John Coltrane’s 95th Birthday Celebration

On the second day of the Second Annual John Coltrane Symposium, we will celebrate John Coltrane’s birthday under the stars at the reservoir of The Discovery Center in Fairmount Park, with a musical procession, and performances by trombonist Brent White and pianist Farid Barron.

On the occasion of his 95th birthday we will celebrate John Coltrane’s enduring legacy in the city of Philadelphia and begin our evening’s program with an intergenerational musical march, led by trombonist Brent White and Africa Brass Ensemble, along the short distance from Coltrane’s Philadelphia home on 33rd Street to The Discovery Center in Fairmount Park. It was in this park that drummer Rashied Ali recalled attentively listening to Trane’s intense daily practices.

The evening will continue with a brief discussion by musician and composer Matt Lavelle on the astrology of Coltrane’s birth as well a discussion of astronomy and stargazing at the reservoir of The Discovery Center. The celebration will conclude with a performance of some of John Coltrane’s seminal compositions including Equinox and Africa/Brass led by trombonist Brent White and pianist Farid Barron, accompanied by Daud Elbakara (trumpet), Fareed Simpson Hankins (trumpet); Nasir Dickerson (tenor saxophone, sousaphone); Richard Hill (bass) and Wayne Smith Jr. (percussion).