We Speak Music
Sky Canyon Reimagines a Jazz Masterpiece with New Single “Equinox”
A heartfelt tribute to the enduring legacy of John Coltrane, interpreted through vibraphone-driven artistry and decades of musical mastery
Sky Canyon returns with another terrific jazz recording: The release of his new single, “Equinox,” a deeply personal and beautifully crafted interpretation of the classic composition originally recorded by jazz legend John Coltrane in 1960 and released in 1964. Rooted in reverence for the original while infused with Sky Canyon’s own unmistakable musical voice, the new recording captures the spirit of the timeless piece through a fresh and emotionally resonant lens.
The story behind the title “Equinox” has long fascinated jazz fans. According to Coltrane, the tune was named by his wife because his birthday fell on September 23 — the autumn equinox — inspiring even the cover imagery for Sky Canyon’s version of the composition.
“I’ve loved this classic since I first heard it as a teenager in the 1960s,” says Sky Canyon. “I decided to do a cover, taking a traditional approach to the arrangement, with the Latin-feel eight-bar intro, then into the two heads, solos, two heads at the end and similar outro, just as Coltrane did.”
While the arrangement honors the architecture of the original recording, the performance is not just another re-hash of the original. Rather, it is an authentic expression of these gifted musicians, each bringing their own identity and artistry to the piece.
“Of course it’s me on vibraphone, and the extraordinary Eric Gunnison on piano, for the solos,” he adds. “I LOVE Eric’s inspired performance, and we’re both doing what we do, rather than attempting to invoke Coltrane and McCoy Tyner.”
Joining Sky Canyon and Eric Gunnison on the recording are acclaimed musicians Ron Bland on upright bass and Mike Marlier on drums, both contributing dynamic performances that give the track its own character, feel, and momentum. The resulting recording stretches to approximately 8 minutes and 40 seconds — nearly mirroring the length of Coltrane’s iconic version — creating an immersive listening experience that balances tradition with individuality.
“My desire and hope for the listener are that it invokes the classic arrangement feel,” notes Sky Canyon, “and with this version that it is as engaging and transformative as Coltrane’s original.”
A veteran musician with more than five decades in the music world, Sky Canyon has built a remarkable career spanning jazz, rock, classical, Latin, and new age music. A former principal percussionist in symphony orchestras and a student of legendary jazz vibraphonist Terry Gibbs, Sky Canyon draws upon a lifetime of musical exploration and technical mastery in his work. His latest release reflects both his deep respect for jazz history and his enduring passion for artistic expression.
With “Equinox,” Sky Canyon delivers more than a cover — he offers a thoughtful conversation between generations of jazz musicians, preserving the soul of a classic while allowing it to breathe anew through his own creative spirit.
There’s something quietly radical about Nick Mulvey. His songs don’t shout for attention, yet they demand it. His music has always felt like a slow-burning invitation, to listen more closely, to step outside the noise, to feel, even when it’s hard. In a world brimming with distraction he cuts through, offering something rare: music that is unafraid to go deep.
With his most recent albums, ‘Dark Harvest Pt.1’ and ‘Dark Harvest Pt.2’, released via his own Supernatural Records label, Mulvey finds himself in a new state of artistic independence and empowerment. The albums saw Mulvey working alongside a cast of world-class collaborators, including the legendary producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Paolo Nutini), the boundary-pushing Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins), and the globally renowned Parisi Brothers (Ed Sheeran, Fred Again) and were born out of the catharsis of a tough few years that Mulvey has undergone recently in his personal life.
“For me Dark Harvest Pt.1 tracks the descent and grief that hit me in the last three years, during the losses and challenges I faced”, Mulvey explains. “Often brutal, these years have tenderised me, as I know they have others. Making this music carried me through. Dark Harvest Pt.2 is the first fruits after a deep winter, songs that tell of a new creation and a clarified faith”, he further reveals.
The next phase of this process is ‘Dark Harvest Live’, a gorgeous live offering. The album captures what anyone who has seen Nick Mulvey live will recognise, the feeling of a room that has briefly, genuinely, become one thing. With his ability to weave an experience that is felt as much as it is heard, his live performances don’t just entertain, they transcend to create a chorus of unity, a communion of sound and feeling. Through his intricate guitar figures, that seem to spiral endlessly and serve as a vehicle for his words, few artists so seamlessly bridge the sacred and the everyday.
“Dark Harvest is about surrender and what grows after the breaking. These live recordings are that same journey, only with an audience in the room sharing it. I’m proud of these shows. Something was working and I wanted there to be a recording of it. I’m feeling fortunate that I get to go out in May and do it all over again“, says Mulvey.
Mulvey’s music carries the poetic weight of Leonard Cohen, the introspective fragility of Nick Drake, and the hypnotic, polyrhythmic pulse of West African guitar masters like Ali Farka Touré. From his early days studying ethnomusicology in London, to guitar in Havana and then onto co-founding the Mercury-nominated Portico Quartet, Mulvey’s journey has never been conventional. His shimmering debut solo album, ‘First Mind’ (2014), established him as a standout force in modern music—earning him a second Mercury Prize nomination and acclaim for his hypnotic, finger-picked guitar work and deeply poetic lyricism. His follow-up, ‘Wake Up Now’ (2017), expanded his sonic and thematic scope, weaving global rhythms, environmental consciousness, and a call for collective awakening into anthems of hope and action. With ‘New Mythology’ (2022), Mulvey delved further still into the spiritual and mythic dimensions of songcraft, delivering compositions that felt at once ancient and urgent, intimate and universal.
Onstage Nick’s journey has taken him from sell out European and US solo tours to The Pyramid stage at Glastonbury and London’s The Royal Albert Hall and Hammersmith Apollo. Offstage, Mulvey is a devoted father of two, recently returned to the UK after years living abroad, and quietly in the middle of one of the most creatively fertile periods of his life.
-
We Speak Music2 days agoErick Macek Releases “I’m Here” on May 29 2026
-
We Speak Music3 days agoThe Weber Brothers Release Reflective New Single “Hello Hollow Love”
-
We Speak Music1 week agoUnethical Dogma Pull Back The Dark Curtain For A Carefully Engineered Descent into Technical Melancholy
-
We Speak Music3 days agoAmericana Singer-Songwriter Richard Daigle Releases New Single “Cajun Getaway” — A Tribute to Spontaneity, Memory, and Louisiana Roots