Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project

Jazz bassist and composer Rufus Reid will be performing "Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project" along with his large jazz ensemble at Hancher Auditorium on Saturday, October 13, 2018. Reid's composition was inspired by the sculptural work of artist Elizabeth Catlett [1915-2012], an African American woman who in 1940 was among the first three students to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa. Catlett's thesis advisor was Grant Wood. A video interview with Catlett conducted toward the end of her life can be viewed at the National Visionary Leadership Project.

Reid is currently undertaking a short residency at the University of Iowa as an Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor.

John Coltrane's Lost Album

Recorded in one day by the John Coltrane Quartet at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood, New Jersey on March 6, 1963, the long-overlooked album will finally be released as Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album by Impulse! Records on June 29, 2018. Coltrane gave the reference tape for the original session (the master tapes are presumed lost) to his first wife, Juanita Naima Coltrane, shortly after it was recorded, but only recently was it rediscovered by her and brought to the attention of the label.

The album contains seven tunes, including two new compositions never before heard, as well as the first recorded versions of several earlier songs. The quartet features Coltrane on saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on double bass, along with several guest musicians. Jazz great Sonny Rollins has observed that the present album "is like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid." The video above previews "Untitled Original 11383," and is accompanied by a graphic visualization of the audio track. Enjoy!