OPB’s sister station KMHD has organized a month of events and programming this September celebrating the centennial birthday of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. The community events include a concert performance next Wednesday of Coltrane’s seminal album “Blue Train” at the Aladdin Theater in Portland.
Hailey Niswanger, who grew up in West Linn and performs as the jazz-expansive saxophonist and flutist MAE.SUN, will lead the sextet of musicians. They include Charlie Brown III on piano and Garrett Baxter on upright bass.
MAE.SUN, Baxter and Brown III join us for a preview of next week’s concert. We’ll also talk with MAE.SUN about the influence Coltrane’s spiritual, boundary-breaking music has had on her, and her return to Portland after her home in Altadena near Los Angeles burned in January 2025.
Note: The following transcript was transcribed digitally and validated for accuracy, readability and formatting by an OPB volunteer.
Jenn Chávez: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Jenn Chávez. This month marks what would have been the 100th birthday of legendary jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer John Coltrane. The artist behind iconic jazz recordings like “A Love Supreme” and “Giant Steps,” Coltrane once described his music as “the spiritual expression of what I am, my faith, my knowledge, my being.”
Our partner station KMHD Jazz Radio is celebrating him throughout September, which they’re calling “A Month Supreme.” That will include a performance next Wednesday at Portland’s Aladdin Theater, where a sextet of local musicians will recreate Coltrane’s seminal 1958 album “Blue Train.”
Leading the sextet is Portland saxophonist and flutist MAE.SUN, who is also known as Hailey Niswanger. She’s here with me now in the Gert Boyle Studio to talk more and play some music. Hailey, so excited to have you with us today. Welcome.
Hailey Niswanger: Thank you so much for having me.
Chávez: I should mention that you are also being joined by two more musicians that are going to be performing with you on the 16th, Charlie Brown III here on piano, and Garrett Baxter on the upright bass. I’d love to just dive in and start us off with some music. You’re gonna play the title song from this album, the ‘58 record “Blue Train.” Is there anything you wanna say about the song before we hear it?
Niswanger: This is just what you said. We’re looking forward to playing it for you.
[“Blue Train” by John Coltrane playing, performed live in studio by MAE.SUN, Charlie Brown III and Garrett Baxter]
Chávez: Oh my goodness, the vibe has been set for our conversation today. Thank you all so much.
Do you remember when you first heard John Coltrane and how his music made you feel?
Niswanger: I probably cried. I was pretty young. I started saxophone when I was 10 and had an amazing local teacher named Clark Bondy who really fed me a lot of incredible jazz music. And being a saxophone player, John Coltrane is kind of the household name. When you think of saxophone, he’s pretty much at the top of the list, and in my mind, the best. He’s been incredibly influential in my life, not only in a musical way, but in bringing spirit and soul and just like a greater purpose of wider music into my life.
Chávez: I want to ask you a little bit about that. Coltrane is known as this very spiritual artist, and he wrote about how he had a spiritual awakening in 1957. That is the year that “Blue Train” was recorded. As a musician, could you speak more to how you relate to his approach to music as an expression of spirituality?
Niswanger: For Coltrane, in this moment in his life, he was coming off of a pretty intense heroin addiction, which is when this spiritual awakening happened. He locked himself into an attic and went completely cold turkey after being fired from Miles’ band. So I think for him, he took this really solitary approach. And there’s been moments in my life as well when spirituality has really found me when I’ve been alone, mostly alone in nature. I know Coltrane also felt like a very spiritual divine connection with nature too.
I think it really comes back to finding your purpose in, why do we do music? For Coltrane, he literally asked to be a force for good. His purpose was to bring happiness to other people through his music, and he asked for this from a God, whatever God idea you want to have out there. And I believe that, I feel that for myself too, and there’s some deeper force that’s moving through me. And Coltrane was very much acknowledging that he was a vessel and being used by this greater force.
I actually had a very spiritual experience too, when I stopped using my name Hailey Niswanger and I started going by the name MAE.SUN, because I felt like what I was doing was more than me. Like I wasn’t the only one playing the music, and my name Hailey felt like a little more egotistical. MAE.SUN was also inspired by Thích Nhất Hạnh, some Buddhist teachings about the sun being our shared heart, the one that connected us all. So I think that in partnership with finding my own spirituality with meditation, just coming into that own name for me with MAE.SUN, and creating music where I wasn’t having to overthink. My music became more of a spiritual ascension pad.
