Pay tribute to John Coltrane in his hometown festival

Jazz pioneer John Coltrane is celebrated every year at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival at the Oak Hollow Festival Park in High Point. Coltrane was born in tiny town of Hamlet in Richmond County and grew up an hour or so to the north in High Point. The Festival has a hometown feel and many of the attendees have personal connections to the artist, who was one of the most influential tenor saxophone players in the history of jazz. The Festival has featured artists such as Patti Austin, Kirk Whalum and Ravi Coltrane, John’s son.  The High Point Museum features an exhibit and artifacts relating to Coltrane’s time in the city and makes a great addition to a tour of African-American sites in the area. The Coltrane family home in High Point has been purchased and is being renovated into a museum with assistance from the Friends of John Coltrane organization. A statue of him with his saxophone stands next to the High Point Theatre. The school he attended and where he was a founding member of the band named its music hall in his honor and students perform regularly at local venues. Hamlet also hosts a Coltrane-related festival every October called the John W. Coltrane Music ‘Edu-tainment’ Festival celebrating the roots and talent of the Sandhills region.