Entry No. 14 — the San Francisco file — filed under: jazz
St. John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church
An African Orthodox congregation founded after Franzo and Marina King's 1965 'sound baptism' at a John Coltrane concert; the church canonized Coltrane as a saint, set his album 'A Love Supreme' into its liturgy, and worships weekly under murals of Coltrane in religious vestments while founder Franzo King plays sax.
The story
In 1965, Franzo and Marina King sat down for a John Coltrane concert at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco and walked out transformed by what they called a 'sound baptism.' When Coltrane died two years later, the couple didn't just play his records in mourning—they established a house of worship around his spiritual vision, eventually canonizing him as a saint within the African Orthodox Church.
They took Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece *A Love Supreme* and mapped its four-part modal structure directly into Christian liturgy. Instead of sitting through standard hymnals, you sit in front of Byzantine-style icons depicting Saint John Coltrane wrapped in religious vestments, holding a horn engulfed in flames, while Archbishop Franzo King steps up with a saxophone to lead the service through live jazz improvisation.
The congregation has fought off real estate pressures and displacement across San Francisco for over fifty years—moving from Fillmore Street through various temporary homes before setting up sanctuary in the Magic Theatre in Building D at Fort Mason. It remains one of the few places on Earth where avant-garde jazz and high theology are treated as the exact same language.
What it's like
Show up around 11:00 AM on Sunday at Fort Mason's Building D expecting church, but prepare for what feels like an intimate, high-energy jam session. Archbishop King and the church band set the rhythm, and you will not be a passive spectator—the room expects you to chant along to 'A Love Supreme,' clap, and participate in the musical prayer. Stick around after the horn solos wrap up; the longtime members are usually happy to share stories about keeping the church alive through decades of SF gentrification.
The move: Go together to the 11am Sunday service at Fort Mason — a full improvisational jazz set doubling as a church liturgy — then stay after to hear the congregation's stories about the founding 'sound baptism.'
- 📍 Fort Mason
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Fort Mason Center, Magic Theatre (Building D), 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Interval at Long Now — Walk a few steps across Fort Mason after the service to contemplate long-term human history over a cocktail in a room filled with mechanical prototypes and floor-to-ceiling books.
- The Wave Organ — Follow up the live saxophone liturgy with a short walk to the jetty, where ocean swells play their own natural acoustics through subterranean pipes.
- Audium: Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space — Extend your weekend of deep listening by heading to this windowless, 176-speaker sound theater built purely for spatial audio compositions.
- Golden Gate Spiritualist Church — Pair San Francisco's premier jazz sanctuary with a visit to a working 1920s Spiritualist church that still holds services focused on mediumship and communication with spirits.
Good to know
When is the church service held?
Weekly Sunday service begins at 11:00 AM inside Building D at Fort Mason Center.
Do I need to belong to the church or be religious to attend?
No. The congregation opens its doors to anyone, whether you are seeking a spiritual experience, a Coltrane devotee, or simply curious about jazz liturgy.
What album is the liturgy based on?
The service is explicitly anchored around John Coltrane's 1965 album *A Love Supreme*.
Where inside Fort Mason is the church located?
Services take place in the Magic Theatre space inside Building D (2 Marina Blvd).
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · npr.org · kqed.org
last checked: 2026-07-20