John Coltrane: Legacy program

John Coltrane: Legacy

Featuring Joe Lovano and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

conducted by Edwin Outwater

May 15, 2024

Photo credit: Francis Wolff

TO Live would like to acknowledge Tkaronto, which is a Mohawk word meaning the place in the water where the trees are standing.

We live and work on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee-speaking nations, including the Huron-Wendat, Seneca, and Mohawk. Haudenosauneespeaking nations have been here since time immemorial, and were more recently joined by the Mississaugas of the Credit.

This place has many Indigenous ports, including where the Humber and Rouge rivers meet other waterways such as Lake Ontario. Ancient longhouses— typical Haudenosaunee housing structures—have been found along both these rivers and in the north of Toronto near modern-day York University. This territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) Confederacy and the Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and the relationships around the Great Lakes.

What this means is that by living and working here, we all have a responsibility to the environment and to each other, to treat each other and the environment with peace and respect. This means we have responsibilities to honour, renew, and consistently uphold the values and relationships outlined in the ancient agreements.

Today, Toronto is home to Indigenous peoples and settlers from around the world. Let us all come together in an atmosphere of respect and peace to do good work together with good minds. Let’s start building stronger and healthier relationships with each other and the spaces we inhabit in Tkaronto, Ontari:io, Kanata.

Let’s hold our minds together in kindness. Nia:wen. Thank you.

© Dawn Maracle

Welcome letter from TO Live

Welcome to the world premiere of John Coltrane: Legacy

TO Live is proud to present this highly anticipated world premiere of John Coltrane: Legacy on the iconic Meridian Hall stage.

Named in 1965 as “jazzman of the year” by local and international critics, John Coltrane was just reaching his prime when he died in 1967 at the age of 40.

In his tragically short life, Coltrane released 25 albums, with many considered classics. From the iconic “Blue Train” to groundbreaking “Giant Steps” and the Grammy-nominated “A Love Supreme,” his work continues to inspire and shape the landscape of contemporary sound, leaving an indelible mark on the world of music.

Tonight, TO Live, along with partners PolyArts and the John Coltrane estate, have created a show that includes 47 talented musicians from the renowned Toronto Symphony Orchestra, who join forces with saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Robi Botos, bassist Mike Downes, and drummer Larnell Lewis to bring Coltrane’s timeless compositions to life.

John Coltrane: Legacy offers a fresh perspective on Coltrane’s most beloved and influential works, and tonight’s concert features lush orchestrations accompanied by exclusive and recently exhibited personal photographs, providing the audience with a unique and immersive experience.

As a co-commissioner of John Coltrane: Legacy, TO Live takes immense pride in bringing exceptional cultural experiences to Toronto. Tonight’s performance promises to deliver, with an extraordinary night of outstanding music celebrating the legacy of a true musical genius.

Clyde Wagner President & CEO

Max Rubino Director of Programming

About John Coltrane: Legacy

To John Coltrane, a musician was a message-giver; making music was an endeavour tied to a larger, greater good. His compositions and recordings are now permanent parts of the canon of great American music, recognized by the Library of Congress, with many inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; all are now required study for young musicians hoping to unlock the secrets of the jazz tradition. In today’s mainstream media, Coltrane is often name-checked on television shows and referenced in major Hollywood films like Malcolm X, Mo Better Blues, Jerry McGuire, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and many others.

In 1995, the United States Postal Service placed Coltrane on a commemorative postage stamp. In 1997, he was bestowed the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts chose “My Favorite Things” for its list of 360 songs of the century. In 2007, Coltrane was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, as a special citation for a lifetime of innovative and influential work. In 2018, the release of Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album put Coltrane at the top of album charts in 20 countries around the world, his strongest sales to date.

Now, with John Coltrane: Legacy, the compositions of John Coltrane are given a new treatment that has never been heard. With the larger format of a symphony orchestra playing new arrangements specifically written for this setting, audiences will hear Coltrane’s most enduring work expanded and reimagined by the most lauded arrangers of the current era. Coltrane played his songs in new ways in every performance, and that quest to discover new meaning in the pieces continues today.

