June 18th, 2017 marks 50 years since the death of John Coltrane, who passed away at the age of 40. This is yet another milestone reached this year, which sees the centennial anniversary of the first jazz recording (Original Dixieland ‘Jass’ Band’s “Dixie Jass Band One Step” and “Livery Stable Blues”).  I was lucky enough to celebrate by meeting and jamming with someone who was worked with just about all the greats in jazz. John Altman, who donated the archive I’m currently doing research on, met up with my professor and I to discuss the collection: how it came about, who it was intended for, what interesting material it contains, and so on. After speaking with John, he kindly let me know about a jazz jam down at the Brunswick in Hove – full post on the meeting and the jam sesh over at Muse-Tripper.

And check out jazzarchive.org.uk for more jazz info, video clips, and updates on the project!