A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane

A string quartet rendering of "A Love Supreme"? Even as John Coltrane's beloved work gets revived in various formats--Branford Marsalis performed and recorded with his quartet, Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and singer Kurt Elling set a section of it to words--it may seem a stretch as a classical crossover. But unlike the Kronos Quartet, which came a cropper with its unswinging treatments of Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk, the Turtle Island Quartet is steeped in a jazz sensibility. While the enveloping spiritual intensity of "A Love Supreme" may elude it, the San Francisco-based group grabs the listener with its dark undertones, probing lines, rough hewn textures and airy counter melodies. Of the other Coltrane classics included on the CD, the ballad "Naima" stands out with its gorgeous blend of tones and colors and "Countdown" is given a brisk, percussive workout. Jazz fans will find new pathways into "A Love Supreme" while the classical set will find a gateway to one of jazz's enduring achievements. --Lloyd Sachs