Joe Williams Is Keeping The Memory Of Saxophonist John Coltrane Alive
HIGH POINT, NC – It all started when Joe Williams and the rest of the Downtown Improvement Committee helped get a statue of John Coltrane placed in downtown High Point. The statue was dedicated on September 20, 2006. The Committee was so excited that they secured the 8 foot tall, bronze statue that was created by sculptor Thomas Jay Warren, they decided to keep the momentum going to spread the wonderful music of Coltrane.
Williams was the only person on the committee with an interest in music and in 2008, he got the call from the full committee. The John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival would become a reality!
Not only does the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival bring the very top names in jazz, paid homage to the blues, and celebrate the life and musical legacy of the jazz genre’s greatest artists, but it also teaches them about Coltrane. John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina. In fact, Coltrane grew up and learned to play the saxophone right in the heart of High Point at William Penn High School.
Williams fell in love with music from a young age, being surrounded by it all his life he knew that he needed to pursue some kind of music career. His first job was at a record company and from there Williams pushed artists to share their gifts with the world. Keeping in touch with his different contacts while he was in college, Williams pursued many different fields of the music industry from lights and sound to getting artists record deals. After graduating with a Business and Management and Marketing degree from Hampton University, Williams made a name for himself in the music industry through word of mouth.
Currently, Williams resides in High Point and focuses on the live entertainment side of things while running the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival. The festival was set in motion to start about 12 years ago and the upcoming year will be the 10th annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival.
On September 4th and 5th, the festival will take place at Oak Hollow Festival Park, in High Point. Not only will many artists from around the world perform such as Chris Botti, Tito Puente, Jr., Kingfish, Galactic, and many more. There are also ways for the public to get involved, for instance, the festival hosts a Student Contest for any North Carolina middle and high school student musicians. The contest allows students who do not have the resources to get their musical instrument to win a new one of their choice. Not only will the students gain access to an instrument of their choice but they will also be invited to the festival and will be able to meet some artists backstage, to make connections in the industry. To find out more about this contest visit the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival website.
“To reach that ten-year mark is extremely meaningful because once you know you get there doors start opening up with what we are going to do for those next week years,” said Williams. So, as for the future of the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, Williams hopes to expand the festival longer than just two days by potentially adding workshops and expanding on some of the genres involved. But most importantly keep the festival growing as organically as possible; while having it spread by word of mouth and the memories that people make while attending.
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