Inside the Clef Club’s Love Supreme Weekend

From September 23rd to the 28th, the Philadelphia Clef Club will be paying tribute to one of the highest artistic achievements of the 20th Century: John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. The Love Supreme Weekend will be an action-packed series that includes documentary screenings and performances from emerging and established jazz musicians who’ve been inspired by Coltrane’s work.

Released in the winter of 1965, A Love Supreme has rightfully been recognized as one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. A sprawling, emotionally rich set of compositions, A Love Supreme is a musical account of man’s communion with God in three acts. The album begins with “Acknowledgement,” which represents the recognition of a higher power. From there, “Resolution” is the decision to devote their life to the higher power and “Pursuance/Psalm” is the song of a life dedicated to the joy or severance and piety. By creating a sonic roadmap of the divine experience, A Love Supreme has influenced countless musicians, artists, and thinkers in their own spiritual journeys. From jazz to rock, hip-hop and beyond, A Love Supreme’s DNA has made its way into numerous genres and the album enjoys a legacy that is virtually unrivaled in jazz.

As one of the premiere music education programs in Philadelphia, The Clef Club is uniquely suited to properly honor John Coltrane’s masterwork. Founded in 1966, the Clef Club started as the social arm of Musicians’ Protective Union Local 274. Local 274 was the local Black musicians’ union and, at the time, Black musicians were forbidden from socializing in many of the segregated venues where they performed. The Clef Club was established as a space for Black musicians to gather after hours. In 1985, saxophonist and educator Lovett Hines founded the music education program at The Clef Club, which was then located at 114 South 13th Street. In the years since, Hines established the Clef Club as an institution for learning, countless young people have been taught the intricacies of playing jazz, including notable alumni like Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, trumpeter Daud El Bakara and bassist Christian McBride. For 40 years, ambitious young musicians in Philly have been nurtured by The Clef Club just as Coltrane was in his days navigating Philly’s jazz scene.

With performances from the Girard College Jazz Ensemble, saxophonist Dahi Divine, the Adam Faulk Quintet, Warren Oree and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, and a screening of the brilliant 2016 documentary Chasing Trane, The Love Supreme Weekend promises a multi-faceted celebration of John Coltrane’s work. With the Clef Club and Coltrane’s shared history in Philadelphia jazz, this week-long “weekend” of events is a fitting tribute to jazz’s most beloved patron saint.

The Clef Club’s ‘Love Supreme Weekend’ kicks off on September 23rd; find the full schedule of events here and runs through the 28th.