JOHN COLTRANE'S OFFERING REVISITED Will Come to Temple University

Sixty years after John Coltrane returned to Philadelphia for a landmark performance at Temple University, Ars Nova Workshop will bring together an extraordinary ensemble of contemporary jazz artists to revisit the music, spirit, and enduring impact of that historic evening. John Coltrane's Offering Revisited: Live at Temple University takes place Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 8 p.m. at Temple Performing Arts Center, as part of COLTRANE 100, Ars Nova Workshop's yearlong celebration of the saxophonist's centennial and his profound connections to Philadelphia.

Featuring saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist and musical director Kris Davis, bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and additional special guests to be announced, the concert will honor the radical artistic vision of Coltrane's late period while exploring the continuing relevance of his music for new generations of artists and audiences.

On November 11, 1966, John Coltrane returned to the city where he had spent his formative musical years for a concert at Temple University's Mitten Hall. Less than eight months before his death, Coltrane delivered a performance of extraordinary intensity, pushing the boundaries of musical expression and collective improvisation. His ensemble included Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Rashied Ali, and Philadelphia bassist Sonny Johnson, joined by additional local saxophonists and percussionists. The evening became legendary for its unrestrained energy, spiritual urgency, and Coltrane's startling use of vocalizations and physical percussion alongside his saxophone playing.

For decades, the performance circulated primarily among collectors and devoted listeners before receiving its first official release in 2014 as Offering: Live at Temple University. The Grammy-winning recording has since become an essential document of Coltrane's final creative period, capturing an artist whose search for new forms of expression remained uncompromising until the end of his life.

Rather than attempt a note-for-note reconstruction of the original concert, Offering Revisited will approach Coltrane's legacy as a living artistic proposition. Under Davis's musical direction, the ensemble will draw upon the exploratory spirit, collective freedom, and expansive musical language that defined the 1966 performance, bringing its own distinct voices and contemporary perspectives to the stage.

The participating artists represent a remarkable convergence of musical histories. Ravi Coltrane has forged a singular career as a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader while remaining deeply engaged with the artistic legacies of his parents, John and Alice Coltrane. Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis is among the most adventurous figures in contemporary creative music, recognized for her expansive approach to composition and improvisation. Bassist Robert Hurst brings decades of experience performing with some of jazz's most influential artists, while NEA Jazz Master and Grammy-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington has helped reshape the contemporary jazz landscape through her work as a performer, composer, educator, and advocate.'Coltrane's 1966 Temple concert represents something essential about his relationship to Philadelphia and the extraordinary artistic risks he was willing to take. Sixty years later, we're not interested in simply recreating that moment. We want to bring together artists who can engage with its spirit of exploration and carry that conversation forward. It's also an opportunity to recognize Philadelphia's central place in Coltrane's story and the generations of musicians who continue to build upon his legacy.” — Mark Christman, Executive & Artistic Director, Ars Nova Workshop

The concert is a centerpiece of COLTRANE 100, a citywide initiative presented by Ars Nova Workshop in collaboration with the John and Alice Coltrane Estate and a broad network of cultural, educational, and community partners. Running from September 2026 through September 2027, the centennial encompasses performances, commissions, exhibitions, conversations, educational programs, and neighborhood-based initiatives that illuminate Coltrane's artistic achievements, spiritual philosophy, and enduring cultural influence.

Through the centennial, Ars Nova Workshop is also drawing renewed attention to Philadelphia's John Coltrane House in Strawberry Mansion, where the saxophonist lived during a formative period of his life, and to the broader musical communities, institutions, and intergenerational relationships that shaped his development.