Ravi's playing was Amazing! I was blown away after the first song, an original, majestic saxophone groove that was right up there with the classic playing of John Coltrane - deep, soulful, masterful! I have a feeling that Ravi Coltrane might become the next big jazz star. Ravi said that his mother, Alice Coltrane, is releasing a new album really soon too, and he played one of her songs, and also one of his late father's songs. It was so AWESOME to sit in the third row, it was amazing, I looked into his eyes and he looked back, and he looks just like John Coltrane, my favorite musician of all time. Ravi Shankar is my second favorite musician of all time, and John Coltrane really enjoyed Shankar's music too, for he named his son after him.

Later that night, Ravi Coltrane played up on the main stage with the legendary McCoy Tyner for the grand finale, an EXCELLENT John Coltrane Tribute. It was almost SURREAL ! I could hardly believe what I was seeing, it looked a lot like the classic John Coltrane Quartet from the vintage footage I have from Ralph Gleason's "Jazz Casual" tv show (1963). I was just as amazed, and perhaps even more amazed than even the time last year when I sat right beside Ravi Shankar's wife in the front row and saw Shankar and his daughter Anoushka perform at the Benedum Center here in Pittsburgh. This is as surreal as it gets!! McCoy Tyner is such a great piano player, he was wearing a cool pimps hat, a slightly classier one than the one sported by Fred Sanford. McCoy is a big man, tall, broad shoulders, tough, but the most elegent piano player I've ever heard. He plays on a bunch of those classic John Coltrane albums that I've listened to for years, and he still makes good music - McCoy's latest album "Land of Giants" (2003) has been playing on my CD player for months now. He's the REAL McCOY !!! I remember being 18 in the late 1990s, driving down to NRM and getting my first John Coltrane album. The first thing that came on was McCoy's cool piano work on "My Favorite Things". A couple tracks later, I fell in love with the song "Equinox", and the playing of Coltrane, Tyner and Elvin Jones. Elvin Jones passed away earlier this year. He was a great drummer, one of the best. Roy Haynes played the drums for McCoy and Ravi at Newport this year. Which was fitting, because back in 1963, Roy Haynes played at Newport with McCoy Tyner and the John Coltrane Quartet. Elvin Jones wasn't able to play with the Quartet that year, and Roy Haynes filled in. Roy was back at Newport this year. Also this year, Michael Brecker played an intense saxophone, and Christian McBride was a great bassist. The John Coltrane Tribute was AWESOME! I took pictures of this performance, and you can see them on the website.

The John Faddis Jazz Orchestra played before McCoy and Ravi, and James Moody played sax and lead the whole orchestra in a stunning rendition of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" - with a whole orchestra! They did a pretty good job too, that is a complex groove - Giant Steps - and all the horns were in time as they walked for those big steps. Clark Terry played with the John Faddis Orchestra, Clark Terry used to play the horn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra back in the day, and he needed help to get on stage and he sat in a chair, but he played very well and had a real comical sense of humor! Haha! Clark Terry and James Moody were saying a whole bunch of funny stuff that cracked the whole crowd up. "I'm just glad to be here, alive!", and, "Don't let nobody tell you the Golden Years is Golden, the Golden Years SUCKS!" Hilarious scat routines and sassy sayings.