World-class jazz
musicians will once again descend on downtown Detroit Labor Day weekend – Aug.
30 through Sept. 2 – for the 34th annual Detroit Jazz Festival, presented by
the Chrysler brand.
The world's largest
free jazz festival kicks off Friday, Aug. 30 providing music lovers with
one-of-a-kind performances from a variety of artists and ensembles throughout
the weekend. This year's headliners include David Murray Big Band with Macy
Gray, the Ahmad Jamal Quartet, Joshua Redman, Charles Lloyd, McCoy Tyner, John
Scofield Uberjam Band, the Alan Broadbent Trio and 2013 Artist in Residence
Danilo Perez.
"Each year we
work harder than the last to make the Detroit Jazz Festival an experience that
adds to the cultural fabric of this region and this music. Our lineup features
incredible artists, free of charge, who will once again make this a can't-miss
event," said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival
Foundation. "The rich culture of jazz history in Detroit lives on through
the Festival this Labor Day weekend and all year with the many activities we do
to keep this spirit alive. This is really about what Detroit and this music
have to offer the world."
More than 100
performances will take place on four stages located throughout Hart Plaza and
Campus Martius. Artist in Residence and Grammy-winning pianist, Danilo Perez,
and the Panama 500 Band will open the Festival on Friday at 7:15 p.m. followed
by the David Murray Big Band featuring Macy Gray at 8:45 p.m., both on the JP
Morgan Chase Main Stage. Saturday through Monday the music will start as early
as noon and end at approximately 10:45 p.m. For those wanting more, there will
be fireworks Saturday and Sunday night on the Detroit River after the last
performance and late night jam sessions from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Volt Bar
& Lounge in the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, the Festival's
official hotel.
One unique element
to this year's Festival is the amazing tributes that will take place throughout
the weekend including a Teddy Harris, Jr. Tribute by the New Breed Be Bop
Society; Tribute to Stan Kenton featuring The Four Freshmen and the Toledo Jazz
Orchestra; Three Baris Tribute to Pepper Adams, featuring Gary Smulyan, Howard
Johnson and Frank Basile; Tribute to Brad Felt featuring Steve Wood, Cary
Schunk, Pat Prouty, Bill Higgins and Terry Kimura; Tribute to Don Byas
featuring James Carter; and the four-performance Detroit Jazz Festival Tribute
to the late Dave Brubeck featuring the Brubeck Brothers.
"Year after
year we are honored to present this incredible opportunity to see some of jazz
music's best artists perform live in the heart of Detroit," said Chris
Collins, artistic director for the Detroit Jazz Festival. "Our goal this
year was to select an eclectic lineup that embodies all genres of jazz music
and spanning across different generations. We want to highlight the best that
jazz has to offer, and I believe this year's lineup definitely accomplishes
that."
In addition to the
performances throughout the weekend, attendees will have the opportunity to see
artists up-close and unplugged in the Chrysler Jazz Talk Tent, which offers a
deeper dive into the artists and history with interviews, panel discussions,
presentations and performances. One key Talk Tent segment not to miss is the
DownBeat blindfold test, Sunday, Sept. 1 at 3:45 p.m., where Geri Allen will
test her jazz music recognition skills. For more information on the Chrysler
Jazz Talk Tent, hosted by jazz historians Jim Gallert and Lars Bjorn, visit
http://www.detroitmusichistory.com/upcoming.html.
The weekend also
provides fans of local musicians the opportunity to see performances from
accomplished Detroit-native artists, such as Geri Allen and the 2013 Homecoming
Band, the Sean Dobbins Organ Trio, the Scott Gwinell Ensemble and numerous
other musicians featured in the Marcus Belgrave "Trumpet Call."
The Detroit Jazz
Festival gives back to the region not only by featuring Detroit- and
Michigan-based artists during the Festival weekend, but also through year-round
initiatives that work to promote the history and development of jazz music in
Detroit and help maintain the city's legacy as a music hub. For example, as
part of its mission to educate students about the importance of music, the
Festival puts on a variety of concerts, workshops and competitions to foster
young talent from the region. For the seventh year in a row, the Wayne State
University Department of Music and the Detroit Jazz Festival teamed up to bring
promising high school musicians the J.C. Heard Jazz Week@Wayne program, a
week-long, audition-based jazz workshop that provides students with an
intensive and rewarding jazz education. Eight exceptional students who stood
out during the program earned a spot in the J.C. Heard All-Star Youth Ensemble,
which will be performing at the Festival on Monday at 12:15 p.m on the Carhartt
Amphitheater Stage.
In addition to
performances by the J.C. Heard All-Star Youth Ensemble and several other high
school jazz ensembles, the Michigan State University Big Band I, the University
of Michigan Jazz Ensemble with special guest Lee Konitz and ensembles from
Central Michigan, Oakland and Wayne State Universities also will be performing
over the weekend.
The Festival also
is extending its support for national artists for the second year in a row by
staging national performance and arranging competitions. This year the Festival
welcomed submissions from up-and-coming trumpet artists and composers from all
around of the country. Upon judging from a panel of prominent jazz artists and
educators, including Marcus Belgrave and Chris Collins, Theo Croker from New
York City won the trumpet competition and Scott Nimmer, also from New York
City, won the arranging competition. Both winners received a cash prize and
Croker will perform at the Festival.
Every year people
from all over the world travel to Detroit on Labor Day weekend to see some of
the industry's top musicians perform at this premier music event. As the world's
largest free jazz festival, it brings in tens of millions of dollars to the
city center annually, helping to boost the local economy. With help from the
DTE Energy Foundation, the Festival also is making a positive impact by
continuing its efforts to promote a green atmosphere through recycling,
reducing paper waste and more to minimize its carbon footprint.
About the Detroit
Jazz Festival
The Detroit Jazz
Festival is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz and
educational workshops throughout the year. Recently voted number two in North
America in a JazzTimes reader's poll, the Detroit Jazz Festival is the largest
free jazz festival in the world and a major tourist attraction for the City of
Detroit, with 23 percent of its audience coming from out of state.
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