TORONTO SYMPHONY FOUNDATION

Credits and creative team

Arranger and curator

Carlos Simon

Soloist

Joe Lovano

Conductor

Edwin Outwater

Pianist

Robi Botos

Bassist

Mike Downes

Drummer

Larnell Lewis

Arrangers

Blue Train

Giant Steps

Crepescule with Nellie (Monk w/ Coltrane)

My One and Only Love (with Johnny Hartman)

Lush Life 13:54’ / Lush Life w. Hartman

Naima

In a Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington with Coltrane)

A Love Supreme Part 1 Acknowledgment

So What (Miles)

Blue in Green (Miles)

Impressions

Alabama

Central Park West

Crescent

My Favorite Things

Erik Jakebson

Steven Feifke

Andy Milne

Ben Morris

Cassie Kinoshi

Andy Milne

Carlos Simon

Andy Milne

Tim Davies

Cassie Kinoshi

Ben Morris

Carlos Simon

Tim Davies

Ben Morris

Jonathan Bingham

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Violin 1

Clare Semes

Douglas Kwon

Angelique Toews

Peter Seminovs

Amalia Joanou-Canzoneri

Lance Ouellette

Sarah Kim

Sienna Cho

Violin 2

Luri Lee

Sergei Nikonov

Virginia Wells

Bridget Hunt

Benedicte Lauziere

Kim Bora

Viola

Ashley Vandiver

Victor Li Zeyu

Evalynn Tyros

Brandon Chui

Cello

Winona Zelenka

Alastair Eng

Oleksa Mycyk

Lucia Ticho

Bass

Michael Chiarello

David Longenecker

On call: Cristopher Laven, Mark Lillie

Flute

Kaili Maimets

Laura Chambers

Oboe

Alex Liedtke

Cary Ebli

Clarinet

Eric Abramovitz

Michele Verhuel

Basoon

Nicholas Richard

Roy Rochette Thomas

Horn

Nicholas Hartman

Gabriel Radford

Trumpet

James Gardiner

Renata Cardoso

Paul Jeffrey Trombone

Nate Fanning

Denis Jiron

Luke Roussy

Saxophone

Andy Ballantyne (alto)

Colleen Allen (tenor)

John Johnson (bari)

Harp

Heidi Bearcroft

Timpani

Joseph Kelly

Percussion

Charles Settle

Nicholas Matthiesen

Michael Murphy

Program

Blue Train

Naima

Crepuscle with Nellie

Giant Steps

My One and Only Love So What

Blue In Green

A Love Supreme Part 1 Acknowledgment

INTERVAL

In A Sentimental Mood

Crescent Central Park West

Alabama Impressions

Lush Life w. Hartman

My Favorite Things

Artist biographies

John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina and died on July 17, 1967 in New York City. He is one of the most important—and controversial— individuals in the history of jazz. Many consider the saxophonist a father figure in the development of avantgarde jazz and his recordings during the period of 1961 to 1967 have become the foundation of modern jazz.

Coltrane’s father was a tailor who played several instruments. In school, young Coltrane studied the E-flat alto horn and clarinet before taking up the saxophone. In 1939, his father and grandfather died, and he moved to Philadelphia, where his mother lived, and studied at the Ornstein School of Music. Coltrane’s real musical education came on the bandstand, and he made his professional debut in 1945 in that city, performing at a cocktail lounge.

Coltrane served in the navy and performed with the navy band in Hawaii from 1945 to 1946, then toured as a road musician with Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s R&B group and Dizzy Gillespie’s group, where he switched to tenor sax. In the 1950s he played with Earl Bostic’s combo, Johnny Hodge’s group, and Miles Davis’ ensemble. During the summer and fall of 1957 Coltrane played with Thelonious Monk at the Five Spot club in New York City, then rejoined Miles Davis in January 1958. Coltrane performed with Davis off and on, from 1955 until 1960.

John Coltrane did not begin his solo career until 1960, when he was 33 years old. He recorded for Prestige, Atlantic, and Impulse and the seven years of intense solo activity—done by the time he was 40—constitutes one of the major bodies of work in jazz. Coltrane’s solo work parallels the intense period of civil rights in the United States, and his artistry and life captured—and were captured by—the political consciousness and action of African Americans during that period.

