Thank you! Listening Party with Yasuhiro Fujioka and Hollis King at The Firefly

Listening Party with Friends of the Coltrane Home.

Folks who love history. Folks who love jazz. Folks who love art and deep conversation all came together at the Firefly on March 28th to spend some time with Yasuhiro “Fuji” Fujioka, Hollis King and excellent music. 

It was a wonderful evening filled with joy, and deep reflection. We learned about John Coltrane, the space he inhabited and new grounds he forged. Profound historic moments and some of the Coltranes’ deep responses were noted. Discoveries made upon years of careful study were shared, as were anecdotes of life working with diverse artists. Among these, curious Beatles and other connections were proffered, as we considered courses of destiny and twists of fate.

Several folks who have been involved with the effort to transform the John and Alice Coltrane home in Dix Hills into a museum and cultural center were on hand. In addition to the deep dive into Coltrane himself, they shared news of that endeavor and stories of the multi-decade journey this has been. We are very excited at the progress and can’t wait for the home to open! Stay tuned…

Coltrane Scholar Yasuhiro Fujioka

Coltrane Scholar Yasuhiro “Fuji” Fujioka is a Board member of the Friends of The Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, President of the Coltrane House of Osaka, and owns the Kimono shop, “Fujioka.” He is also a freelance jazz writer/ producer/ photographer/ educator and the author of four books on the subject of John Coltrane.

Hollis King, former Vice President & Creative Director, Verve Music Group

Hollis King is the former vice president and creative director at the Verve Music Group, the largest jazz record label in the world. He has worked with some of the greatest musicians of all time, and has himself received numerous achievement awards and citations.

Thank You

As Fuji would say, “Arigato!”

We are deeply grateful for the experience and look forward to them coming back soon.

Listening Party with Yasuhiro Fujioka and Hollis King at The Firefly

Listening Party with Friends of the Coltrane Home.

If you love history. If you love jazz. If you love art and deep conversation, please stop on by. Drop a line to let us know if you will!

NEXT SATUDAY, 3/28: This is going to be a very special event with two truly remarkable human beings. 

Coltrane Scholar Yasuhiro Fujioka

Coltrane Scholar Yasuhiro “Fuji” Fujioka is a Board member of the Friends of The Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, President of the Coltrane House of Osaka, and owns the Kimono shop, “Fujioka.” He is also a freelance jazz writer/ producer/ photographer/ educator and the author of four books on the subject of John Coltrane.

Hollis King, former Vice President & Creative Director, Verve Music Group

Hollis King is the former vice president and creative director at the Verve Music Group, the largest jazz record label in the world. He has worked with some of the greatest musicians of all time, and has himself received numerous achievement awards and citations.

Great Music, Rich Conversation, News on the Coltrane Home

They’re going to bring some favorite LP’s and give a guided tour of select tracks. They’ll also be talking about amazing things happening down the road at The The John and Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, which they have been a part of for decades, and the John Coltrane Centennial.

It’s all part of “Rolling Under the Stars” a month-long birthday present to Jack Kerouac’s soul…and now our dear Jim Darcy’s, too…a streaming consciousness of art, music and poetry. Check out details on the firefly artists website.

Guest Post by Jed Morey: We’re Not Here for Long. Let’s Do Better. Together.

Photo of soaring gull by Katheryn Laible

A couple of days ago I joined the chorus of self-righteous outrage and posted the image of the now infamous MAGA hat wearing kid and Indian activist face-to-face. It’s been years since I posted anything purely political and I rarely, if ever, post something without context. But this image stuck with me. So I posted it without commentary, context or linking it to an article. Just the photo. What ensued on my wall happened all around the country on social media, at dinner tables and on television.

Continue reading