If losing a beloved artist is one of the great sadnesses experienced by music community, surely the discovery and release of a lost album is one of the great unexpected joys. It’s a moment when the artist almost appears to have a brief, posthumous utterance to remind us that (quite literally) all is not lost. It’s in this spirit of joy that a quintet fronted by saxophonist Joe Lovano is breathing life into John Coltrane’s Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album to celebrate 100 years since the birth of one of the jazz greats.

Opening with a piece from the Blue Train album that Coltrane released in 1958, Lovano is quickly trading bars with fellow saxophonist Melissa Aldana who is sharing the duties of bringing the spirit of Coltrane’s music into the hall tonight. While Joe is the rooted ‘godfather’ figure on stage, Melissa is an animated figure, moving up and down to match the journey of her solos. After their duelling is over, the saxophonists wander to the back of the stage, allowing the trio of Nduduzo Makhathini (piano), Linda May Han Oh (bass), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums) to shine. Makhathini delivers a blistering piano solo before handing the reins to Oh to explore things on the bass before the whole quintet reunite, leaving space for some powerful drums solos from Watts.

Now that we’re all well-acquainted, there is a transition into the suite of music which comprises the main body of the evening’s music. Aldana selects some bells from a table of percussion that sits in front of her and Lovano, dangling them from her right hand as her and Joe find interesting harmonies. A new groove puts a smile on Watts’ face as the band sets of in a new direction of Coltrane-esque adventure. The suite is full of contemplation, adjusting between trio, quartet and quintet format throughout. Among them, the constant is Linda May Han Oh who barely takes a moment off duty as she plucks, bows and improvises her way through the richly-textured set. She produces a remarkable, resonant sound on the bass and in one section of solo does so almost entirely double-stopping then will pluck a string once and find 5, 6, 7, 8(!?) notes on that one string until the vibration fades. Her solos draw some of the loudest applause of the night. And for those who are fans of Coltrane’s most well-known catalogue, Nduduzo Makhathini both adds some vocalising to ‘A Love Supreme’ section as well as a ‘My Favorite Things’ reference from the piano.

In a year when centenary celebrations are in plentiful supply, it’s striking that on occasion a well-meaning attempt to ‘recreate’ familiar music from an artist’s life can somehow make them feel more dead. There is not such issue here. Whereas John Coltrane is no longer with us, the spirit of his creativity is alive and well, notably in this enterprising quintet. When Joe thanks the audience “for joining us for this offering” his description of the evening feels apt: an offering for John and the musical lineage that can be traced from his own life right up to this performance. Lovano illustrates the family tree that brought us here “John Coltrane…Eric Dolphy…Sonny Rollins…the Coltrane Family…Miles Davies…Jimmy Heath” and many more. As they end with an encore (McCoy Tyner’s ‘You Taught My Heart To Sing’) it’s a great reminder that John Coltrane lives on in more than his records. He lives on in the many musicians who have been inspired to play, compose and love jazz. He’s owed an offering and this was a fine offering indeed.

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. Full festival listings here.