Article Contributed by Shoshana Tyler
Published on 2026-09-18
Photo Credit: Bob Thiele
More than 58 years after his passing, John Coltrane remains one of the most vital and influential figures in modern culture. His music is probing, spiritual, endlessly exploratory, and continues to reach new listeners, transcending genre, generation and geography. The Coltrane Estate is marking the 100th anniversary of the musician’s birth with COLTRANE 100, an ambitious, year-long global celebration honoring an artist whose work permanently reshaped the language, ambition and purpose of music. The saxophonist and composer would have turned 100 on September 23.
John Coltrane’s 100th birthday is being honored with a host of box set releases, tributes, live concerts and listening events, a newly released photo essay book edited by his son Ravi Coltrane and much more. Ravi Coltrane has recently appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air and Track Star for interviews about his father’s music and legacy. DownBeat paid tribute in its September cover story, centennial celebrations were further detailed in Billboard, and Coltrane was featured in a series of clues on Jeopardy! earlier this year. New releases celebrating the centennial have also been featured in fall preview stories in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Upcoming live event highlights include a COLTRANE 100 concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on September 23, featuring alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and a 16-piece orchestra. A series of tribute concerts hosted by Ars Nova in Philadelphia September 23–26 will feature Sun Ra Arkestra, Immanuel Wilkins, Terri Lyne Carrington, Irreversible Entanglements and the Reggie Workman + Andrew Cyrille Trio.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will host a birthday night event with Coltrane scholar Ashley Kahn and panelists David Murray, Brandee Younger and Naima Cochrane. The Ravi Coltrane Quartet will also perform at the Blue Note in Los Angeles September 22–24 and at the Village Vanguard in New York City October 13–18. Immersive listening events hosted by Pitchblack Playback are also scheduled in various cities from September 20–23.
Coltrane: The Definitive Visual Celebration of the Legend, published by Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House, is available now. Edited by Ravi Coltrane, the photo essay book features dozens of never-before-seen photographs and essays by Wayne Coyne, Dev Hynes, Phil Lesh, Julie Mehretu, Carlos Santana, Patti Smith and Ravi Coltrane.
Rolling Stone offered an exclusive excerpt of the book in July, while The Wall Street Journal describes it as a “monument…a must for Coltrane fans and jazz fans generally...it may be necessary as well for people who know nothing and care little about jazz, simply because Coltrane was such a singular figure in American creative culture.”
Archival and box set releases include Coltrane 100, the first-ever cross-label career retrospective of Coltrane’s music, issued by Rhino on October 2; a new reissue of the GRAMMY-winning The Complete Miles Davis & John Coltrane 9LP/6CD set by Legacy Recordings on November 6; and the long-anticipated release of the fabled The Tiberi Tapes, portable reel-to-reel recordings of live Coltrane performances between 1961 and 1965 in New York City and Philadelphia, with more details to be revealed soon through Impulse! Records.
Additionally, SiriusXM’s Real Jazz, Channel 67, is celebrating John Coltrane’s centennial throughout September with a special weekly programming event called “Supreme Wednesdays with Ravi Coltrane.” SiriusXM will also premiere playlists curated by contemporary artists influenced by John Coltrane, featuring commentary and Coltrane selections from Lakecia Benjamin, Joe Lovano, Mei Semones and more.
Boutique clothing brand Corridor released a capsule collection earlier this year, and Blue Bottle Coffee is offering a Coltrane Cold Foam for a limited time at cafés across the U.S. Recent events and highlights include a tribute to Coltrane and bassist Jimmy Garrison at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn, as well as concerts and panel discussions at Big Ears Festival and Newport Jazz Festival earlier this year. Ravi Coltrane also joined the Philadelphia Orchestra for an evening of newly commissioned arrangements at the Mann Center in Philadelphia in July.
As centennial celebrations continue in the months ahead, the site where he composed his landmark album A Love Supreme, the John and Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, New York, is preparing to open its doors to the public after decades of fundraising and renovation. The Philadelphia home has received millions in grants and is on the path to becoming a public institution. Donations can be made at thecoltranehome.org/donate.
See below for a full list of releases, live concerts and listening events.
The Tiberi Tapes — Impulse!
