A 12-year-old mural of John Coltrane near his North Philadelphia house was destroyed in 2014 to make way for real estate development. WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports on a new mural now rising just blocks away, restoring the jazz giant to his old neighborhood.
I wanted the mural to reflect his humanity, more than anything else.- Ernel Martinez
Radio script:
Music: Coltrane, My Favorite Things
Susan Lewis: Coltrane bought a home on North 33rd street in 1952, when the area was populated by jazz clubs. A mural created in 2002 by John Lewis showed a contemplative Coltrane in front of dreamy blue images of his house and music-making. It was beloved, and mourned when it disappeared.
Jane Golden: When the mural went away, there were people who reached out to me, scholars from Los Angeles, Chicago. There was a universal outcry.
SL: Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden partnered with the developer to raise funds for a new mural at 29th and Diamond. Artist Ernel Martinez built on the original composition, with background images depicting the neighborhood outside, and in the clubs.
Music: Coltrane, Giant Steps
Ernel Martinez: I wanted it to be rich and vibrant, similar to his music, but also layered and complex.
SL: Martinez used bold colors to depict a confident Coltrane with his shining sax, his figure looming large in the warm light of a setting sun.
When the mural went away, there were people who reached out to me, scholars from Los Angeles, Chicago. There was a universal outcry.-Jane Golden
EM: I wanted the mural to reflect his humanity, more than anything else: his eyes, the love of this music and his instrument. I wanted to evoke that warmth, that emotion, that glow you get through his music in the mural.
Music: Coltrane, My Favorite Things
SL: The mural also depicts a historical marker telling Coltrane’s story. Pictures and words—conjuring timeless music and the man who made it, and who for a time called this neighborhood home.
Check out all of our amazing content about John Coltrane at the bottom of this post!