John Coltrane

Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer, and producer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression. With a Grammy win for his 52nd Street Themes and 14 other nominations, he has won DownBeat magazine’s critics’ and readers’ polls countless times with tenor saxophonist, musician, and jazz album of the year, and jazz album of the year, earning him DownBeat “triple crown” distinction. He has also received many awards from Jazz Times and the Jazz Journalists Association for tenor saxophone, album, and musician of the year.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1952, he attended the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston where years later he was awarded an honorary doctorate. Since 2001 he has held the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance and is a founding faculty member since 2009 of the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee directed by Danilo Pérez. He is a guest lecturer at New York University’s jazz program, Juilliard, and Manhattan School of Music, as well as clinician at universities around the globe.

From 1991 through 2016, Lovano released an unprecedented 25 records as a leader for the historic Blue Note Records. Joe Lovano Quartet: Classic! Live at Newport featuring Hank Jones was recorded in 2005 and released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2019, Lovano released his debut album as a bandleader on ECM Records, Trio Tapestry, with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi. Over the next few years, Lovano saw the release of three additional ECM Records albums: ROMA, a collaboration with Enrico Rava; Arctic Riff, a special guest appearance with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio; and the sophomore release from Lovano’s Trio Tapestry, Gardens of Expression. Most recently, Joe released his third album with Sound Prints, a quintet he co-leads with trumpeter Dave Douglas.

In addition, composer Mark Anthony Turnage wrote a concerto for saxophone and chamber orchestra for Joe called “A Man Descending,” which has been performed globally, and maestro Michael Abene orchestrated an album of all-Lovano originals called Symphonica for the WDR Symphonic Orchestra and Big Band, which was released on Blue Note and received a Grammy nomination.

Joe Lovano

Joe has performed and recorded with a long list of jazz greats, including Woody Herman, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Mel Lewis, Bob Brookmeyer, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Tony Bennett, Abbey Lincoln, Charlie Haden, John Scofield, Gunther Schuller, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Ed Blackwell, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Hank Jones, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Dave Douglas, Judi Silvano, Ravi Coltrane, Chucho Valdés, Ornette Coleman, Diana Krall, and many others. Joe has created an extensive body of work for his own ensembles, including strings, woodwinds, his horn-rich nonet, the Classic Quartet, Trio Tapestry, and more.

Joe Lovano continues to explore new horizons within the world of music as a soloist, bandleader, and composer.

A truly visionary conductor, curator, and producer, Edwin Outwater regularly works with the world’s top orchestras, institutions, and artists to reinvent the concert experience. His effortless ability to cross genres has led to collaborations with a wide range of artists, ranging from Metallica to Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma. He is, in the words of his mentor Michael Tilson Thomas, “one of the most innovative conductors on the scene today.”

Edwin Outwater is music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, overseeing their ensembles and shaping the artistic initiatives of this dynamic institution as a whole. He is also music director laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, which he led from 2007 to 2017, bringing the orchestra to international acclaim with tours and collaborative projects and a critically praised recording, From Here On Out.

Recent appearances include performances with New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego, Houston, Seattle and New World symphonies, as well as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a multi-concert series opening the Steinmetz Hall in Florida. As a producer and musical advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra Washington’s 50th anniversary concert at the Kennedy Center, he collaborated with a cast of artists including Common, Renée Fleming, Audra MacDonald, and Christian McBride.

Edwin Outwater

Last season, Outwater made his debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London withCynthia Erivo. Other international appearances include the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Kyoto Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic, BBCNOW, Brussels Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Malmö Symphony, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa, and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. In Canada, he has led the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the symphonies of Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Victoria.

Since the 2021 season, Outwater has been the main conductor for Stewart Copeland’s Police Deranged for Orchestra concerts, conducting orchestras such as San Diego Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Utah Symphony Orchestra. October 2022 saw Outwater premiere his newest production, Symphony of Terror!, with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and co-host and collaborator Peaches Christ. Their festive collaboration Holiday Gaiety received its U.K. premiere in December 2022 and is also a recurring event with the San Francisco Symphony, featuring prominent guest stars from the world of drag, pop, and musical theatre. Edwin Outwater holds a long association with San Francisco Symphony. The 2021/22 season saw performances in their SoundBox Series, concert appearances with Boyz II Men, and the world premiere of Get Happy! a Judy Garland centennial concert. Previously, Outwater was the San Francisco Symphony resident conductor, director of summer concerts, and music director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

In 2022, Outwater featured in several prominent recordings. He conducted the Chicago Symphony in the Sony Classical release of Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique, which won a 2023 Grammy Award for best engineered album, classical. He was also associate conductor for the Sony Classical release A Gathering of Friends, with John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, and the New York Philharmonic. He features prominently in Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s solo debut EP Portals as co-songwriter, arranger, orchestrator, and keyboardist.

