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Dirt Magazine 1/1994
Jazz Messiah
by a.a. perry
Tired of going to church? Bored with synagogue? Been falling asleep at the ashram? Time for St. John's African Orthodox Church. It's in San Francisco and as the Bishop Franzo King says "It's alright to have fun in church." He's not talking about an extra session of Sunday school or a three-hour confession. The church's patron saint is jazzman extraordinaire, John Coltrane and every Sunday morning this church rocks.
Worship at St. John's includes a jazz combo jamming on Coltrane tunes. The Sisters of Compassion fill out the sound with their singing.
"John Coltranes is full of the Holy Spririt. His music is a cornerstone of the church," says Bishop King, who founded the church in 1971.
Inside the church you are surrounded by pictures and paintings of the great jazz messiah. Jesus and the Virgin Mary stick their heads in but the congregation is here to worship the sound of Saint Coltrane.
Who's next to be canonized? "Bob Marley is definitely waiting in the wings," muses Bishop King.
The church feeds the hungry and homeless three times a week and is located at
351 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA. |
