A dream is coming true in Paris's La Villette 2016: Archie Shepp, an undisputed master of 20th century jazz, pays tribute to the great John Coltrane, another music history monument and pioneer of free jazz. More than colleagues and geniuses, they were friends above all, a fact which led them to record an album together in 1965, titled New Thing At Newport. Archie Shepp, accompanied by talented musicians such as Jason Moran on piano and Billy Hart on drums, gifts us with an intergenerational performance of the highest caliber, and invites us on a journey to the spiritual rediscovery of Coltrane's works as well as his own.
This melting pot mixes the serene lyricism of Naïma, written in 1959 by Coltrane in homage to his first wife with the free surrealism of Los Olvidados, composed by Shepp. To understand the magnitude of such a concert, it is essential to grasp the central place that Coltrane occupies in Shepp's career and personal development. Shepp says of him: "John's always been a hero to me, and was certainly very helpful in my career". His mentor indeed allowed him to launch his musical development, and his gratitude towards him allows him to perform this tribute concert with a touching posthumous affection.
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