Coltrane's Philadelphia

Coltrane's Philadelphia is on display at the Parkway Central Library through Saturday, November 14, as part of Philadelphia's city-wide celebration of the centennial of John Coltrane's birth. Most of us know Coltrane as the towering figure of jazz who eventually became a global icon, but this exhibition focuses on a specific, formative chapter: the years he spent living and working right here in the city.

Coltrane grew up in North Carolina and later made his name in New York City and Long Island, but in between, he lived in Philadelphia. That's where he studied, worked, and paid his dues on the local jazz scene, and where he picked up many of the local players he'd later take on the road with him. The display reconstructs that Philadelphia story through images from books, records, and newspaper articles. It covers his time working at the Campbell's soup factory, playing in a youthful big band that rehearsed in a South Philly living room, and studying music with Danis Sandole and Hasaan Ibn Ali. There's even a nod to the venue itself: Coltrane used to visit the Parkway Central Library to listen to records.

Beyond Coltrane's own time here, the exhibition highlights the Philadelphia-raised musicians who played with him throughout his career, reminding us how much of his sound was shaped by the city's jazz community. It's a look at the years before the fame, when he was just another musician in the city, working a day job and putting in the hours.

You'll find it in the Social Science and History Department on the second floor of the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street—between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway—in Room 201. Admission is free and open to all ages, and it runs through November 14.