This week brings a belated but welcome birthday celebration for John Coltrane, at the site he called home for years. And that’s just one of several irresistible offerings on the calendar, which raises the question: how many great shows can you cram into a week? It’s a great time to find out.
John Coltrane Birthday Celebration — Friday, John Coltrane House and Solar Myth
The windup to John Coltrane’s centennial began a little over a week ago, when the jazz world celebrated what would have been his 99th birthday. This Friday, his family teams up with Ars Nova Workshop to celebrate his towering legacy on hallowed ground: the John Coltrane House, a National Historic Landmark on North 33rd Street, just across from Fairmount Park.
Beginning at noon, this free event will feature musical performances by legendary Philly educator Lovett Hines and some of his students, along with remarks by local cultural figures and what Ars Nova describes as “a public unveiling of plans to restore the house as a center for education, community, and creative programming.” Last year, ownership of the House was secured by Coltrane’s family, with Ravi Coltrane — heir to John’s saxophonic legacy, and a primary executor of his estate — expressing an intention to stabilize and develop the space.
Ravi will speak to those issues at the afternoon event. And on Friday evening, he will perform a ticketed concert at Solar Myth, leading a muscular trio with bassist Anthony Tidd and drummer Timothy Angulo. Ravi, who turned 60 this summer, is sure to make many appearances in his father’s name over the next year. So consider this a kickoff, as well as a countdown.
Oct. 10 at 12 p.m., John Coltrane House, 1511 North 33rd Street, free; more information.
Oct. 10 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $40 advance, $45 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Tom Skinner — Tuesday, Solar Myth
Depending on your vantage, Tom Skinner is best known either as the beat wrangler in The Smile or as a volcanic force in the now-disbanded Sons of Kemet. He’s the sort of drummer who always locates the pivot point between chaos and clarity, and he brings that shifting insight into focus on Kaleidoscopic Visions. Drawing from that album here, he enlists Chelsea Carmichael and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Ishmael Ali on cello, and Joshua Abrams on bass.
Oct. 7 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 in advance, $35 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Rafiq Bhatia — Wednesday, Solar Myth
Environments, the entrancing new album by guitarist and composer Rafiq Bhatia, meets the promise in its title with attentive, immersive care. It’s an atmospheric soundscape inspired by the natural world, but made possible through improvisational protocols and state-of-the-art electronic tools. Bhatia will bring the experience to life with the help of his partners on the album: Ian Chang, a band mate in the post-rock outfit Son Lux, on acoustic and electronic percussion and Riley Mulherkar on trumpet and effects.
Oct. 8 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 advance, $35 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Tatum Greenblatt Quintet — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
To call Tatum Greenblatt an in-demand trumpeter would be an understatement; he’s logged time with everyone from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to the Mingus Big Band to the indie-rock band Grizzly Bear. For this installment of the Rite of Swing Jazz Cafe, he leads a band with Geoff Vidal on saxophone, Misha Piatigorsky on piano, Boris Koslov on bass and Isaiah Bravo on drums.
Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free; more information.
Nate Smith — Saturday, Perelman Theater
Nate Smith is a drummer of extraordinary poise and power, heard to thrilling effect in bands fronted by Brittany Howard and Jon Batiste (among many others). He’s also a bandleader and producer in high standing himself, as he demonstrated most recently with a guest-laden album titled LIVE-ACTION. It’s a studio release, but as the title suggests, Smith knows how to expand its horizons in performance — especially with partners like saxophonist Josh Johnson, keyboardist James Francies and bassist Ben Williams, who all join him here.
Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $53-$94.64; tickets and information.
Lucy Wijnands Quintet — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
For many observers, Lucy Wijnands hit the radar when she won the Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition in 2021, a year after she’d graduated from SUNY Purchase (where she was named an Ella Fitzgerald Memorial Scholar). But Wijnands has been singing, and swinging, from a tender age; her father is the Dutch-born, Kansas City-based stride pianist Bram Wijnands, and a longtime duo partner. She’ll bring her expertise (but presumably not her pops) to this one-nighter at Chris’ Jazz Cafe.
Oct. 11 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
