A Love Supreme, Queen Elizabeth Hall

In 1965, John Coltrane released an album that sounded like nothing released before. A Love Supreme, recorded by the great saxophonist’s then quartet, melded the hard bop of his past with the free jazz of his future. In doing so, he took the genre to a new place, one that melded the experimentation traced by the likes of Ornette Coleman with a spiritual, redemptive sway. No jazz album since has been so influential to so many musicians, and yet to listen it to today is to constantly find more to savour. In short, it is one of the greatest records ever recorded.

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of this momentous release, the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall is playing host to the Gary Crosby Quartet. In aiming to recapture the energy of Coltrane’s own gigs, they have a difficult task, but few are better suited to do it. Crosby himself, a founder of London’s Jazz Warriors, is Britain’s preeminent jazz bassist. Saxophonist Denys Baptiste has won numerous awards, while pianist Joe Arman-Jones is a rising star of the London scene. Finally, the immaculate Rod Youngs will provide percussion. To hear this music performed by such talented players will be an unmitigated delight.