Tompkins Square Park Jazz Legend Giuseppi Logan Returns to Studio

Giuseppi Logan, the saxophonist who made a name playing with John Coltrane and other jazz legends before disappearing for decades, is back in the studio. In a Kickstarter video, producer and folk singer-songwriter Ed Pettersen recounts hearing in 2009 that “one of the most expressive and innovative free-jazz saxophonists of the 60s” was homeless and busking in Tompkins Square Park. “When I heard about this,” he says, “I said I have to find Giuseppi. I have to work with him because he was one of my favorite sax guys.”

Mr. Pettersen connected with the septuagenarian saxophonist and, after delays caused by his hospitalization for a broken hip, recorded six songs with him at Dubway Studios late last year. The session’s musicians included pianist Cooper-Moore, violinist Tracy Silverman, and Larry Roland, a bassist and poet who has played with Mr. Logan before.

Mr. Pettersen now hopes to raise $6,000 to master the 45-minute album and press 500 vinyl records for a limited-edition run. You can hear a snippet of the material in the video above, which was brought to our attention by Suzannah B. Troy, an artist who has documented and advocated for the saxophonist. For more of Mr. Logan’s music, watch The Local’s video from 2010.