North Philadelphia History Festival: The John Coltrane Edition

Presented by Scribe Video Center, North Philadelphia History Festival (NPHF): The John Coltrane Edition is a multi-site celebration of Black and Puerto Rican cultural history in North Philadelphia.

Centering community archives and the theme of Jazz. Spirit. Stories. History, the festival will explore the creative and spiritual legacy of John Coltrane (1926-1967) through projects led by Philadelphia-based artists, historians, filmmakers, and others. All programs in the three-day festival (Sept. 25 - 27) are free to the public and will include live performances, film screenings, photo, audio, and video exhibitions, oral history installations, tours and more. Advance registration is required for scheduled programs and receptions.

Video Installations

For Us, By Us: A Conversation with Lovett Hines and Cullen Knight
⟟ Power Market, 1835 W Oxford St
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Friday, Sept. 25th | 5PM

Christina Jackson and Paul Giess present a conversation between Lovett Hines - the “Dean of music educators” whose students have included Questlove, Christian McBride and Immanuel Wilkins - and trumpeter, composer, filmmaker, and writer Cullen Knight. Both grew up on Columbia Ave. (now Cecil B. Moore Ave.) when it was The Golden Strip.

A Supreme Love
⟟ Power Market, 1835 W Oxford St
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Friday, Sept. 25th | 5PM

Steven Berry, documenter of Philadelphia’s jazz history for many decades, presents excerpts of interviews with 15 musicians, including Jimmy Heath, Trudy Pitts, Mr C, Monette Sudler, Sam Reed, Bobby Zankel and Odean Pope, who talk about John Coltrane, his music and his influence.

The Spirit Moves: David Murray on John Coltrane
⟟ Power Market, 1835 W Oxford St
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Friday, Sept. 25th | 5PM

Dr. Dwight Andrews presents a conversation with international virtuoso composer and saxophonist David Murray, discussing the Coltrane Quartet’s 1965 Brussels performance.

WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF
⟟ Atelier Gallery, 1301 N. 31st St, Ste 2
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Sunday, Sept. 27th | 5PM

Cedra Walton presents an immersive video installation blending film, photography and music in remembrance of her father, jazz pianist Cedar Walton, and his time performing with John Coltrane in the 1950s.

El Jardin de la Música y El Espíritu
⟟ Las Parcelas (Norris Square Neighborhood Project), 2248 N. Palethorpe St
◔ Saturday, Sept. 26th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Saturday, Sept. 26th | 1PM

Anula Shetty and Michael Kuetemeyer of Termite TV are working in collaboration with Iris Brown of the Norris Square Neighborhood Project to install a series of augmented reality video stations at Las Parcelas, which will explore traditional Puerto Rican music and its convergence with African American music forms.

Exhibitions and Scheduled Programs

Coltrane 100: John Coltrane – The Man & His Music
⟟ Strawberry Mansion Learning Center, 2946 W Dauphin St
◔ Friday, Sept. 25 - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Saturday, Sept. 26th | 2PM

Curated by Leslie Willis-Lowry, lead archivist at the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, the Coltrane 100 exhibition resonates in John Coltrane's own spiritual voice. The exhibit highlights his spiritual journey, remarkable artistry, and revolutionary career.

One of the most gifted jazz musicians of his generation, Coltrane offered listeners an inspired form of playing and composing with few equals. His beautifully controlled ballads and avant-garde material created expressions of beauty, emotion, harmony, dissonance, and transcendence that had never been heard before. With profound depth, his music remains emotionally charged and deeply satisfying. John Coltrane’s life was a testament to the pursuit of artistic excellence and an enduring legacy of spiritual jazz.

Been Here All Along: Reflections on the Spirit of John Coltrane
⟟ Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University, 1330 Polett Walk
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th | 2PM

Dr. Diane D. Turner and Serkaddis Alemayehu of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection present selections of newly recorded interviews, archival photography, and audio selections from their “We Remember, We Recall: An Oral History of North Philadelphia” project.

The Word is the Music: The Black Press Digs Deep into Philly's Jazz Giants
⟟ Widener Library, 2808 W Lehigh Ave
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Saturday, Oct 24th, | 10-5PM (Mon-Sat)
◔ Reception: Saturday, Sept. 26th | 3:30PM

Curated by students from Jubilee School, The Word is the Music explores the Philadelphia jazz scene of the 1940s through 1960s, tracing how papers like the Philadelphia Tribune captured a vibrant musical scene in North Philadelphia. The exhibition draws on archival ephemera alongside original writing and art works by Jubilee students to contextualize the Black press's role in promoting Black music to the community.

Live at the Yard
⟟ The Yard on John Coltrane Street, 1517 N. 33rd St
◔ Saturday, Sept. 26th | 7PM

In tandem with Coltrane100 Philly, Jazz Philadelphia’s season of coordinated citywide programming celebrating a century of Coltrane, Gerald Veasely and Lovett Hines will program concerts as part of NPHF, activating the outdoor venue next to Coltrane’s historic home near 33rd and Oxford Streets.

Tracing Trane: A Tour of John Coltrane’s North Philadelphia
⟟ Various Sites
◔ Sunday, Sept. 27th | 10AM & 2PM

Community historian Faye Anderson will lead guests on a bus tour of performance, social and sacred spaces John Coltrane frequented during his years living in North Philadelphia.

The Discography
⟟ Atelier Gallery, 1301 N. 31st St, Suite 2
◔ Friday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Sept. 27th | 11-7PM
◔ Reception: Sunday, Sept. 27th | 5PM

Scribe presents an exhibition of album artwork and liner notes of Coltrane’s vast discography.

Coltrane on Screen
⟟ Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W Montgomery Ave
◔ Friday, September 25th | 7-9PM

Scribe presents a selection of films produced from 1970 to the present exploring John and Alice Coltrane’s music and spiritual legacy.

Coltrane on Air
⟟ WPEB 88.1 FM
◔ Various Times

Broadcasters on West Philadelphia’s community radio station WPEB 88.1 FM air a variety of music, interviews, and experimental programs