The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is pleased to announce two screenings of the new short documentary Coltrane’s Philadelphia on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at 7pm, at International House Philadelphia and Thursday, September 19, 6pm, at WHYY Studios. Both events are free and open to the public. The August 7th Screening will include an additional film, and appearances by local filmmakers. (See details below.)
Coltrane’s Philadelphia explores John Coltrane’s remarkable Philadelphia years and features captivating interviews including those with renowned saxophonist and Coltrane peer Odean Pope and The Roots’ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, jazz historian Dr. Diane Turner, author and editor of “Feeding the Soul: Black Music Black Thought,” jazz singer and Strawberry Mansion resident Dorothy “Dottie” Smith and Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler of Philadelphia’s Historic Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, as well as historic footage of Philadelphia illustrating the urban context in which Coltrane moved his music forward.
After migrating from his childhood home in North Carolina in 1943, jazz giant John Coltrane spent years honing his craft in the City of Brotherly Love. In 1952 at the age of twenty-six, with the benefit of a G.I. Bill loan, he purchased a modest rowhome on North 33rd Street in the Strawberry Mansion section of North Philadelphia. Coltrane owned and lived in this home longer than any other during his legendary career. It was here that he honed his craft becoming identifiably the legendary ‘Trane.
Coltrane’s Philadelphia is part of the Preservation Alliance’s Coltrane Planning Project which aims to devise a revitalization strategy for the Philadelphia home of John Coltrane, the 20th-century jazz great who lived in Philadelphia from 1943 to 1958. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is the premier nonprofit preservation advocacy organization serving the Philadelphia region. It actively promotes the appreciation, protection, and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities, and landscapes.
EVENT DETAILS
Wednesday, August 7, 7pm
Contextualizing Jazz in Philadelphia: An Evening of Documentaries featuring Coltrane’s Philadelphia and Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
International House Philadelphia, Ibrahim Theater, 3701 Chestnut Street, Phila., PA
Free Admission
Thursday, September 19, 6pm
Coltrane’s Philadelphia: A Documentary
Plus a performance by Warren Oree and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble
WHYY Studios, 150 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free Admission