Chávez: A spiritual ascension pad, I love that. I would love to hear another song, if y’all are ready to play another song.
Niswanger: Yeah, I was gonna say, this is actually the only one on the album that Coltrane didn’t write. It’s a five-track album. This one’s written by Jerome Kern: “I’m Old Fashioned.”
[“I’m Old Fashioned” by Jerome Kern playing, performed live in studio by MAE.SUN, Charlie Brown III and Garrett Baxter]
Chávez: Beautiful. This is one of his earliest records as a bandleader. It was with Blue Note Records, if I’m not mistaken. What makes “Blue Train” special to you?
Niswanger: It’s honestly just a part of the language of jazz. It formed so much of this Coltrane sound and what bebop is. You can see the poster hanging from Everyday Music downtown. It’s just a pinnacle album that has just defined the sound of jazz. I definitely spent a lot of time in my youth transcribing solos of Coltrane’s and playing these tunes. These are some tunes that have become jazz standards and are called around the world when you’re going to play a jam session or something.
So, it’s just been a really defining sound, and I think for Coltrane too. It’s his second album as a leader. To really just step into that role, especially after the rude awakening of what he was doing with Miles’ band and leaving that, this is kind of his comeback album essentially. You could really hear him digging in real deep on this. And I believe in interviews later on in life when he was asked about what his favorite album was, he listed “Blue Train” as being his favorite.
Chávez: I love that. How did it feel to you to be asked to do something like this event that’s coming up, where you’re gonna recreate this album by this seminal jazz artist?
Niswanger: Honestly, kind of intimidating. [Laughter] To try and be like Coltrane is a big ask. But of course, I’m trying to be myself, always, with heavy influence by Coltrane, who’s kind of always been a part of myself as an artist. But yeah, I’m really honored to be doing this, and it’s been a beautiful process to kind of go back into this album in a deep way. The beginning of my artistry was really filled with jazz, and I’ve had moments where I kind of stepped further away from jazz to be inspired by other genres. So whenever I have kind of these pockets to really return to my roots and to kind of go into this real like studious mode is an exciting thing. I’ve already been sitting with the album for a bit since this ask and have loved getting closer to it.
Chávez: Something you mentioned a moment ago, you said you still try to be yourself when performing this music of another artist. How do you do that? How are you thinking about how to bring your own style, your own perspective as a musician into performing Coltrane’s music?
Niswanger: Well, I think it’s gotten into this place where I don’t even have to think about it. I’ve been playing saxophone for 26 years and kind of reaching into this place now where I’ve really defined a lot of my own unique sound. But I also love to, especially when I’m presenting a body of music that somebody else’s, offer some of how they played it. When [people] come to this concert, what I really want them to get is to just be inspired to dive deeper into Coltrane and to, as he said, be this offering of someone that brings happiness, healing and this force of goodness. [That’s] kind of my mission when we do this.
So giving that little taste of Coltrane, but also being able to say, “here’s my take on it,” and maybe they’ll check out my music too, as it’s quite different than this. I think it’s more of just this innate thing because I’ve sat with my soul, myself and my instrument that it just comes out effortlessly in a way too.
Chávez: Well, time is flying while we’re having fun and listening to beautiful music. I would love to hear one more song before the end of the hour. You’re gonna perform “Moment’s Notice” for us, is that right?
Niswanger: Yes, yes.
Chávez: OK, let’s do it.
[“Moment’s Notice” by John Coltrane playing, performed live in studio by MAE.SUN, Charlie Brown III and Garrett Baxter]
Chávez: That was Portland saxophonist and flutist MAE.SUN, performing with Charlie Brown III and Garrett Baxter. We have reached the end of the hour with lovely jazz music. Thank you so much, all three of you, for joining us today to give us a preview of this show.
Niswanger: Thanks so much for having us.
Chávez: These three and other musicians are performing together at the Aladdin Theater in Portland next Wednesday the 16th. They’ll recreate the 1958 John Coltrane record “Blue Train.”
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