Coltrane & The Mysticism of Sound

Coltrane & The Mysticism of Sound
Saturday, November 12th, 2022, 12-1:30 pm ET

Join us for an excitedly anticipated conversation between Dr. Cuthbert Simpkins, author of Coltrane: A Biography, Archbishop Franzo Wayne King, Mother Marina King and Rev. Wanika Stephens, founding members of the Coltrane Church, and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, grandson of Hazrat Inayat Khan, on the intersection of John Coltrane’s work and the themes espoused by Hazrat Inayat Khan in his classic The Mysticism of Sound & Music.

Christianity, Islam and Hinduism are believed to have influenced Coltrane and other jazz musicians of his time. In this dialogue we will hear more about Coltrane’s spiritual influences and in particular how The Mysticism of Sound may have inspired his work.

This event coincides with the Shambhala Publications re-printing of The Mysticism of Sound & Music, with a forward by Pir Zia.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Our program is from 9-10:30 am PT (San Francisco)/12-1:30 pm ET (New York) via Zoom, and is being hosted by the Inayatiyya Music Activity of North America. All are welcome!

Suggested donation is $15 with a sliding scale. If you have any questions about the content of this program, please email music@inayatiyya.org. If you have registration questions, please email astana@inayatiyya.org.

Artwork by Mark Doox

BIOGRAPHIES

Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins, II is a trauma surgeon and inventor, best known for his work on shock and violence prevention and also for his 1975 biography of John Coltrane, recently reissued on Kindle. He was born into a family deeply involved in the civil rights movement in Louisiana. He began writing Coltrane’s first published biography while a chemistry major at Amherst, and finished it during medical school at Harvard. Coltrane: A Biography is written like a musical improvisation. It is a book imbued with the love that was so evident in Coltrane’s sound. It also demonstrates the major influence of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism on the jazz musicians of the time. Since publishing the book, Dr. Simpkins has had an illustrious and varied career, most recently culminating in his appointment to the Sosland-Missouri Endowed Chair of Trauma Services at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine.

Archbishop Franzo Wayne King is co-founder of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. Established in 1969 in the San Francisco Bay area, the Coltrane Church encourages its members to find spirituality through Coltrane’s music and wisdom. In addition to its weekly Sunday services and monthly meditations, the Coltrane Church runs a food pantry, has sponsored numerous community outreach events, and hosts a radio show on San Francisco’s KPOO-FM. 

Mother Marina King is co-founder of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. Established in 1969 in the San Francisco Bay area, the Coltrane Church encourages its members to find spirituality through Coltrane’s music and wisdom. In addition to its weekly Sunday services and monthly meditations, the Coltrane Church runs a food pantry, has sponsored numerous community outreach events, and hosts a radio show on San Francisco’s KPOO-FM.

Rev. Wanika Stephens is a Pastor, Rector, Interfaith Chaplain, Ordained Minister and proponent of Coltrane Consciousness for the global community. She is also the host of the Uplift! broadcast on Radio KPOO 89.5FM, and a graduate of the Chaplaincy Institute Interfaith Seminary in Berkeley CA. Pastor Wanika also serves as Chaplain Resident at Marin General Hospital, and as a volunteer chaplain for the SFPD. Pastor Wanika remains active in the fight for social justice and human rights. Currently, she is working on her Masters of Theology at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Pir Zia Inayat Khan carries the Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. He received his Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University. His books include Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity, and the Mystical Quest, Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions, and Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Suluk Academy. Now based in Richmond, Virginia, when not in a pandemic, he and his family live both in the United States and France.