Over the course of crafting a 25-album catalog and architecting nearly 40 Billboard No. 1 singles as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Brian Culbertson has charted his own unique course in music. Label him jazz and he makes a funk record. Call him an R&B artist and he drops an acoustic jazz trio collection. Brand him pop and he creates a 32-minute New Age opus. And you’d be hard pressed to name another instrumentalist of his ilk who can mount an elaborately designed concert production that will keep him on the road for three consecutive months.  Culbertson burst onto t ..read more

Gregory Porter performances are such a hybrid of jazz, gospel, blues, and soul, that he draws audiences from across divergent demographics; age, ethnicities, and genres. It is with great joy that we announce his return for the 2024 John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF), Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. THE MUSIC OF GREGORY PORTER The two-time Grammy Award winner has been  nominated seven times. He won “Best Jazz Vocal Album” for his 2013 breakout debut on the  Blue  Note record label Liquid Spirit and his 2016 album Take Me to the Alley. Born Gregory Porter, his car ..read more

Excitement fills backstage when it is time to present those who won the John Coltrane Student Instrument Contest with their prize instruments and present the winners on stage. For many of the young people, the moment represents reaching a goal or at least attaining a needed component to help them reach a goal. The contest offers student musicians an opportunity to win a brand-new instrument. It has become a signature part of the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF). The 2023 winners are… Zion Dones – 6th Grade – Trumpet “Music runs through my head all day, but music doe ..read more

The 2023 John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, held in Oak Hollow Park, September 2nd and 3rd,  was a spectacular celebration of music that left attendees awestruck and inspired. This annual event, dedicated to the legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, lived up to its reputation as one of the premier jazz and bluesfestivals in the country. While the focus is predominately on the international stars headling the event, a good deal of energy and excitement is generated from the young musicians who perform at the festival. For many of them it is the first time playing in f ..read more

John Coltrane, often referred to simply as “Trane,” was a remarkable jazz saxophonist, composer and music innovator whose influence on the world of music remains profound to this day. Born in 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina, and passing away tragically young at the age of 40 in 1967, Coltrane’s brief life was nonetheless marked by groundbreaking innovations in jazz and an enduring impact on the genre. The Early Years Coltrane’s journey in music began as a saxophonist in various big bands, including those led by Dizzy Gillespie and Johnny Hodges. However, it wasn’t until he joined the Miles Davi ..read more

Get ready for a soulful journey at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival! We are thrilled to announce the lineup for this year’s celebration. Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store: And that’s not all! We’re excited to share a special performance previewed by our local news partners. Dive into the mesmerizing tunes of the UNCG Spartan Jazz Collective right here: Join us for a weekend of unforgettable music, vibrant energy, and a shared love for jazz and blues. Book your tickets now! ColtraneFestival2023 #JazzLovers #BluesNights ..read more

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Known as JAM, it was created at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History in 2001 to recognize and celebrate the history of jazz. JAM encourages people of all ages to embrace jazz music by attending concerts, joining discussion groups, listening to jazz on the radio and recordings, reading books and more.  WHY APRIL? April was chosen as the month to focus attention on jazz because so many of the iconic practitioners of the genre were born in this month. The array of artists is dizzying. Tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine was born o ..read more

Joy emanates from Grammy Award-winning contemporary jazz guitarist Norman Brown when he is playing. The guitar is simply an extension of him. The multi-platinum selling and chart-topping musician will take the stage on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023 at the 12th John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival.  With all of the accolades that Norman Brown has amassed the past three decades, including Grammy and Soul Train Music Awards, he has stayed the course for one reason. “Knowing that I’ve been commissioned by the Most High to channel a message of inspiration and motivation, brings me hap ..read more

Celebrating 40 years in music, NEA Jazz Master and three-time Grammy award-winning drummer, producer and educator, Terri Lyne Carrington will bring a special performance to the 12th John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. Terri Lyne Carrington started her professional career in Massachusetts at 10 years-old when she became the youngest person to receive a union card in Boston. After studying under a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, Carrington worked as an in-demand musician in New York City, and later moved to Los Angeles, where she gained rec ..read more

A specific kind of excitement fills backstage when it is time to present those who won the John Coltrane Student Instrument Contest with their prize instruments and present the winners on stage. For many of the young people, the moment represents reaching a goal or at least attaining a needed component to help them reach a goal.   As one winner from 2021 wrote, “I would like to be the winner of this competition because with the school-issued trumpet I have now, there are notes and limits that I can’t reach and if I get a new trumpet, I will be able to reach those limits and other goa ..read more