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| Coltrane Home Receives Historic Designation The Dix Hills, Long Island home of jazz musical greats, John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, has just been added to both the New York State and the National Register of Historic Places. The home was the residence of the Coltrane family from 1964 to 1973 John Coltrane, a renowned saxophonist and composer, composed "A Love Supreme" - one of the largest-selling jazz albums of all time - at the home. John Coltrane passed away in 1967. According to Robert C. Hughes, Huntington Town Historian, "It's relatively unusual for a mid-fifties' home to receive historic landmark designations. This attests to the significance of this site as the location from which the music of the Coltranes tremendously impacted the music world. This also confirms the Town of Huntington's belief that this is a significant landmark." The attainment of these designations is seen as a key step in the complete preservation of the home; as well as its planned future conversion to a museum and archive of important jazz and music material, and educational center -- as envisioned by the Coltrane family and the participants of The Coltrane Home, a not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the home. According to musician Ravi Coltrane, son of John and Alice Coltrane, who lived in the home as a child, "It was my Mom, Alice's express vision to help use this home to provide inspiration about music as an incredibly positive force, and explore the joys of making music for people of all ages. This is a great step towards that vision." Alice Coltrane, harpist and pianist, passed away in January 2007. The home of the Coltrane family was spared the wrecking ball in 2004, after Dix Hills historian Steve Fulgoni discovered that it had been sold to a developer, whose intended to clear the land and build luxury home on the site. Fulgoni, a long-time fan of John Coltrane, brought the situation to the attention of the Town of Huntington and succeeded in convincing them of the historical significance of the home. In 2005, with the support of musicians and jazz aficionados around the world, including Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock, the Town agreed to purchase the site. When learning the news of the Coltrane Home's historic designation, Mr. Fulgoni's said, "This has been a long, arduous effort to save the Home. We truly appreciate the State and Federal recognition of the legacy of the Coltranes, and this can help unlock some of the funding we will need to restore this home. This is a great, great step." write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |