Charles Tolliver at the SFJAZZ Center

Charles Tolliver
SFJAZZ Center
San Francisco, CA
October 25, 2026

On a balmy October evening in San Francisco's Hayes Valley District, SFJAZZ hosted the legendary, archly hip trumpeter, bandleader, and musical director Charles Tolliver, presenting a revival of John Coltrane's groundbreaking album, Africa/Brass (Impulse!, 1961).

Tolliver first broke into my awareness with his authoritative playing on Jackie McLean's album, It's Time! (Blue Note, 1965). I became an aficionado of his music when I saw his seminal quartet perform at Slugs' in the early '70s. The group featured gifted pianist Stanley Cowell, preeminent bassist Cecil McBee, and soulful drummer Jimmy Hopps. Check out the live album Charles Tolliver Live at Slugs', which was also recorded at the club, although on a different night of the same run.

The musical personnel on this evening's date consisted of Tolliver's accompanying quartet. The hard-driving Marcus Strickland played tenor saxophone, doing much Coltrane-inspired playing, including the soaring, piercing tones characteristic of Coltrane's later work. His first tenor solo was mighty impressive, demonstrating both his command of the instrument and his affinity for Coltrane's musical language. The rest of the quartet consisted of the formidable, arpeggio-laden Keith Brown on piano, whose playing was unexpectedly electrifying, even McCoy Tyner-esque; the fine German-Nigerian bassist Ugonna Okegwo; and the inventive, lyrical drummer and soloist Darrell Green. They were joined by the excellent San Francisco Conservatory of Music horn section. It consisted of 14 unnamed players: three saxophones (alto, tenor, and baritone) on stage left; four trumpets, a trombone, and two euphoniums in the center; and four French horns on stage right. All were attired in black and white, except Tolliver, who wore all black, with a French beret perched atop his bean.

Although Tolliver's trumpet rested beside him onstage throughout the evening, he never picked it up. I found his decision not to play disappointing, particularly because I love his playing, and hearing him play was the primary reason I took on this assignment.

The set included all three selections from Coltrane's Africa/Brass album: "Africa," "Greensleeves," and the soulful "Blues Minor." Particularly noteworthy was Tolliver's painstaking, by-ear transcription of "Africa." He accomplished this by listening to Coltrane's original recording passage by passage and writing down exactly what he heard. The result was a remarkably faithful recreation of Coltrane's original musical conception.

While there was also a sprinkling of other, unnamed tunes, including a lovely ballad, the Africa/Brass material was pretty much front and center. Tolliver's whole-body conducting was exacting and exciting. In fact, it was a major force in making the music swing as much as it did. At the evening's conclusion, there was what in these days—unlike in days past—has become the almost obligatory standing ovation at SFJAZZ.

The standing ovation may have been obligatory, but the swing that preceded it was anything but.