elc team
For the first time in Athens, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier brings his quartet to STOA Culture with his acclaimed new project, Collier Plays Coltrane. The performance pays tribute to the centenary of the legendary John Coltrane’s birth, celebrating the enduring legacy of one of jazz’s most influential figures. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience this special concert on Monday, July 20, at Athens’ newly established cultural venue, STOA Culture.
In the few years since emerging on the international jazz scene, Collier has become living proof that while legends pass into history, music continually renews itself, giving rise to new artistic giants.
At just 28 years old, the American saxophonist, composer, and arranger has established himself as one of the brightest new voices in spiritual jazz. Deeply inspired by the legacies of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Roscoe Mitchell, Collier is widely regarded as a natural successor to this remarkable lineage.
Born in Chicago into a family of musicians, Isaiah Collier developed an early fascination with music. At the age of eleven, he received his first instrument-an alto saxophone-https://www.more.com/gr-el/tickets/music/isaiah-collier-quartet-collier-plays-coltrane/which immediately captivated him. Soon afterwards, one of his teachers remarked that he played the alto with such power that he should switch to the tenor saxophone, the instrument that would ultimately become his artistic home.
By the age of thirteen, sporting a painted-on moustache to appear older, Collier was already performing R&B alongside his parents in clubs across Chicago’s South Side. Wanting to broaden his son’s musical horizons and reveal the depth of the journey that lay ahead, his father introduced him to Charlie Parker’s solo on Night in Tunisia and John Coltrane’s Impressions.
Collier immediately recognised something transformative in Coltrane’s sound. At the same time, he understood that approaching this musical language required a profound understanding of the entire African American musical tradition. He immersed himself in the work of the great saxophonists who helped shape Coltrane’s distinctive voice-and jazz itself-including Chicago masters such as Gene Ammons, Von Freeman, Johnny Griffin, Ari Brown, and many others.
Alongside Coltrane, the legendary Pharoah Sanders became a defining influence, while perhaps the most significant mentor in Collier’s artistic development was Roscoe Mitchell-co-founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and one of the pioneering figures of avant-garde jazz.
The free-spirited ethos of Chicago’s jazz scene has always been embedded in Collier’s artistic DNA. Early on, he realised that music was not simply a profession but a spiritual and cosmic journey-a lifelong search for meaning and expression.
His debut recording, released in 2018 when he was only twenty years old, immediately impressed both audiences and critics, establishing him as an artist with a remarkable sense of purpose. Rather than following trends, Collier channels the wisdom and musical heritage of those who came before him, transforming it into something entirely contemporary. His creative vision, technical brilliance, and striking artistic maturity make him one of the most compelling voices of his generation.
Today, with six albums to his name and recognition as Artist of the Year, Isaiah Collier has emerged as one of the most exciting, boundary-pushing, and spiritually resonant figures in contemporary global jazz.
