The UB Music Department and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center are proud to present a very special performance in Asbury Hall celebrating the centennial of the iconic American saxophonist/composer John Coltrane. The concert will feature critically-acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and activist Isaiah Collier and rising drummer Tim Regis performing Coltrane's ground-breaking suite of compositions for tenor saxophone and drums entitled Interstellar Space. 

Recorded in 1967 and released posthumously on Impulse records in 1974, this album represents some of Coltrane's most ambitious, exploratory and virtuosic playing in a stark and liberating duo context. Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear this monumental music performed by two brilliant young musicians carrying the tradition and spirit of John Coltrane into the future.



"Fully in the tradition, Collier's music is not unthinking imitation... Collier's move is to honor tradition by reanimating it. This is no easy task. One has to be prepared, something Collier clearly understands." - Downbeat Magazine



Isaiah Collier is a Chicago native, born and raised on the city's South Side. A composer, arranger, educator, and self-described "sonic scientist," Collier has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz. His work as earned numerous accolades from prestigious institutions and publications across the world.

He is a maverick of sound, always studying to arrive at true innovation. Collier makes himself at home in any musical terrain—an exceedingly rare quality in any generation. His passion shines through every instrument and every composition, as he continually revisits and reviews the ever-growing history of Black creative music.

Known for fusing the depth of jazz traditions with the urgency of the present moment, Collier has been described as a force of creativity and improvisation. His collaborators include a wide spectrum of jazz luminaries: Kahil El'Zabar, Ambrose Akinmusire, Craig Taborn, Joe Dyson, The Headhunters, Terresa Griffin, William Parker, Azar Lawrence, NEA Jazz Masters Billy Hart, Marshall Allen, and Denardo Coleman, as well as Nicole Mitchell, Randy Brecker, Billy Harper, Marquis Hill, and Makaya McCraven. He also leads his own acclaimed ensemble The Chosen Few.



A proud member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Collier stands firmly in Chicago's rich tenor saxophone tradition while charting bold new directions. DownBeat Magazine has hailed him as "The Next Sax Giant"—a title that reflects his singular role in shaping the sound of modern jazz. More info at: colliersworld.com

Collier and drummer Tim Regis initially connected in New York City in 2020 regularly engaging in practice sessions during the pandemic. Over the past year, Collier has regularly enlisted Regis on his final tour with his quartet project, The Chosen Few, and is drawn to Regis' kindred energy and one-of-a-kind drumming style. "He's the only person to use a double pedal, and do it in a way that works in a duo, experimental, and straight-ahead styles," Collier attests.



In an interview discussing one of Coltrane's best known works A Love Supreme, Collier reflects:

"I don't like performing this suite unless I'm working with people who are going to do the proper service to it," Collier maintains. "This is not a gimmick to me. I'm into the science, the truth, the comprehension and the proper execution of it. I respect the music enough to admire it. But I also understand it enough to know that it was Coltrane's piece, inspired by his own recalibration and acknowledgement of his in-depth spirituality."