Featured Performances @ the 15th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival
WEST END MAMBO
The Friends of John Coltrane, Inc. is excited to welcome West End Mambo to the lineup for the 2025 John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival! The fiery, nine-piece salsa band will set the stage ablaze as they kick off the second day of the Festival on...
Coltrane Jazz Fest, Amplified!
Snarky Puppy Masterclass and West End Mambo Amplify the 14th Annual Coltrane Jazz Fest The John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival has always been about more than great performances about connection, creativity, and community. This year, festival...
Bassist John Brown Comes Home
For bassist and educator John Brown, leading the NC Coltrane All-Star Band at the John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival isn’t just another gig—it’s a homecoming wrapped in legacy, love, and reverence. There’s something sacred about returning to a place...
Dyana Williams: Trailblazer, Advocate and Icon
Dyana Williams is a powerhouse whose voice has amplified Black music for over five decades. She co-founded what is now celebrated as African American Music Appreciation Month in 1979 alongside Kenny Gamble and Ed Wright. Her advocacy helped secure a White House...
JOSÉ JAMES
José James is both conductor and conduit. Across 17 years as a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and producer — not to mention co-head of Rainbow Blonde Records since 2018 — he has explored and reimagined past music genres and created some of his own. James is the...
JOHN BROWN
North Carolina bassist John Brown is one of this state’s leading musicians and educators. The Fayetteville native and alum of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
SNARKY PUPPY
Snarky Puppy, the five-time Grammy® Award-winning collective will bring their boundless, category-defying sound to the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, August 30, 2025 in High Point, NC. Their music is a mosaic of genres: jazz, funk,...
STANLEY CLARKE
Stanley Clarke, one of the most celebrated acoustic and electric bass players in the world, will perform at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. He is a four-time Grammy® Award-winner, NEA Jazz Master, composer,...
THE BAYLOR PROJECT
Eight-time Grammy® nominee and NAACP Image Award Winning duo, The Baylor Project will grace the stage with their unique blend of jazz, blues and gospel on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival. A husband. A wife. An...
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
Three-time Grammy® Award winner Meshell Ndegeocello – the singer, songwriter, spoken word artist, and musician who plays bass, keyboards, drums and guitar – has joined the lineup of the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival. She will perform on Saturday,...
LIZZ WRIGHT
Lizz Wright will showcase her inimitable and soul-searing vocals on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival. The New York Times touted her voice as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with...
THE HEADHUNTERS
The Headhunters, the legendary jazz-funk band who broke new ground in the 1970s will bring that energetic sonic innovation to the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Founded in 1973, The Headhunters emerged during a pivotal...
RICK BRAUN
Rick Braun, a luminary in the world of contemporary jazz, has carved a remarkable path with his soulful trumpet melodies. Braun will perform with saxophonist Richard Elliot and guitarist Peter White on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 at the John Coltrane International Jazz and...
PETER WHITE
Over the years, Peter White has maintained a reputation as one of the most versatile and prolific acoustic guitarists on the contemporary jazz landscape. He will join Smooth Jazz elites – saxophonist Richard Elliot and trumpeter Rick Braun – to perform at the John...
CLINT HOLMES
Captivating and versatile, Clint Holmes has an electrifying stage presence and a voice that resonates powerfully, mesmerizing audiences. Holmes will join Take 6 and Nnenna Freelon for an imaginative tribute to Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder called “Withers to Wonder.”...
NNENNA FREELON
Nnenna Freelon, the six-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist with deep ties to North Carolina, returns to the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival to perform with Take 6 and Clint Holmes in a musical tribute to Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers. Their...
TAKE 6
RICHARD ELLIOT
Richard Elliot, a Grammy® nominated saxophonist, who has been a defining force in contemporary jazz for over four decades will perform at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 with guitarist Peter White and trumpeter Rick...