The Friends of John Coltrane, Inc. Host Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.)

"High Point, N.C. –The Friends of John Coltrane, Inc. will be hosting the well-received play, Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.), on Saturday, May 9^th, at the International Civil Rights Museum, 134 S. Elm St. Greensboro, NC. 

Join us for this special presentation of Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.) that captures the galvanizing energy of the 1950′s, an element of time when American society was rapidly changing. During this era, jazz was the soundtrack to a new social revolution. And at the forefront of jazz music was trumpet blaring Miles Davis and skillful saxophonist John Coltrane, who partnered to make a wondrous residual slide in soundscapes that would unleash their names to be forever known as jazz legends. Award winning actors, musicians, and poets articulate this noteworthy shift in music history, taking you on a journey through the artists’ lives and the legacy they left behind.

Hors d' oeuvres will be available at 7pm with Miles & Coltrane: Blue (.) starting at 8pm.

Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased online at www.friendsofjohncoltrane.com, through PayPal.  Tickets are also available at the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro.

Proceeds benefit the 5th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival being held on Labor Day weekend, 2015, at Oak Hollow Festival Park.

The mission of The Friends of John Coltrane is to preserve and celebrate the life and music of John Coltrane and to enrich the lives of others through the introduction of jazz and other musical genres."

- A Press Release

4th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival

Featuring George Benson, Boney James,

Latimore, Morgan James, Andreas Varady 

(High Point) - “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina” on Labor Day weekend as two of the greatest multi-award winning jazz legends - George Benson and Boney James are joined by iconic blues singer, Latimore - along with outstanding young talent to headline a memorable evening of music at the 4th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, Saturday August 30th, 2014 at Oak Hollow Festival Park, High Point, NC. 

In its fourth season, the Coltrane Festival has built a solid reputation for high quality entertainment in a re-laxed atmosphere that includes real “down home” southern cooking and drinks plus arts and craft vendors to round out the Labor Day weekend. 

Concert Lineup: 

George Benson, ten-time Grammy award winning musician and singer and considered one of the most profi-cient guitarists of all time, with successes in jazz, blues and R&B - has an unmatched global reputation. One of his greatest achievements was his triple-platinum album “Breezin” in which he sang This Masquerade, a huge pop hit that won a Grammy. 

Boney James, four-time Grammy award nominee, is known for his signature saxophone in jazz and R&B having backed up artists the Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford, and Teena Marie to name a few. Boney’s latest album, “The Beat” has logged 7 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. 

(Benny) Latimore, a music icon and singer mixing the gospel/blues sounds of R&B, who has placed several hits on the Billboard charts throughout the 70s and 80s to appreciative audiences. Latimore continues to emote the blues and has released his latest album, “Latimore Remembers Ray Charles.” Morgan James, a very talented jazz singer (and actress) brings to the stage a song styling that is reminiscent of the intimate nightclub settings of old. Her debut LP is “Morgan James, a Celebration of Nina Simone.” 

Andreas Varady, an exciting dextrous guitar prodigy (only 16 yrs. old) managed by Quincy Jones, has captured considerable attention among the veteran jazz community while steadily expanding his fan base, young and old - wherever he performs. 

Website: http://www.coltranejazzfest.com

A Press Release

100 greatest NC songs, audio-visual companion

Yesterday, we published a list of our 100 greatest North Carolina songs. The more passionate you feel about North Carolina music, the more emotional you’re likely to feel in either agreeing with our picks or concluding that we don’t have a clue about our subject.

We want to celebrate these songs, some popular, others somewhat obscure. So here are links to a handful of cuts in our Top 10.

The music of the Rev. Gary Davis, the artist who landed our No. 1 spot, may be the most difficult to track down. Here’s a snippet of our favorite North Carolina song, “Samson and Delilah,” at Amazon.com.

Sonic Youth and John Coltrane are securely stationed in the popular music canon. You can listen to much of their music, including our picks, “Chapel Hill” and “A Love Supreme” (represented here in its first movement, for ease of navigation).

The Flat Duo Jets emerged in the 1980s and Nina Simone hit her stride in the late 1960s. Because of their timing their music has been amply documented in film, which has given a new generation of listeners an opportunity to check out their music through streaming video on the internet.

Here’s “Crazy Hazy Kisses” by the Flat Duo Jets:



And here’s “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” by Nina Simone:



Can you dig it?