Directions in Music "Our Times"

Torrents of ecstatic music summon the spirits of two titans: Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In the afterglow of the 75th anniversary of their births, pianist Herbie Hancock (alumnus of Davis’s renowned ‘60s quintet), tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove headline a quintet including bassist Scott Colley and Terri Lyne Carrington in an homage that regards the vast canon of music by Davis and Coltrane as a starting point for fresh ideas, textures, and instrumental colors.

Directions in Music has once again emerged to provide yet another foray into the exploration of the contemporary jazz idiom and the composers who have shaped it. After garnering international success in 2001-02 for their celebration of the 75th anniversary of two of the most highly regarded composers in jazz history — John Coltrane and Miles Davis —the group’s sold-out tour received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards for their live recording Live at Massey Hall.

This follow-up program, Directions In Music: “Our Times,”will focus and explore the themes of contemporary composers who have helped influence the progression of the continuous jazz vernacular. Utilizing the ideology of a diverse range of contemporary composers such as Wayne Shorter, Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Stevie Wonder, and the late Ray Charles, Directions In Music: "Our Times" promises to be a natural evolution from the distinctive musical minds of three of the strongest living voices in jazz today.

Critic's Comments

"Shrewdly conceived, brilliantly articulated...deeply personal responses to the legacies of jazz visionaries."
- Chicago Tribune