So much for the G8 riots yesterday.

While the cops and security maintained a thick blue line between civil order and the chaos of a couple packs of pot-smoking, tabla-drumming kids, a nearly sold-out crowd of even more suspicious-looking jazz fans filled the NAC's Southam Hall to see Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove honour Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

These two giants of jazz would be 75 years old this year. Alas, both are gone before their time, though their presence was evident everywhere in the music.

Touring their new Verve recording Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall, the stellar trio put on a sensational prelude to the city's upcoming Jazz Festival, which runs July 19-28.

As if crossing over into more spiritual realms, the tone of the 100-minute-long concert was dark and reverential, with Hancock guiding our seance from the keyboard, Hargrove on trumpet, Brecker on tenor sax, George Mraz on bass and Willie Jones III playing drums.

This trio obviously embrace Davis' and Coltrane's legend without being intimidated by them in the least. Indeed, being all-stars in their own rights, the Directions in Music trio caught more than the sound of their music. They also caught the soul of these ground-breaking jazz pioneers.

Like Davis, who was notoriously incommunicado with his audience, there were no introductions, no funny stories or personal anecdotes about when Hancock played in Davis' band or how Brecker grew up imitating Coltrane's charts alone in his bedroom. Instead, they played the music the way a digital laser cuts through a disc, opening with Hancock's restless improv The Sorcerer just to settle the room before segueing into Hargrove's ballad The Poet, a soothing mood piece. Hancock accompanied himself with brilliant contrasting colour while Hargrove soared in his solos.

Their take on So What/Impressions, a fusion of Davis and Coltrane favourites, worked well when Hancock and Hargrove played off each other and not well at all when Brecker and Hancock traded solos. Hancock and Hargrove showed a musical affinity for Bop and each other.

On Misstery, the band's backwards take on Stella By Starlight showed Hancock's brilliance as a performer and arranger, getting percussive on up-tempo, then switching to straight colour in the bat of an eye.

Too bad the NAC didn't see fit to give Mr. Hancock a tuned piano.

Initially, Hancock worked his way around the wonky keys before eventually giving in and having fun with it.

Still, it proved embarrassing for the NAC.

SUBTLE AS BULLDOZER

Here's where I get into trouble. For many, the gig climaxed with Brecker's solo on Coltrane's Naima, a breathtaking convulsion of virtuosity. His playing was prodding and about as subtle as a bulldozer. In addition, his sax sounded at times annoyingly reedy. Not being a huge fan of extended solos, I would have preferred a poignant line of You Are Too Beautiful or any Coltrane ballad. Still, it proved a shining moment for the saxman.

Hargrove, on the other hand, proved time and time again to be a real virtuoso performer, playing inside the music with amazing control and imagination.

The boys played another Coltrane original, Transition, before closing the concert with Pinocchio and Brecker's D-Trane.

It was enough to raise the spirits of Miles and Coltrane and a couple thousand fans.