On Sept. 23, legendary jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer John Coltrane would have celebrated his 100th birthday.
To mark the centennial, Ars Nova Workshop is bringing his enduring musical legacy to life with a citywide celebration spanning several days of performances and events.
Developed in collaboration with the John and Alice Coltrane estate and cultural partners across Philadelphia, ‘Coltrane 100’ will bring the musician’s sounds to local concert halls, libraries, public spaces, neighborhoods and community gathering places in the city. At the heart of the initiative is the future of the Coltrane House in Strawberry Mansion, a place “intimately connected to the saxophonist’s development as an artist and to Philadelphia’s larger history as a vital incubator for Black music.”
First up, Coltrane 100 and WRTI at Temple University will host ‘A Love Park Supreme’ in LOVE Park. Taking place Sept. 21, 22, 24 and 25 from noon to 2 p.m., with a special extended celebration on Sept. 23 from 4 to 7:30 p.m., the free, weeklong event will feature live performances, panel discussions, interactive activities, photo opportunities, giveaways and more.
Alongside Coltrane-themed broadcasts from the park, the Sept. 23 celebration will additionally include a performance by acclaimed saxophonist and Philadelphia native Jaleel Shaw, who will lead a trio with Alex Claffy on bass and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums.
The celebration will also extend beyond LOVE Park and into the airwaves. Beginning at midnight on Sept. 23, WRTI will present a 26-hour Coltrane 100 Philly marathon, with the special programming airing overnight on WRTI’s FM broadcast and during the day on its HD-2 channel and jazz streams at wrti.org and through the WRTI app.
“John Coltrane’s contributions to music and spirituality reverberate far beyond his recordings and the many books about his creative genius,” says Bill Johnson, General Manager at WRTI. “A Love Park Supreme reflects the immense power of his music to bring us together as a community, in much the same way as it has brought the City of Philadelphia, Jazz Philadelphia, Ars Nova, State Senator Vincent Hughes, and WRTI together to make A Love Park Supreme a reality. “
The week of performances continues on Sept. 23rd with Sun Ra Arkestra. The group, formed in the mid-1950s by bandleader Sun Ra, has been led for more than three decades by 102-year-old maestro Marshall Allen. For ‘Coltrane 100’, Allen will lead the ensemble through a career-spanning selection of Coltrane compositions alongside new arrangements.
Next up on Sept. 24, NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy Award winner Terri Lyne Carrington will lead a performance of ‘A Love Supreme’. The evening will also feature L’Rain, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and curator.
The next night (Sept. 25) will bring several creatives together from different generations with ‘Irreversible Entanglements.’ Poet and vocalist Camae Ayewa (better known as Moor Mother); bassist Luke Stewart; trumpeter Aquiles Navarro; saxophonist Keir Neuringer; and drummer Tcheser Holmes will take on Coltrane’s 1966 work ‘Ascension.’
The group will be joined by special guests Odean Pope (a friend of Coltrane’s who developed his craft through informal sessions at the Strawberry Mansion home); bassist Reggie Workman (a member of the John Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s); and drummer Andrew Cyrille, (whose career includes groundbreaking work with Cecil Taylor).
On Saturday, Sept. 26, the festival expands with Philadelphia-born saxophonist, composer, and multidisciplinary artist Immanuel Wilkins, who will perform alongside special guests. The evening will also feature ‘Divine Offering’, a special program led by vocalist and composer Michelle Coltrane, daughter of John and Alice Coltrane.
The performance series culminates on Sunday, Sept. 27, with a meeting of two contemporary improvisers: Pianist and composer Marilyn Crispell and Pulitzer Prize-winning drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey.
Throughout the Centennial Week, ‘Coltrane 100’ Talks will also expand the conversation beyond the concert stage. As a release notes, these conversations will approach Coltrane from many directions, including music and spirituality, history and geography, family and memory, scholarship and lived experience.
The talks will “create space to consider what preservation actually means, who gets remembered, how cultural histories are carried forward, and what responsibilities come with inheriting a transformative artistic legacy.”
Alongside the performances and Talks, ‘Coltrane 100’ will also feature oral-history projects, youth and educational initiatives, wellness programming, exhibitions, listening sessions, artist commissions, and neighborhood gatherings.
For a full schedule of events for ‘Coltrane 100’, visit jazzphiladelphia.org/coltrane
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