An exceptional array of artists will deliver electrifying performances at the 11th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, led by Patti LaBelle, Christian McBride with Inside Straight, Chris Botti, and Kirk Whalum with Keiko Matsui. The annual event will be held over Labor Day weekend at Oak Hollow Park, Sept. 3-4, 2022.
Having been on the music scene for more than 60 years, LaBelle will headline the Saturday lineup. The two-time Grammy Award-winner led the Bluebelles in the 1960s, the groundbreaking group LaBelle in the 1970s, and has maintained an enduring solo career since the 80s. Her latest music venture is the jazz album “Bel Hommage,” released on her own label, GPE Records.
Eight-time Grammy Award-winner and acclaimed jazz bassist Christian McBride is the co-headliner for Saturday with his band Inside Straight. They are at the pinnacle of performing mainstream jazz in a live venue. Members of Inside Straight are pianist Peter Martin, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, saxophonist Steve Wilson, and drummer Carl Allen. Six musicians play as the Masters of Smooth ensemble. Soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows, pianist composer Alex Bugnon, celebrated six string bass player Gerald Veasley, saxophonist Jessy J, Poogie Bell on the drums, and Karyn White, who recorded the smash hit female anthem “Superwoman.”
Two Grammy Award-winning artists who have each embraced the cultural resonance of their homelands will add the rhythms of Latin Jazz to the Saturday lineup. Puerto Rican-born pianist and composer Marlow Rosado will be joined by Cuban vocalist and songwriter Aymée Nuviola to add a distinguishing facet to the festival’s musical offering.
Chris Botti, the Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum-selling trumpeter whose live shows have made him a worldwide sensation, will headline the Sunday lineup. He has cross-genre skills and the ability to set an ambiance with everything from jazz to pop to rock.
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum and pianist Keiko Matsui will perform together blending their musical panache. Whalum brings together elements of gospel, blues, and jazz while Matsui utilizes space in her music to create a backdrop of drama and tension.
For a blues counterpoint the legendary rust belt bluesman, Larry McCray is on the Sunday lineup. Known for his singing and rousing guitar style, McCray was one of the first to blend elements of blues, rock, and soul into a new sound.
Eclecticism incarnate is drummer Cindy Blackman Santana. She has toured the globe and made albums with diverse artists including Pharoah Sanders, John Medeski, Lenny Kravitz, and her husband Carlos Santana.
The John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) honors Coltrane, a High Point, NC, native son who graduated from William Penn High School, now Penn Griffin School of the Arts. Ticket information and festival details are available at coltranejazzfest.com.
