The Brooklyn Rail

Winter Jazzfest

Rova’s Electric Ascension

By Chris Nelson

Winter Jazzfest concluded with the New York City premiere of Rova Saxophone Quartet’s Electric Ascension, a 21st-century reincarnation of John Coltrane’s Ascension—Trane’s 1965 paean to freedom and expression. Electric Ascension brought together an all-star cast of improvisers to channel the spirit of Coltrane’s seminal album, which Coltrane himself never performed live.