Joe Lovano: Coltrane 100

“The titan among us,” (DownBeat), GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano is one of the era’s definitive improvisers and bandleaders and brings a remarkable group of the most accomplished instrumentalists in jazz to SFJAZZ for these two nights. 

John Coltrane famously described his musical journey to fellow legend Wayne Shorter as “starting a sentence in the middle and then going to the beginning and the end of it at the same time…both directions at once."  

To help commemorate one of this season’s themes, celebrating the centennial of John Coltrane, Lovano presides over a staggering band of all-stars including saxophonist Melissa Aldana, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts for a project he calls “Both Directions at Once.” 

Winner of the 2013 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, GRAMMY nominee Melissa Aldana was named to DownBeat’s “25 For the Future” list in 2016 and has released eight albums including 2026’s Filin.  

A veteran of work with Pay Metheny, Vijay Iyer, and Dave Douglas, Linda May Han Oh has released five albums and was voted Bassist of the Year by JazzTimes, Hothouse, and the Jazz Journalists Association. 

Among the most influential drummers in jazz history, Jeff “Tain” Watts is a powerhouse artist best known for his long-term work with Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, and his own incendiary releases.