The Coltrane Sound Project Quartet consists of Darek Oles on bass, Ralph Moore on saxophone, Eric Reed on piano, and Christian Euman on drums. The quartet will play all John Coltrane compositions, and arrangements of standards from the early Coltrane Quartet period. This year marks 50 years commemorating Coltrane’s passing, and is the 90 year anniversary of his life. John Coltrane changed music literally, enriching and influencing this quartet, and millions of fans and musicians world-wide.

Bassist and composer Darek Oles is a protégé of bassist Charlie Haden. Darek grew up in Poland, and began playing music at the age of 5. He won numerous awards as a junior musician, and toured with many of Poland’s best jazz groups. He has been performing over 20 years, and is a member of the LA Jazz Quartet. Darek has played with Brad Mehldau, Larry Koonse, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Bob McChesney, Kait Dunton, and numerous jazz greats. Darek follows the musical lineage of Scott Lafaro, Bill Evans, Charlie Haden, and Gary Peacock. Darek has played on over 100 recordings, and performed in hundreds of concerts around the world. Some of Darek’s musical collaborations have received Grammy nominations. Darek was voted Poland’s Best Jazz Musician of the Year, and voted Best Acoustic Bassist by “Jazz Forum”, a European magazine. Darek has taught at Cal Institute of Arts, UC Irvine, and USC’s Thornton School of Music.

Saxophonist Ralph Moore began playing the trumpet at the age of 13, and later switched to saxophone and won several music awards with his high school jazz orchestra. Ralph studied at Berklee School of Music, and received the Lenny Johnson Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Musician. Ralph has played with Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, The Mingus Dynasty, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Kevin Eubanks, James Williams, Bill Mays, Valery Ponomarev, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Knepper, Brian Lynch, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, and Kenny Barron. Ralph has recorded 6 CDs as a leader, and played on 6 others as a sideman. Influenced by John Coltrane, Ralph was also a member of the Tonight Show Jazz Orchestra.

Pianist Eric Reed has played with the highest integrity over the last 25 years as a leader of numerous ensembles. Eric is a soloist, composer, producer, educator, and sideman. Eric always brings fresh ideas, virtuoso chops, intellectual clarity, and an unwavering will to groove in any musical setting. Eric has recorded 3 Thelonious Monk projects, conveying the authentic, harmonic, and melodic variety of Monks’ music. Eric plays original compositions, biblical themes, popular songs, jazz classics, gospels, hymns, and spirituals expressing a wide variety of musical styles. Eric sees his musical influences all as a stream of consciousness, tying all his musical experiences together. Eric began his playing in the Baptist church, and was inspired by the singing and dancing of fellow church goers. He began playing piano at the age of 5, and listened to every kind of music being played by his parents and siblings at home. He heard the music of Horace Silver, Art Blakey, and Dave Brubeck which sparked his interest in jazz. At the age of 11 he educated himself on peoples’ biographies, books on music theory, and vinyl records. Eric studied at the Colburn School of Performing Arts under Jeff Lavner. Eric received a master class from Wynton Marsalis in 1986, and studied improvisation under Harold Battiste Jr. who nurtured him and took him to music clubs all over LA. Wynton Marsalis considered Eric a phenomenal talent with extreme ability. Eric won many local music competitions in his late teens, and worked with Teddy Edwards, Buddy Collette, Clora Bryant, Billy Higgins, Gerald Wilson, and the Clayton brothers. Eric studied at Cal State Northridge, and played in Wynton Marsalis’ group in 1990 for nearly 2 decades. Eric worked at Bradley’s legendary Piano Saloon in New York, and in 1999 scored Eddie Murphy’s film “Life”. Eric worked on TV and film soundtracks and produced “Jazz Composer Portraits” for Manhattan’s Miller Theatre. For 3 years he performed the music of Elmo Hope, Donald Brown, James Black, Eric Dolphy, Ben Wolff, and Billy Strayhorn. Eric embraces the songbooks of composers, and draws from these sources to find his own compositional voice. He incorporates his improvisational ideas into his writing for other musicians to interpret. Eric has taught at the Julliard School of Music, the New School, and the Manhattan School of Music. He has mentored the talents of Aaron Diehl, and Kris Bowers. Eric considers the bandstand is where musicians truly learn to play music. He feels blessed he was embraced by many of the old guard music mentors. Eric directed Regina Taylor’s musical “Crowns”, played with the LA Gospel Messengers formed by Rev. James Cleveland, and has served as a minister of music which has deepened his spiritual connection to God. Eric has played with bassist Buster Williams and the group “Something More”, and continues to evolve as a spiritual and musical being offering to help young artists to manifest their inner-most self through music. Eric looks to the future to offer up something he has never done before. He has recorded 26 CDs to date.

Drummer, composer, and educator Christian Euman is a graduate of Western Michigan University, and studied at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chris Potter, James Newton, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Heath, and Stephon Harris. Christian has performed and toured with Kurt Elling, Billy Childs, Walter Smith III, Geoffrey Keezer, Hal Crook, Lewis Nash, Jamire Williams, Joe LaBarbera, Bob Sheppard, and many others around the world. Christian leads his own octet, and double drums ensemble “Drums and Symbols”. Christian was raised in Chicago, started playing at the age of 4, and was influenced to play jazz after hearing Art Blakey’s “Mosaic” album, which taught him to pursue creativity and freedom in his playing. Christian received many high school awards in Illinois, and performed in the live production of “Hair Spray”. Christian has performed, arranged, and composed for Donny McCaslin, Edward Simon, Tim Hagans, The New York Voices, Robert Glasper, and Kris Bowers. Christian placed second in the Percussive Arts Society International Drum Set Competition selected by drummers Peter Erskine, Ed Soph, Matt Wilson, Stanton Moore, and Jeff Hamilton. Christian has performed in the musical “Crowns”, and was listed as one of six drummers you should know about by “Revive Music”.