Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

For more than three decades, John Coltrane has occupied a singular place in Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s imagination — a musician to admire, a master to study, and a guiding light. That relationship sits at the center of ANANTA: Spirit of Coltrane, a sweeping new meditation on Coltrane’s music and philosophy, featuring a 21-piece collective of some of the most exciting voices in contemporary and improvised music. The album arrives during the saxophonist’s centennial year. Instead, ANANTA is a document of gratitude. On ANANTA, that means balancing allegiance to Coltrane’s work with translating it to something current. Pieces including “A Love Supreme, Pt. II (Resolution),” “Central Park West” and “My Favorite Things” remain comparatively close to their original forms, trusting the musicians’ individual voices to reveal new dimensions in familiar material. “Naima” is reshaped while retaining traces of its original harmony and feeling, while “Giant Steps” — perhaps the most intimidating composition in Coltrane’s songbook — is transformed from a high-velocity showcase into a ballad, creating space for contemplation and emotional depth. Atwood-Ferguson also contributes an original composition featuring words by the poet Aja Monet, whom he considers one of his favorite living poets. Expansiveness beyond infinity and timelessness in all directions is ultimately what ANANTA: Spirit of Coltrane is reaching toward.