Motherland

That Philadelphian saxophonist brothers Carl and Earl Grubbs were deeply indebted to the late John Coltrane could be a given, in that just about every saxophonist emulated ‘Trane in some way. But for the Grubbs, it goes much deeper, in that Coltrane’s first wife Naima was their cousin and the young brothers studied with their in-law every time he came to Philly. There’s even a photo of them as teens practicing with Coltrane on the back of their 1975 album Motherland, a lineage made clear once you hear Earl’s soprano work on the title track. And Carl’s alto work on Billy Eckstine’s “I Want to Talk About You” (one of Coltrane’s favorite ballads) is lovingly rendered. Beautiful, spiritually-minded modal jazz delivered in succinct statements, this is a gorgeous ’70s album rooted firmly in that (family) tradition.