Made in the shade: John Coltrane mural at 33rd & Diamond | Photo: Bradley Maule

When people think of Philadelphia’s place in jazz history, it almost always begins and ends with John Coltrane. And while the Trane certainly fits the bill of a legend (dying before his time, just as his career began to get even weirder), that’s largely unfair to the artists who’ve carried the genre into the 21st Century. But you don’t have to tell that to the Philadelphia Jazz Project. The organization, a sponsored project of the Painted Bride Art Center, serves the city’s jazz community through support, promotion, and archiving of music, and this weekend, it puts all those things on display in Fairmount Park.

The 2013 Philadelphia Jazz Walk, starting at 33rd & Diamond and circling the East Park Reservoir through the Park, will explore the lives of jazz musicians Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, Philly Joe Jones, Lee Morgan, Ethel Waters, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, and indeed John Coltrane, and the Philly lives they led. The four-hour walk includes several stops with live music and comes with free snacks and water. Jazz cigarettes not included.

Strap on your best boots, toss a camping chair over your shoulder, and get your jazz in the Park on Sunday from noon to 4pm. For more information, check out the PJP’s web site HERE.