PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | George Coleman at Upstairs, the bet of an almost nonagenarian

As long as we can’t testify to it, a concert by an octogenarian, or even a near-nonagenarian, is far from a guaranteed success. It may even be worse than Joe Biden’s most recent performance… Sometimes an old person can’t offer much except his own legend, so it’s best to stay at home. Fortunately, this was not the case for George Coleman, 89 years old and unstoppable! And not a single grey hair, we noted. We are well and truly at the dawn of trans-humanity!

Joking aside, this now mythical tenorman, a guest at Upstairs for two consecutive nights this week, was remarkably verbose, sitting comfortably in front of his tenor. On Thursday night, his small ensemble consisted of drummer Darrell Green and bassist Ira Coleman – no relation to his employer, and camping equipment is excluded from his circle of acquaintances.

Added to this core group is an ivory-haired guest, a Montrealer by adoption since he teaches at the university level: French pianist Jean-Michel Pilc accepts many challenges, including that of accompanying George Coleman, visibly pleased with this virtuoso contribution to his own Montreal stopover. It’s understandable. Pilc has an admirable command of the repertoire on offer here.

And what is this repertoire? Bebop and hardbop themes and harmonic progressions, polyrhythmic swing never far from the blues, and why not Some Day My Prince Will Come or even The Girl from Ipanema at the end of the set?

Roughly speaking, as we leave this generous and very sympathetic set, George Coleman’s phrases certainly don’t have the tone of his heyday (50s and 60s), but that doesn’t mean they deflate during performance. The old wizard’s sax sounds are less robust and agile, but rich, round, beautiful and wise.