The rumours are true. The Ravi Coltrane Quartet will play 4 dates next month with gigs in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
If you're a fan of James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Earth Wind and Fire, Prince and The Beatles, like Ravi, then you won't be disappointed.
Even better - we have 4 double passes to each gig to give away. To enter, see the freebies section in the sidebar in My Eventfinder.
One lucky winner from each gig will also receive a Ravi Coltrane CD. The competition ends next Wednesday so get in quick.
Although the above and obvious mainstream influences are integral to Ravi's music, he states that he wants 'to be involved with music that is truly honest - that's not trying to follow trends or fit into someones idea about what jazz 'is'. Ravi Coltrane.
Born the second son of John and Alice Coltrane in 1965 in Long Island, New York and raised in the Los Angeles area, he was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. Starting in middle school, Ravi began playing clarinet, though he grew up hearing a variety of music. It was in 1986 that Ravi entered the California Institute of the Arts to pursue musical studies, focusing on the saxophone.
In 1991, Ravi hooked up with Elvin Jones, his father's renowned drummer from the 60's and received his first taste of the jazz life. Within a year, he relocated to New York City and began playing with a variety of players: Jack DeJohnnette, Rashied Ali, Wallace Roney, Antoine Roney, Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Cindy Blackman, Joe Lovano, Joanne Brackeen, Gerry Gibbs, Graham Haynes, and Steve Coleman.
Moving Pictures was his well-rounded debut on RCA Victor, leading Ravi to assemble his first touring group (pianist Andy Milne, bassist Daryl Hall and drummer Steve Hass, with bassist James Genus and pianist George Colligan frequently filling in) and to travel widely in North America and Europe. From the Round Box, Ravi's second album as leader, was released in 2000 and was warmly received by critics and revealed a growing sense of self-challenge, balancing esoteric covers with compelling originals.
And for you Jazz fans out there, it doesn't get better than this.