Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves

Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves at Folly Theater

John Coltrane's 1963 collaboration with Johnny Hartman paired saxophone and voice in a landmark jazz recording. This April, Branford Marsalis' quartet and Dianne Reeves celebrate that partnership at Kansas City's Folly Theater. This isn't a museum lecture. It's two major artists stepping into a classic collaboration and breathing their own life into it, with Coltrane's centennial as the occasion and the dialogue between saxophone and voice at its heart.

Marsalis' quartet gives the tribute a distinct instrumental voice, while Reeves brings a vocalist's perspective to its romantic side. Their pairing opens up more than one way to hear Coltrane's legacy. Together they revisit the spirit of the 1963 sessions, celebrating that rare balance of romance and invention.

The centennial production honors the Hartman collaboration alongside Coltrane classics, giving Marsalis and Reeves a rich legacy to approach in their own voices. That pairing is the concert's character: a saxophonist and quartet meeting a major jazz vocalist in music associated with both intimacy and invention.

The combination of quartet and vocalist is the draw here: ensemble interplay can sit beside the intimacy of a sung phrase. For listeners who know Coltrane's work, this celebration offers another angle; for newcomers, Marsalis and Reeves offer an inviting introduction. Find tickets for their April 24 concert at the Folly Theater.