Miles Davis and John Coltrane did not get along when they first met. It was in the mid-1950s when Davis, after losing Sonny Rollins from his band, reached out to Coltrane to recruit him into the group. Although Davis recognized Coltrane’s talent, the musicians found each other mutually frustrating, quickly choosing to go their separate ways. Soon after, Davis found himself needing a saxophone player for his 1956 tour and begged Coltrane to join the band. This rough start marked the beginning of an incredibly important collaboration, with both figures leaving indelible impacts on jazz as we know it. 

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of both of their birthdays, and to celebrate, the Swarthmore College Department of Music is presenting a Centennial Celebration honoring the legacy of the artists. The performance will feature Swarthmore College Jazz Ensemble Director Andrew Neu on saxophone, Terell Stafford on trumpet, Justin Faulkner on drums, Keith Chasin on piano, and Sam Harris on bass. 

Neu was interested in bringing professional jazz musicians onto campus to recognize the artistry and collaboration between Davis and Coltrane during such an important year, and was eager to honor his own musical heroes. Neu reached out to Terell Stafford, Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University, who “readily agreed” to join the group as its trumpeter. Neu then asked Branford Marsalis Quartet drummer and Philadelphia native Justin Faulkner to play the drums, who Neu knew was a “great fit to anchor the band.” Stafford and Neu filled out the rhythm section with musicians they have both previously worked with, Keith Chasin on piano and Sam Harris on bass. 

In selecting the program for the concert, Neu looked back at the compositions most associated with each artist. While he acknowledges how difficult it is to condense two incredibly prolific careers in jazz, the performance “[attempts] to cover material from different decades.” Coltrane and Davis have had so many major albums and innovations within the genre that it is difficult to say what each artist is mainly known for. Neu points to their most notable collaboration, Kind of Blue, released in 1959, as a key work that they will be exploring in this performance. 

After firing Coltrane from his band in 1957, Davis brought him back a year later to fill out his group. This renewed partnership featured a more focused Coltrane who honed his skills in a six-month residency with Thelonious Monk. In 1959, Davis and Coltrane, alongside Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, recorded the jazz classic Kind of Blue. When listening to this album, it becomes clear how well Davis and Coltrane were learning to play together, with each complementing the other perfectly. Critics have argued that this album is one of the greatest of all time, fundamentally shaping the grammar of jazz. 

Neu and the ensemble aim to present an overview of Coltrane and Davis’ work, both together and individually. Even in looking through their wide-ranging compositions, Neu acknowledges that “if they were still with us, they would be playing something completely different!” 

How should these two giants be commemorated for their work? Throughout their long-lasting careers, they were crucial in multiple reinventions of the genre of jazz. Whether you are a long-time jazz aficionado or have never heard of John Coltrane or Miles Davis, the Centennial Celebration will be an incredibly exciting show. This performance is free both to the public and Swarthmore students, and will take place on Sunday, November 1st at 7:30PM in the Lang Concert Hall.