A native of Santa Monica, California, Outwater graduated cum laude in English literature from Harvard University, where he was music director of the Bach Society Orchestra and the a cappella group Harvard Din and Tonics, and wrote the music for the 145th annual production of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. He received his degree in conducting from UC Santa Barbara, where he studied with Heiichiro Ohyama and Paul Polivnick, besides studying music theory and composition with John Stewart, Joel Feigin, and Leonard Stein.

“My dad, he always gets on me. He wants me to be a preacher, but I always tell him, ‘music is my pulpit.

That’s where I preach,’” Carlos Simon reflected for The Washington Post’s composers and performers to watch in 2022 list.

Having grown up in Atlanta with a long lineage of preachers and connections to gospel music to inspire him, Grammy-nominated Simon proves that a wellcomposed song can indeed be a sermon. His compositions span genres—jazz, gospel, and contemporary classical music are noticeable influences— and can be found everywhere from film scores to concert music.

Simon is the current composer-in-residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and frequently writes for the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, with the 2022/23 season seeing premieres with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and Minnesota Orchestra—a large-scale tribute to George Floyd and the ongoing movement for racial justice.

These follow other recent commissions from the likes of New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and performances from Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and American Ballet Theatre.

A “young composer on the rise, with an ear for social justice” (NPR), Simon’s latest album, Requiem for the Enslaved, is a multi-genre musical tribute to commemorate the stories of the 272 enslaved men,

Carlos Simon

women, and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University. Released by Decca in June 2022, this work sees Simon infuse his original compositions with African-American spirituals and familiar Catholic liturgical melodies, performed by Hub New Music Ensemble, Marco Pavé, and MK Zulu. Requiem was nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award for best contemporary classical composition.

Acting as music director and keyboardist for Grammy Award-winner Jennifer Holliday, Simon has performed with Boston Pops Symphony, Jackson Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony. He has also toured internationally with soul Grammy-nominated artist Angie Stone and performed throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Simon earned his doctorate degree at the University of Michigan where he studied with Michael Daugherty and Evan Chambers. He has also received degrees from Georgia State University and Morehouse College. He is an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Music Sinfonia Fraternity and a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Society of Composers International, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society. He has served as a member of the music faculty at Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and now serves as assistant professor at Georgetown University. Simon was also a recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honour bestowed by the Sphinx Organization to recognize extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians and was named a Sundance/Time Warner composer fellow for his work for film and moving image.

One of Canada’s most respected arts organizations, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra plays a vital role in the city’s dynamic cultural life. Committed to serving local and national communities through vibrant performances and expansive educational activities, the TSO offers a wide range of programming that resonates with people of all ages and backgrounds. With a notable recording and broadcast history complementing international touring engagements, the TSO is a unique musical ambassador for Canada around the world.

The TSO was founded in 1922 by a group of Toronto musicians and gave its first performance at the historic Massey Hall. Since 1982, Toronto’s iconic Roy Thomson Hall has been the TSO’s home, drawing patrons from around the world. Soon to celebrate its centenary, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s name remains synonymous with musical versatility and growth, and artistic distinction.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Shining a spotlight on an explorations artist: Caroline “Lady C” Fraser

Known internationally as Lady C, Caroline Fraser is a pioneer in the street dance community, recognized as one of very few women to reach a high level in the male-dominated space. She specializes in popping, a dance style characterized by the sudden contracting and releasing of muscles to the rhythm of a beat. She is the first woman In Canada to excel in the art form.

Last year, Caroline was one of seven artists selected by jury to receive explorations funding.

TO Live’s explorations initiative supports Torontobased artists from all disciplines who want to push the boundaries of their practice, awarding each with $7,000 to test new ideas or research new techniques.

Caroline’s research focuses on four themes: technique in relation to the female physical form; expressing oneself from a female perspective in a male dance form a female perspective; the social dynamics of women being a minority in the popping community and culture; and the history of women in popping throughout the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. She looks forward to sharing her findings with the popping community to inspire and educate the next generation of young women in the community.

Learn more about Caroline and her work in our interview below.

What’s the importance of the performing arts in your life?

