AB, Bozar and Kaaitheater present (John) Coltrane 100

AB, Bozar and Kaaitheater join forces to present a unique tribute to John Coltrane, one of the most influential innovators in the history of jazz. To mark his 100th birthday, in 2026 we honour his legacy with a series of dance performances, concert, screenings, readings and artist talks.

Focus on albums Crescent, A Love Supreme and Interstellar Space

Coltrane’s oeuvre is outright impressive. Not only in terms of artistic beauty or musical innovation but also in terms of sheer volume. In merely 10 years Coltrane released some 40 albums. From this rich body of work, we have deliberately chosen to focus on three albums.

Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1965) – essentially his magnum opus – was a clear must. So, at AB’s express request, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker will reprise the dance performance of the same name that she created together with Catalan choreographer Salva Sanchis. A Love Supreme is breathtakingly made visual by four dancers, each dancer embodying a musician from Coltrane’s legendary Classic Quartet.

Crescent (1964) is often considered by Coltrane connoisseurs to be ‘a hidden gem’. Upon its release, it was overshadowed by Coltrane’s masterpiece, which was released only 6 months later. Crescent is being reimagined by MiXMONK Supreme, the inimitable trio comprising American drummer Joey Baron (see: John Zorn’s Masada), pianist Bram De Looze and saxophonist Robin Verheyen (TaxiWars, amongst others).

Then, lastly, Interstellar Space (1974) was the source of inspiration for saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Chad Taylor. Their sax/drum combo gives a nod to the collaboration between Coltrane and drummer Rashied Ali, as heard on the posthumously released Interstellar Space. Incidentally, it’s no coincidence that Lewis – with The Messthetics (containing ex-members of post-hardcore band Fugazi) – also resides on Impulse! Records: Coltrane’s safe haven in the sixties.

The sacred flame

Coltrane was a master of woodshedding, a slang term among musicians “for intense, private practice until the material is perfected.” The artists who perform as part of (John) Coltrane 100 share that sacred fire.

AB faithful Shabaka Hutchings fits in perfectly. In late 2023, he performed a complete rendition of Trane’s A Love Supreme at London’s Hackney Church, and a handful of his albums have been released via Impulse! Records.

Brussels/Paris-based quartet OLA TUNJI centres around saxophonist Ornella Noulet. Their passion: the spiritual jazz of Coltrane. Noulet: “Since we cannot truly experience peace collectively in this world, we have Coltrane’s music to, at least, hear and feel it. Coltrane is a messenger of God; with love and light, he offers us what we so desperately lack in our human condition: a glimpse of eternity.”

Then, Swedish quintet Elin Forkelid Plays for Trane mainly draws from Trane’s later ‘freer’ work. Forkelid: “Being a tenor player myself, the works of Coltrane have been something almost divine. I feel a deep connection to Coltrane and his music.”

Finally, the guitar style of Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński tends toward American primitivism. Those expecting to recognise Coltrane classics are in for a surprise!

We want more!

We will open each concert day with a screening of Live à Comblain-a-Tour, a historic document from 1965 that captures Trane’s only Belgian performance. We'll also set the tone with A Musical Prayer . Together, we will listen to musical odes to Trane by Alice Coltrane and Clifford Jordan. In the entrance hall of AB you can discover blow-ups of Coltrane’s album covers from his Impulse! years.