Denys Baptiste, The Late Trane – Caribbean-tinged Coltrane

While early and mid-career "Trane" have been extensively pored over and many of the great saxophonist's tunes have become central tenets of the jazz gospel, the later musings of John Coltrane remain shrouded in a fog of higher purpose – impenetrable, unknowable, even feared by players and listeners alike. British saxophonist Denys Baptiste turns his face to that last, furiously creative period of Coltrane's life and, with a group that includes pianist Nikki Yeoh, bassist Gary Crosby and drummer Rob Youngs, the ex-Jazz Warrior manages to pull the door ajar with surprisingly restrained, often Caribbean-tinged versions of tunes like Ascent, Transition and After the Rain. Not the last word on the late Trane, but a brave, enticing step in the right direction. editionrecords.com