Photo of the Coltrane Home by Joshua Scott
Tour the Coltrane Home!
Did you know that John Coltrane wrote his masterwork, “A Love Supreme” in Dix Hills? That his wife, Alice, produced three albums in the home they shared there?
These were exceptionally talented people, whom many have compared to the genius of Einstein. They were also deeply spiritual folks who, in John’s words, lived to be “a force for good.” We are very excited to hear about this “exclusive behind-the-scenes Preservation in Progress Tour” of the home, guided by Huntington Town Historian Robert Hughes and Coltrane Home Founder Steve Fulgoni. There, you can learn a whole lot more!
When: Saturday, May 3, 2025, 11am
Where: The John & Alice Coltrane Home, Dix Hills, NY (Directions Provided Upon Registration)
Tickets: $30 General Admission, $25 for Preservation Long Island Members and Young Preservationists To Register:
For More Info and to Register: Visit the Preservation Long Island Website
A Little Background
Over 20 years ago, now, Steve Fulgoni realized where the Coltrane house was, just as it was being scheduled for demolition. He partnered with all who were willing – family, fellow musicians and fans, local historians and more – to save it from destruction.
Once the building was spared the bulldozer, this group of ardent volunteers realized they now had a much bigger job to do. In the decades since, they have made tremendous progress, both on the home and in building awareness and appreciation of these jazz and spiritual legends.
You can read about the home, the Coltrane legacy and more on the website dedicated to this project.
Press Coverage
I am grateful to a motley crew of dedicated volunteers, including Friends of the Coltrane Home in Dix Hills Board Members and Coltrane family members who help each other stay apprised of news coverage. Here are some clippings:
• This NYS Music Studio article by Robert Tellerman shares his experience In Conversation with Michelle Coltrane: Remembering Alice Coltrane Ahead of ‘Cosmic Music‘ which is happening May 16 at Carnegie Hall!
• Here’s a NY Times article by Siddhartha Mitter that offered a reflection on Alice and an exhibition celebrating her at the Hammer Museum in LA in “Alice Coltrane: Artist’s Muse and Sonic Healer“ *
• This other piece in the NY Times by Mia Jackson talks about an effort to save another home central to John Coltrane, “A New Initiative to Protect Black History starts with Coltrane” *
• You can learn a little bit about the milestones in getting this home formally recognized and revitalized, as well as about the Suffolk County JumpSMART program in the Long Island Times article “Coltrane Home gets $1.75M from Suffolk County”
• News 12 had a piece on the grant that features video of the interior of the home: “Suffolk County expected to announce over $1.7 million in funding for John and Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills”
• There’s more detail in this article by John Valenti for Newsday, “Jazz legacy: John & Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills to get $1.75M grant for upgrades” *
• In Newsday, Robert Brodsky published this beautiful, in depth article, complete with video of the home: “John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane home on Long Island undergoes renovation in effort to preserve history”
• This article from Clive Young for Mix Online tells more about the Coltranes and the significance of the home, as well as plans for its future, “John Coltrane House Awarded $1.75M to Renovate Home Studio, More”
• Here’s a little more about the JumpSMART grant from in Long Island.com: “Suffolk County Executive Bellone To Announce Nearly $2 Million In Jumpsmart Funding To The John & Alice Coltrane Home”
• Here’s a beautiful article from Jeff MacGregor in The Smithsonian magazine, “How John Coltrane’s ‘My Favorite Things’ Changed American Music”
• Here’s a 2018 Synchronicity Article entitled, “Notes From Joe” with older clippings collected by Coltrane Volunteer Joe Natter that we published some years ago. Worth a re-read!
* subscription required – or visit your local library!
Some Good Books and Other Resources
One book on John Coltrane that I think musicians, especially, may appreciate is Ascension by Eric Nisenson,
“Nice choice!” said Noah, the salesman in a local bookstore, when I brought it to the counter. He then promptly recommended Coltrane on Coltrane by Chris DeVito and asked me if I knew that the Coltranes had lived around here.
I went home happily and shared my finds with some Coltrane Board Members.
“Chris DeVito’s book, Coltrane on Coltrane is a text version of every Coltrane interview out there,” said Steve, “There are some online audio versions of those interviews where you can hear John talking and really get a feel for who he is.”
A YouTube search reveals a fascinating set of interviews with and about Coltrane
Another board member offered a few of their favorite biographies: Ashley Kahn’s A Love Supreme and what they felt was the best scholarly biography, Lewis Porter’s John Coltrane: His Life and Music. We learned Lewis also has amazing lectures available online in his Deep Dives.
We also refer you to the Half Hollow Hills Library where Coltrane volunteer Ellen Druda, a wonderful, retired librarian has helped create a ‘Coltrane Computer’ with hundreds of images.
It’s all quite enlightening…Enjoy. <3
