Chad Taylor Quartet at Solar Myth

Chad Taylor Quartet
Solar Myth
Philadelphia, PA
February 27, 2026

Don Cherry's and John Coltrane's trajectories intersected in the summer of 1960, an inflection point for both artists, yielding the historic The Avant-Garde (Atlantic, 1966). It was the only time they would record together. Cherry was the brass voice in Ornette Coleman's quartet from 1957 until his exit in 1961 and was fresh off the quartet's renowned, and to some, controversial run at the Five Spot Café. Coltrane's "sheets of sound" harmonic workouts reached a peak with Giant Steps (Atlantic, 1960), after which the restless artist was searching for an alternative path forward.

In the summer of 1960, Coltrane tagged in for Coleman, swapping tenor sax for alto with Cherry on cornet, Ed Blackwell on drums and Charlie Haden sharing the bass role with Percy Heath. At first blush, Coltrane's boisterous arpeggios might seem an odd fit with the linear free runs of Coleman and Cherry, especially given the perpetual lack of a chordal instrument to which Coltrane was accustomed. But he was there to seek and grow, not to commandeer, and to get out of his comfort zone in pursuit of new forms of expression. Overall, they meshed as a unit, although Coltrane at times sounds as if he were finding his way. Which was rather the point. Coleman is present by way of three songs, with "The Blessing" a harbinger of Coltrane's next steps and the first time he recorded on soprano. It was just the following year that he would release the hugely popular My Favorite Things (Atlantic, 1961).

Both Cherry and Coltrane were primed for new directions. Following the session for The Avant-Garde, Coltrane would famously dive into modal playing and adventurous soul-searching excursions, while Cherry would go on to perform with many other renowned tenors and delve deeply into culturally diverse music and instruments, including Indian classical scales.

Fast forward to February 27, 2026, when master percussionist and educator Chad Taylor revisited this singular work with four-fifths of his quintet from 2025's exceptional album, Smoke Shifter (Otherly Love Records). Jonathan Finlayson provided the trumpet voice with Philadelphians Bryan Rogers on tenor and Matt Engle on bass.

True to the spirit and traditions of the music, Taylor's quartet made the recording its own, imbuing the compositions with fresh, contemporary ideas. With the concert length twice the album's duration, there was abundant space to roam. They needed just a few notes to find their footing with "Cherryco," which Cherry wrote for the album, and then the differences in timbres, syntax, phrasing, and personalities quickly emerged, led imaginatively by Finlayson's brighter trumpet tone and Rogers' earnest tenor. Engle laid down a relentless, propulsive groove reminiscent of Haden, adding a flowing solo over percolating rim beats. The piece ended on a dynamic drum solo that served as the segue into the next song.

Coleman's "Focus on Sanity" was the longest performance, based on the shortest theme, illustrating how complexity can emerge from simplicity. A brief riff, followed by a single-note blast, leaves wide-open space for the freedom Coleman and his bandmates pioneered. Traversing that space requires skills and imagination, both of which were in abundance. After Rogers explored the tune with multiple variations, Finlayson took a near-minimalist approach of repeating patterns before opening up harmonically. Engle continued his driving presence, and Taylor concluded the song with another robust solo.

"The Blessing" was most strikingly different live, where open trumpet and tenor sax replaced muted cornet and soprano. But Finlayson and Rogers found new, rewarding explorations, with the hummable melody artfully obscured and hinted at, just below the surface. Engle took another impressive solo, with relentless high hat support from Taylor, until he switched to tapping out beats on the microphone stand. The shorter, fast-paced, challenging theme of "The Invisible" began a bit loose, but quickly took shape, with the band nailing the landing.

From the first beat to the last, the resourceful Taylor provided cohesion, propulsion, and direction. Drawing from his deep wellspring of percussive musical ideas, whether he kept the beat or implied it, the flow was enriched by ever-changing accents and embellishments. Master percussionist indeed.

The album concluded with Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing," a piece Coltrane knew well, with a bassist, Heath, he also knew well, moving Cherry out of his comfort zone. It also concluded the sold-out concert and, while not a radical reimagining, highlighted the band members' personalities and group unity, bringing the engaging show to a close and a well-deserved ovation.

With the passage of time and the growth of the music, what was avant-garde in 1960 can seem less so years later. Yet The Avant-Garde is of more than historic importance. The music endures and continues to resonate, especially when performed by such talented artists.

The performance excelled on its own merits but was enriched by being presented alongside a retrospective of the media-spanning, culturally diverse work of Swedish artist Moki Cherry. Beginning in the mid '60's, Moki lived and breathed art that ranged from textiles, costumes, paintings, posters, sculptures and album covers to video and sound, co-creating an art-filled life with her partner and family, or, as Moki stated, "Home is stage, stage is home."

Running from September 25, 2025 to April 12, 2026, the Fabric Workshop and Museum of Philadelphia has hosted an expansive and vibrant exhibit of her work, curated by The Ars Nova Foundation. Her visually stunning works are accompanied by writings and assorted artifacts from Moki's and Don's lives together. The breadth and creativity of Moki's work become impressively apparent when experienced collectively in a single space: The Living Temple. .

Album covers by Moki Cherry

Where Is Brooklyn?
Don Cherry
Blue Note
1969





Hear And Now
Don Cherry
Atlantic Records
1977





Organic Music Society
Don Cherry
Caprice Records
1973

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