Thursday Night Jazz: John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”

It’s Valentine’s season in Pittsburgh, which can only mean one thing: A Love Supreme at City of Asylum. Renowned alto saxophonist Yoko Suzuki and her accompanying quartet members Max Leake, Eli Namay, and Roger Humphries perform a full rendition of the John Coltrane masterpiece, A Love Supreme. In addition to performing the full album, Yoko’s quartet will perform various songs centered on the theme of love, including original compositions.

Recorded in a single session in 1964 and not only lasting, but growing in impact in the six decades since its release, A Love Supreme is a defining album, given new life in this program by a sensational quartet of musicians. It is a work as immortal as its subject matter and one that should be experienced in much the same way: by any human being with a heart.

John Coltrane departed this mortal plane more than fifty years ago; today, his spirit remains among us, more alive than ever. His legend is stone-solid: firmly planted in our culture. His saxophone sound—brooding, searching, dark—is still one of the most recognizable in modern jazz. His influence stretches over styles and genres and transcends cultural boundaries. To Coltrane, a musician was a message-giver. Making music was an endeavor tied to a larger, greater good. In 1966, less than a year before his death, he stated, “I know that there are bad forces, forces that bring suffering to others and misery to the world. I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.” 

About the Artist:

Yoko Suzuki is a jazz saxophonist and scholar who aspires to illuminate the work of under recognized musicians through her research and performance.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for dinner from 5 to 10 pm. Please visit OpenTable or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.