Hi Steve

Glad to hear from you with an article in the NY Times . Also I have to say thank you so much for your effort to preserve the home of Coltrane in Dix Hills. I am sorry for not attending the meeting but hopefully visit there in April.

All I can do for this at now is to keep in touch with you and make some contributions along with Michael Cogswell and Lewis Porter.

They will give me and you some advices and especially I would do a lot on this project - making donation from my Coltrane collection in my vault or something as far as I can do.

At least one time I went to visit there - and my friend Hozumi Nakadaira once visited (1971) and took home movie of the house along with Alice, Michelle, John Jr., Ravi and Oran in a garden. Also another photographer - probably in my memory Mr. Miyasita - took beautiful photos of a studio in the house.

Thank you very much again for your contribution on Coltrane residence and looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes always
Fuji

Yasuhiro Fujioka,
Coltrane House of Osaka
Osaka Japan,

Dear Sirs,

Please contact me, how can I help your activities. I'm always be in Coltrane for 40 years here in Japan.

Kaz Harada

My name is Pekka Pylkkänen, I am a saxophonist, a musician and a teacher from Finland. I find your work to save John Coltrane's home extremely important. The current situation immediately arised questions in my mind like:

How is this possible?

Why the state has not done anything to save the home of one of the most important musicians of all times, including all musical styles.? I have to say that if I had the means, I'd help you buy the house, but in my current situation I will try to contact some other people who might have the means for it.

I hope you will succeed in this important work and wish you all the best!

Best regards,

--Pekka Pylkkänen
  Master of Music
 Principal Lecturer
 Musician/composer/educator
 PutkiMusic/Stadia Helsinki Polytechnic
 

 Helsinki,  Finland

I am a professional drummer in Vancouver, Canada. The influence of John Coltrane, both as a musician and a human being on myself and every other serious jazz musician I know cannot be overstated. His name is rightfully in the annals of jazz history alongside those of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk as one of the greatest composers and performers in the history of jazz.

It's easy to say that his house is just a house. My spiritual and artistic attatchment to Trane is in the humanity of his beautiful music, his searching sprit and his contributions to music and art. It is for this reason I think preserving the last home of one of America's greatest artists in any medium is essential. This oppourtunity to draw attention to the life and music of John Coltrane is invaluable.

As an educator (and as the child of music educators myself) I know how difficult it is to draw attention to the work of any great musical master, such as Mr. Coltrane. Today, we must search for any oppourtunity to educate people about the importance of jazz music, and the importance of jazz music's greatest masters. Saving Mr. Coltrane's house for use as national heritage site would be an appropriate honour for such a giant. Let's answer the call to honour Mr. Coltrane in this unique way.

Morgan Childs
Professional Jazz Musican
Vancouver BC Canada

Hi there,

I live a fair way off in the UK but had this sad news was brought to me by a good jazz friend in KCK.

I hope you manage to get something together to save the house as some sort of 'museum'.

I was in the US a few years back and was fortunate enough to visit Trane's cousin , Mary Alexander, at the Coltrane Centre in north Philly-the old Coltrane house which she now runs as a cultural centre and base for work with the community -young folks especially.

I know she has the usual problems with getting funding etc. but might there be a way for some connection and pooling of interest/backing??

Best wishes for whatever you can get going.

Regards
Dave Stonard

Dear Steve,

I came through this message to let you know that I already put on the first page of my Miles Davis related website an asking for help on John Coltrane's home DixHill case.

The adress is: http://selimsivad.org

It is a pity to see such a situation. Coltrane is not a symbol and idol only in NY state. He is a unforgetable symbol all over the world!

I am from southern Brazil and discovered the Jazz just few years ago. I am 27 years old and everyday I learn more from all the famous jazz figures.

Coltrane is a hero for me. His works are supreme and he changed the musical world in many points. I can't understand how most of the nowadays people don't care about him.

Everybody is merged into the disgusting taste of pop/money music on last years. And things are getting worse. Why some big company just don't get a tiny slice of the money they earn with others and help to keep alive Coltrane's last home?

I am sad to see all this happening. I never have been to United States, and all I know about Coltrane was from reading, and music listening. But after all I think he was really a good man, who do not deserve this shameful ending to his home.

Well, that's all. My apologies for eventual mistakes on the english laguage, and I hope that my website could support to spread the help asking yet more around the world.

I wish good luck, and count on me in anything you could need!

Regards,
Giovani Akira Faganello
Santa Maria, RS
Southern Brazil

This final home of John Coltrane should be protected and saved like what it is: a historical monument for America´s worldwide recognized own serious music, own creative art and own culture of the 20th century.

Prof. Juergen Seefelder
Leader of the Departement
Jazz and Popular Music at the
University of Music and Performing Arts
Mannheim/Germany

It is inconceivable to me that John Coltrane's home should be lost to the world. Coltrane is such an important person in Jazz music, that it is very important that his roots be preserved. His music will live on forever, and his house should remain as memorial in honour of this amazing Jazzman....Shame on those who would wish to obliterate his abode.

Cheers
Louise Peacock
ONYX Canada - Music Publicity, Promotions and Management
 

Hi there,

I am supporting the efforts to preserve home of John Coltrane. I think destroying it would be stupid thing. He and we deserve it. I am sure there is enough place around and just because somebody could earn a lot of money, with making whatever overthere, is without any sense.

Ziga Koritnik
cinematographer and music photographer
Slovenia

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