Artist, Azar Lawrence

At just 19 years old, shortly after John Coltrane's death, Azar Lawrence was chosen by Elvin Jones and subsequently McCoy Tyner to fill Coltrane's shoes. A few years later, he recorded and played with Miles Davis on Dark Magus and wrote and recorded with Earth, Wind & Fire and Marvin Gaye. The album Shadow Dancing, released in 1985, saw him experimenting with funk and boogie with tunes like "Magic in the Night" and "Keep It Hot." Songs like "Prayer for my Ancestors" and "Revelations" off his 2008 albums Prayer for My Ancestors and Speak the Word, respectively, reflect the funky smooth, contemporary Jazz he's also known for. Recently, Azar's album Elementals (2018), had critics proclaiming, "Azar Lawrence sounds more like John Coltrane than John Coltrane ever did" (Chris May, London Times). Today Azar continues to roar with his 8 piece ensemble, The Azar Lawrence Experience, and you can catch him at the Mint in LA on Saturday, April 20th!