Saxophonist Branford Marsalis and vocalist Dianne Reeves have joined forces for Dedicated to You, a new album honoring John Coltrane and arriving September 18 as part of the celebrations surrounding the jazz legend’s centennial.
The pair have previewed the project with the title track, a new interpretation that offers a glimpse into an album inspired in large part by one of Coltrane’s most intimate recordings, the 1963 Impulse! classic John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.
Rather than attempting to recreate Coltrane’s music, Marsalis has taken what he describes as a “road less travelled.” Dedicated to You features new versions of the six standards from the Coltrane-Hartman album, along with additional instrumental performances drawn from Coltrane’s repertoire, creating an expansive tribute that connects one of jazz’s most influential saxophonists with two generations of musicians deeply grounded in the tradition.
For Marsalis, the choice of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman provided a natural starting point. The album has long been regarded as a landmark example of the relationship between a vocalist and an instrumental ensemble, with Coltrane's restrained, lyrical playing providing the perfect setting for Hartman’s rich baritone.
The more difficult question was who should take the vocal role.
Marsalis initially considered male singers before deciding to wait on the choice. When he woke up the next morning, the answer was Dianne Reeves.
Marsalis describes Reeves as possessing what he calls “the thing”—a quality that goes beyond technique and becomes part of the music itself. Her extensive listening and ability to bring emotional depth to a song made her, in his view, the ideal partner for the project.
Reeves brings her own deep connection to the jazz tradition. As a teenager, she worked with legendary trumpeter Clark Terry, an experience that helped shape her approach to standards and melody.
“Standards and good melody, that’s what we did,” Reeves recalls of working with Terry. His philosophy was straightforward: give the song what it needs. Sometimes that means space, sometimes embellishment, and sometimes simply allowing the melody to speak for itself.
That philosophy is particularly appropriate for music associated with Coltrane and Hartman. Reeves also grew up familiar with the original album because her parents were fans of Johnny Hartman, giving her an early connection to the music that would eventually become the centerpiece of this new project.
For the recording, Reeves joins the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner. The combination creates a musical setting capable of moving between the intimacy of a ballad and the more exploratory instrumental language associated with Coltrane.
Marsalis sees Coltrane not as an artist who simply rejected tradition, but as someone who understood it deeply before expanding its possibilities.
“John Coltrane was not about trying to destroy the norm,” Marsalis says. “He came up like Picasso. He knew the tradition and then saw how to expand it.”
That idea is central to Dedicated to You. Rather than treating Coltrane’s compositions as vehicles for technical display, Marsalis approaches the music with an emphasis on melody, lyricism and respect for the character of each composition.
The album arrives at a significant moment in Coltrane’s legacy, marking his centennial with a project that connects his music to performers who have developed their own voices while remaining deeply connected to the jazz tradition.
Marsalis and Reeves will take the project on the road beginning in the fall, with an extensive schedule spanning North America and Europe. The tour includes major performing arts centers, jazz festivals and concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Center in Chicago, the EFG London Jazz Festival and some of Europe's most prominent venues.
Reeves is clearly looking forward to taking the music beyond the recording studio. “I can’t wait to see where we take the music,” she says. “I told Branford we may even need to dance.”
Branford Marsalis Quartet & Dianne Reeves – Tour Dates
2026
September 5 – Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival – Willemstad, Curaçao
September 10 – Aronoff Center – Cincinnati, OH
September 12 – Cain Park – Cleveland Heights, OH
September 17–20 – Miner Auditorium – San Francisco, CA
September 27 – Heymann Performing Arts Center – Lafayette, LA
September 30 – Mondavi Center – Davis, CA
October 2 – Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center – Livermore, CA
October 3 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ
October 6 – Hogg Memorial Auditorium – Austin, TX
October 7 – Kingsbury Hall – Salt Lake City, UT
October 8 – The Soraya – Northridge, CA
October 10 – Seattle Jazz Festival @ Town Hall – Seattle, WA
October 11 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR
October 13 – Chan Centre for the Performing Arts – Vancouver, Canada
October 14 – Jack Singer Concert Hall – Calgary, Canada
October 16 – Symphony Center – Chicago, IL
October 17 – Ordway Concert Hall – St. Paul, MN
October 18 – Powell Symphony Hall – St. Louis, MO
October 27 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY
November 3 – Palau de la Música Catalana – Barcelona, Spain
November 4 – Concertgebouw – Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 6 – Kulturraffinerie – Monheim am Rhein, Germany
November 8 – NOSPR – Katowice, Poland
November 9 – Wiener Konzerthaus – Vienna, Austria
November 10 – Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall – Zagreb, Croatia
November 12 – Béla Bartók National Concert Hall – Budapest, Hungary
November 14 – Isarphilharmonie – Munich, Germany
November 16 – Elbphilharmonie – Hamburg, Germany
November 18 – Philharmonie Luxembourg – Luxembourg
November 19 – Alte Oper – Frankfurt, Germany
November 21 – EFG London Jazz Festival – London, England
2027
February 4 – Millersville University – Lancaster, PA
February 5 – Zellerbach Theatre – Pennsylvania, PA
February 6 – Koerner Hall – Toronto, Canada
April 1 – Coolidge Auditorium – Washington, DC
April 3 – SUNY Purchase Concert Hall – Purchase, NY
April 5 – Carolina Theatre of Greensboro – Greensboro, NC
April 7 – Lensic Performing Arts Center – Santa Fe, NM
April 8 – Popejoy Hall – Albuquerque, NM
April 11 – Charleston Gaillard Center – Charleston, SC
April 13 – Symphony Hall – Boston, MA
April 15 – St. Cecilia Music Center – Grand Rapids, MI
April 17 – Fox Cities Performing Arts Center – Appleton, WI
April 22 – Kleinhans Music Hall – Buffalo, NY
April 24 – Folly Theater – Kansas City, MO
No comments:
Post a Comment