The performing arts are my whole life! I have been doing dance and music since I was three, so for over 30 years. I believe performing is what I am meant to do in life and I have put in the time and work to have something of value to offer. Other people’s art is also imperative to my own practice. Music is essential to what I do in dance, and so is connecting with other dancers, so it’s a full circle passing of creative energy and inspiration.

What does TO Live’s support mean to you as an artist?

It feels like a big step forward for street dance forms to be taken seriously; to be supported, validated, and accepted by the larger dance community. As a woman in a very male-dominated space, I also feel a sense of support and encouragement to explore myself within this dance form and to extend that sense of support and encouragement to the growing community of women in popping.

How important is it for artists to have creative space and time, free from the pressure of predetermined outcomes, to research and explore?

For street dance artists, it means EVERYTHING. Our dances are, for the most part, practiced in social spaces. Over time, they’ve been adapted to present in competitive spaces, theatre spaces, and commercial spaces. But the root of what we do, how we express ourselves, and the genesis of street dance forms started with no pressure of any outcome. The only goal was to freely express oneself and connect to the music and collective energy of those around you. Beyond that, when you choose to become a full-time artist and your expression becomes your source of income, a lot of the heart and soul can be lost because you often must compromise when, where, and how to practice and present your art. It is both a blessing and a curse to be employed as an artist of any kind, so in order to build a healthy and authentic body of work, balance is of the utmost importance. The same amount of energy spent to present creative work should be replenished with energy input into an artist’s practice.

How has TO Live’s explorations impacted your artistic practice?

I owe a huge amount of gratitude and appreciation to TO Live for supporting my practice, and allowing me to not worry about generating income through my art for just a moment. The financial support and opportunity to just explore my practice relieves some pressure and enables me to just do my art.

I’m also grateful for the initiative to really analyze something I’ve observed and felt over many years but never really took the time to properly research. I’ve asked myself many questions about being a woman in popping; I’ve asked questions to other women and even a lot of men in the community to understand different perspectives. I believe communication is key to be able to understand one another and to understand ourselves as women in the dance form and its community. This research topic is something I feel is worthy of funding not just for myself, but for the community I’m in.

TO Live’s explorations initiative is made possible by supporters of the TO Live Foundation. explorations is generously supported by Power Corporation of Canada.

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Anthony (TJ) Shamata

Zoe Carpenter

Senior Production Manager

Peter Suchostawski

Senior Manager, Theatre Systems & Special Projects

Armand Baksh-Zarate

Chris Carlton

Kristopher Weber

Susanne Lankin

Production Manager

Emma Pressello

Production Coordinator

Meridian Hall stage crew

IATSE Local 58

Richard Karwat

Head Electrician

Steve McLean

Head Carpenter

Marcus Sirman

Head of Properties

David Baer

Assistant Carpenter

Zsolt Kota

Assistant Sound Operator

Jason Urbanowicz

Assistant Electrician

Michael Farkas

Assistant Electrician – AV

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

stage crew

IATSE Local 58

Wes Allen

Property Master, Bluma Appel

Theatre

Jay Blencowe

Head Carpenter, Bluma Appel

Theatre

Keijo Makela

Head Sound Technician, Bluma Appel Theatre

Benn Hough

Head Technician, Jane Mallet

IATSE Local 822

Susan Batchelor

Wardrobe Head, Bluma Appel Theatre

Meridian Arts Centre stage crew

IATSE Local 58

Aaron Dell

Head Technician, George Weston

Recital Hall

Patrick Hales

Assistant Head Technician, George

Weston Recital Hall

Grant Primea

Head Technician, Greenwin Theatre

Duncan Morga

Head Technician, Studio Theatre

Ian Parker

Head Technician Lyric Theatre

St. Lawrence Centre

Redevelopment

Leslie Lester

Vice President of STLC

Redevelopment

Carolyn Tso

Senior Manager, Capital Fundraising

Polyarts staff list

Created by Moema Parrott and Tabitha McGrath

Producers from Polyarts Management

Eva Pires and Amy Gold

The TO Live Foundation is committed to creating a future where art engages and inspires all Torontonians. A future where all the creative voices of our diverse communities are heard and celebrated. A future where artists have the support they need to experiment and grow.

Visit tolivefoundation.com to learn more about how our Foundation is committed to building a better city through the arts.