A historic set of live recordings made by musician Frank Tiberi between 1961 and 1965. These fabled private recordings were made by Tiberi of Coltrane’s classic quartet performing at clubs in New York City and Philadelphia, using a portable recording device to capture more than 60 hours of performances. A 1LP preview was released earlier this year for Record Store Day, and news about the official set, available in various formats and due this fall, will be announced shortly.
Coltrane — Craft Recordings
Out Now
The Craft Recordings Original Jazz Classics series continues with a 180-gram vinyl and hi-res audio release of Coltrane (1957). Coltrane’s solo album debut was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, made in between contributing to Miles Davis’ Cookin’ and before joining the Thelonious Monk Quartet.
Coltrane 100 — Rhino
Out October 2
The first-ever Coltrane cross-label career retrospective arrives as a 6LP audiophile set, as well as curated 2LP and CD versions. Featuring a new essay by Ben Ratliff and remastered by audio engineer Bernie Grundman, the set unites historic masterworks by Coltrane licensed from Prestige, Blue Note, Atlantic, Columbia and Impulse! into a single cohesive audio narrative, from his first session in 1951 through his final boundary-pushing creative sessions in 1967.
Essential John Coltrane — Impulse!
Ships October 18
From tender ballads to volcanic live performances and meditative suites, each track in this collection works to create a portrait of musical genius. Coltrane’s artistry reminds us that music goes far beyond the page—the sounds he created will keep us listening, feeling and marveling for generations. The release is available as a 2LP set and Target exclusive.
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson — Ananta: Spirit of Coltrane — Impulse!
Out October 30
Composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson honors a lifelong influence during the year of Coltrane’s 100th birthday. The album features eight reimagined Coltrane compositions with Brandee Younger, Jeff Parker, Flying Lotus, Shabaka, Joel Ross, Elena Pinderhughes, Immanuel Wilkins and others, plus an original composition featuring words by poet Aja Monet.
Miles Davis & John Coltrane — The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955–1961 — Legacy Recordings
Out November 6
An expansive collection that captures John Coltrane and Miles Davis’ collaborations between 1955 and 1961, reissued as 9LP and 6CD sets. Produced by Michael Cuscuna and Bob Belden, the set won two GRAMMYs for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package and Best Album Notes and was previously released on vinyl only in a limited edition through Mosaic Records.
Available widely for the first time, the 9LP edition includes vinyl cut directly from the original analog tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, a 60-page adaptation of the original book with rare photography, essays by original producer George Avakian and Kind of Blue drummer Jimmy Cobb, GRAMMY-winning notes by critic Bob Blumenthal, a timeline and further notes by Cuscuna and Belden, and the original Kind of Blue liner notes by pianist Bill Evans. The Best of Miles Davis & John Coltrane 1955–1961 will also be released as a 2LP set.
September 23 — Los Angeles — Hollywood Bowl
Coltrane 100: Legacy, a performance of reimagined Coltrane standards adapted for orchestra, featuring Lakecia Benjamin on alto saxophone and a 16-piece orchestra conducted by Jonathan Taylor Rush.
September 22–24 — Los Angeles — Blue Note
Ravi Coltrane Quartet: Centennial Celebration birthday-week performances.
September 23 — New York City — New York Public Library
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will host a birthday event celebrating Coltrane’s life, music and legacy. Moderated by Ashley Kahn, a panel including harpist and composer Brandee Younger, saxophonist David Murray and music critic Naima Cochrane will discuss Coltrane: The Definitive Visual Celebration of the Legend. The event is free with RSVP.
September 23–26 — Philadelphia — Ars Nova
A series of tribute concerts featuring Sun Ra Arkestra, Immanuel Wilkins, Terri Lyne Carrington, Irreversible Entanglements and the Reggie Workman + Andrew Cyrille Trio.
September 20–23 — Various Cities
Pitchblack Playback: Immersive listening sessions in the dark, featuring 10 Coltrane discography highlights played loud in uncompressed audio. Events will take place in Los Angeles, Mexico City, Bristol, Philadelphia and New York City.
September 29 — Brooklyn — Public Records
Music from the John and Alice Coltrane Home: An Intimate Listening Session with Michelle Coltrane. The John and Alice Coltrane Home, hosted by Michelle Coltrane, will present an intimate evening of listening, memory and conversation, sharing selections of John and Alice Coltrane’s work along with personal recollections.
October 13–18 — New York City — Village Vanguard
Ravi Coltrane Quartet: Centennial Celebration.
