “One of the jazz world’s most celebrated musicians”
NPR
[On Melissa Aldana]: “One of the preeminent tenor saxophone players in the world”
Stereophile
[On Linda May Han Oh]: “Engrossing, shapeshifting… [her] vibrant tone, close control and confident attack immediately established why she is such an in-demand performer.”
The Wall Street Journal
[On Nduduzo Makhathini]: “Makhathini has discovered paths back to the African roots of the music and created a sonic portrait that spans both time and geography”
DownBeat
[On Jeff “Tain” Watts]: “a supremely consequential drummer in the music — evolving the language of jazz drumming”
NPR Jazz Night in America
