Music : Jazz

These three men founded the concert with the intent to showcase 1) The enduring genius of Coltrane's music 2) Promote Black African-American musicians in positions of leadership and a dedication to enhancing and defining the musical traditions of Black African-American people. As such, they organized a concert honoring Coltrane that featured renditions of his musical compositions. Word spread quickly, and due the overwhelming attendance and positive response from the Boston community, the JCMC became a traditional Boston annual concert. In 2012 the musicians and planners incorporated Friends of John Coltrane Memorial Concert, Inc. (FJCMC), which was originally established as John Coltrane Memorial Concert in 1977.JCMC had many homes throughout the years. In the early eighties, the JCMC outgrew the seating capacity at the Loft and moved to the Modern Theatre for one year. From here, the JCMC moved to Emmanuel Church until 1985. In 1986, through the efforts of co-founder Leonard Brown, the JCMC became affiliated with Northeastern University. In this year, Dr. Brown became a member of the faculty of African American Studies and Music. By collaborating with Sergei Tschernisch, then director of NU Arts, Dr. Brown was successful in relocating the John Coltrane Memorial Concert to Northeastern. JCMC it has been in residence at NU over the past twenty nine years, providing the greater Boston and Cambridge communities with outstanding and memorable jazz performances. Created in 1992, the John Coltrane Memorial Concert Educational Outreach Program (JCMCEOP) was developed by Dr. Brown with the intent of bringing live performance of creative improvisational music to elementary and secondary students in Boston and Cambridge educational institutions. This program is designed to assist children in expressing themselves creatively through music. Over the decades, the JCMC has accrued a following of musicians and listeners alike, with a deep interest in Coltrane's music