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by Seth Colter Walls

In most professions, nepotism is a bad look. But in music, as in sports, there's the great equalizer of needing to -- at some point -- perform at a high level in public (no matter who your parents might have been). When descendants of grand jazz families face contemporary audiences, they're confronted with the reality that this music is canon-obsessed, and ill-disposed to make excuses for the young. In order to succeed, they have to perform with a certain level of virtuosity regardless of their last name.

That's part of the fun of parsing the jazz dynasty: investigating what exactly distinguishes members from different generations, or even those in the same generation. Looking at these records side by side gives a hint as to what the dinner-table debates might be (at least as regards jazz). As for the streams within improvisational music that have built up some family traditions, they're as pleasingly diverse as any wide-eyed listener would want. There are post-bop families, free-improv families and more. The Cheat Sheet below is broken down by family dynasty to help give a taste of each one.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

Coltrane pulls off an epic aural poem to man's place in God's plan. A Love Supreme goes from free jazz to hard bop to genre-of-one gospel music, and yet he brings you into the moving work instead of using the piece as an exercise in ego. The deluxe edition offers alternate takes that are fascinating to hear a few times but add little emotional impact to the complete experience of the brilliant album.

Four MFs Playin' Tunes

Branford Marsalis

Between the Marsalis brothers, Branford's unflappably casual disposition has been something of a foil to the cerebral poise of kid brother Wynton. Driven by the light touch of the quartet's new drummer Justin Faulkner, this spirited, freewheeling jam keeps the simple focus on eloquent soloing. The close collaboration of Marsalis and pianist Joey Calderazzo is apparent from the start with the lithe theme of Calderazzo's "The Mighty Sword." His other composition, "As Summer Into Autumn Slips," offers the record's most sublime moment. It's not quirky or fussy. It's simply four MFs playin' tunes.

You might have once felt sorry for Ravi Coltrane. Is there any bigger challenge in the annals of jazz dynasties than being the son of John and Alice? Stop worrying, now. This is a major album, in which two different bands -- Ravi's long-standing quartet and a quintet with pianist Geri Allen -- innovate and swing like mad. The quartet divides itself into two competing duos during "Roads Cross," and when they finally unite, a third Coltrane sound emerges: not as gale-force strong as the father's or as mystical as the mother's, but with an intelligence that carries a family resemblance to both.

Cosmic Music

Alice Coltrane

A rarity that has fallen in and out of print over the years, Cosmic Music is officially co-credited to John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane. Though it's actually a half-and-half effort -- a his-and-hers EP set that was among the first of many posthumous dives into the former's archive. John takes center stage on "Manifestation" and "Reverend King," while the remaining cuts are by Alice's group. Both artists have superior efforts (obviously), but it's good to have this early grab-bag back in the catalog.

A Monastic Trio

Alice Coltrane

The shadow of John Coltrane's death looms heavily over Alice Coltrane's first album. The first three tracks seem steeped in mourning and Pharoah Sander's sax work is spilling over with somber energy. By the time Rashied Ali steps up to the drums and Alice begins strumming her harp on "Lovely Sky Boat", the album has become more of a celebration.

Standard Time Vol. 6: Mr. Jelly Lord

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Cheat Sheet: Jazz Family Dynasties