Isaiah Collier Quartet | Lakecia Benjamin Quartet

Shows

How can one be Coltranean in 2026 and at the same time truly original? The answer lies in the double bill on May 22 at the Teatro Comunale, which hosts an unmissable event for saxophone enthusiasts in search of a new sound. We are talking about Isaiah Collier and Lakecia Benjamin, leaders of two quartets unafraid to draw inspiration from the past yet driven by a clear determination to look ahead. Both play the alto saxophone — a different instrument from Coltrane’s tenor and soprano — thus aligning themselves with a lineage that runs from Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean, and Cannonball Adderley before it reaches Coltrane.

First to take the stage will be Isaiah Collier — composer, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and activist from Chicago’s vibrant scene, and a leading figure in so-called “spiritual jazz,” the current that, after Trane’s death, found a guiding presence in the life and work of his wife, Alice Coltrane.

Collier’s 2021 album Cosmic Transitions was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio on the occasion of Coltrane’s birthday, using some of the same analog equipment employed for the original recording session of A Love Supreme.

Following the young Isaiah, the stage will ignite with the explosive fusion of jazz, R&B, and funk of American saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, who in 2020 released an album titled Pursuance: The Coltranes, reinterpreting the music of John and Alice Coltrane (it is worth recalling that “Pursuance” is the title of the third movement of A Love Supreme).

Her most recent album, Phoenix, is both a powerful tribute to her native New York, risen from the pandemic like a phoenix, and to her own “resurrection,” after miraculously surviving a devastating car accident. Yet for an artist like Lakecia, in today’s America and in the wider world, the references to a broader rebirth are everywhere — and constantly evolving.

Isaiah Collier

Out of the vibrant Chicago scene, multi-instrumentalist, composer, curator, activist and educator Isaiah Collier has made a name for himself most notably as a saxophone player, be it with his own projects, as part of Angel Bat Dawid’s Brotherhood or at the side of artists like Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith III, Junius Paul and many more. Cosmic Transitions, his third and latest release with his band The Chosen Few came out in 2021, earning a five star review from Downbeat and multiple Album of the year mentions amongst other praise. The powerful suite was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's legendary Studio on Coltrane’s birthday, using some of the same analog equipment that was used for the original recording session of A Love Supreme. It not only showcases Collier’s extensive musical range and expressive talent, but achieves to honor the tradition in which it inscribes itself, whilst also remaining decisively forward-looking.

Lakecia Benjamin

From New York, saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin has established herself as one of the most dynamic voices on the contemporary alto sax. Through her projects, including Soul Squad and Pursuance, and alongside artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, The Roots, and Gregory Porter, she has developed a musical path that weaves together jazz, R&B, funk, and soul with energy and a distinct personal vision. In 2020, she released Pursuance: The Coltranes, an intense and spiritual tribute to the music of John and Alice Coltrane, which was met with widespread critical acclaim. With Phoenix (2023), she further solidified her artistic stature: a powerful and deeply personal work, born after miraculously surviving a serious car accident, celebrating rebirth as both a creative and collective force. With a magnetic stage presence and a bright, incisive sound, Lakecia Benjamin honors the great African American musical tradition while boldly projecting it into the present.

Isaiah Collier Quartet

Lakecia Benjamin Quartet