WKCR’s jazz department is pleased to announce a two-week
festival honoring the genius of John Coltrane. Beginning at
midnight on Thursday, March 11th, and running through Wednesday,
March 24th, WKCR will broadcast nothing but the music of the great
tenor saxophonist. Coming on the heels of our annual birthday
broadcasts for Ornette Coleman (March 9th) and Bix Beiderbecke
(March 10th), the festival will form the bulk of an unprecedented
sixteen-day broadcast of continuous jazz. During this time, our
listeners can expect to enjoy a festival unsurpassed in the
breadth and depth of its programming.
The festival’s centerpiece will be a presentation of Coltrane’s
complete recorded works. The daily schedule will feature two eight-
hour blocks of discographical programming; one segment will
proceed in chronological order from Coltrane’s earliest
recordings, while the other will begin with Coltrane’s final
recording session and work in the opposite direction. On any given
single day, then, listeners will have an opportunity to hear both
the wide stylistic variety of Coltrane’s music and the unity of
his genius. Throughout this entire presentation, extreme rarities
will be presented alongside Coltrane’s acknowledged masterpieces,
some of the most enduring works of any recorded music.
In addition to this discographical survey, time will be set
aside every afternoon for special programming. Our expert jazz DJs
will offer in-depth presentations of various facets of Coltrane’s
legacy, including many conversations with Coltrane’s surviving
musical and personal associates. The overnight hours, too, will
break from the discographical presentation, featuring more
thematic presentations of Coltrane’s music. Finally, the first and
final days of the festival will offer us a chance to preview and
review what comes in between, distilling Coltrane’s staggeringly
large body of work to its essence.
Please see below for the general outline of the festival’s
daily schedule. Be advised that this plan is hardly set in stone;
it will become more definite as the festival nears, but a
broadcast of this magnitude must always allow for some
flexibility. In the coming weeks, Coltrane enthusiasts are
encouraged to listen to WKCR’s regular jazz programming for the
latest festival updates. Above all, we invite all of New York City
to tune in to 89.9 FM, and the world beyond to listen on
www.wkcr.org, from March 11th through March 24th for WKCR’s John
Coltrane Festival.
For more information, inquiries can be directed to
board@wkcr.org,
jazz@wkcr.org, and our Jazz Director Paul Burkey
at (212)853-2207.
Daily Coltrane Schedule:
Midnight-5 am: Overnight Specials
5 am-1 pm: Chronological Discography
1-4 pm: Interviews and Special Programming
4 pm-Midnight: Reverse Discography
Linear Mode
