Birthday blitz.

Coltrane's birthday is tomorrow, September 23. He would've been 79. To honor the day you can listen to the rather lovely ten-song stream available at johncoltrane.com, or tune your Internets to Columbia U's WKCR, who will surely be airing their annual birthday broadcast all day. Born under a musical sign, JC shares his birthdate with Albert Ammons, Frank Foster, and Ray Charles. Sam Rivers turns 75 two days later.

AACM pianist and teacher Muhal Richard Abrams also turned 75 on Monday, September 19. His standards show no sign of flagging, as he refrained from performing solo at Tuesday evening's Vision Fest-sponsored Katrina benefit, owing to an out-of-tune piano.

And the Braxton @ 60 series of performances are underway at Wesleyan, and running through December, for interested Connecticutians and neighbors.