DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP - JOSHUA REDMAN TO SERVE AS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Joshua Redman / Photo: Jay Blakesberg

The Detroit Jazz Festival announces its 2014 Artist in Residence and world-class headlining acts for the 35th annual Labor Day Weekend (Friday, August 29 - Monday, September 1) performances. The Festival will stay true to its roots of delivering an expansive lineup, featuring emerging and established artists as well as jazz legends, from both Detroit and around the world.

"The Detroit Jazz Festival is a significant event in the music world and in the Detroit community. Each year we look forward to seeing it grow and be embraced by so many," says Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation board of directors. "We're proud of our great city, and through this festival, we're able to show the world that Detroit is a vibrant, cultural hub of creativity and expression. Jazz is an inspiring genre, and we want to share its impact with music enthusiasts whenever possible. By producing the world's largest free jazz festival, we're able to do that."

The 2014 headlining acts include (in alphabetical order):

• 2014 Artist in Residence, Joshua Redman
• A Night at the Apollo Theatre featuring Ted Louis Levy, Margot B, Kevin Mahogany, the David Berger's New York City Jazz Orchestra and special guests
• "To Miles from Wayne" with Wallace Roney
• "Straighten Up and Fly Right" - The Nat King Cole Tribute Featuring Ramsey Lewis and
• John Pizzarelli
• Al Foster Quartet
• Aruan Ortiz & Orbiting Quartet
• Bad Plus featuring Joshua Redman
• Barry Harris Trio
• Bill Evans - Soulgrass
• Christian McBride Trio
• Cyrille Aimée
• Cyrus Chestnut Plays Dave Brubeck
• Dave Holland - Prism Quartet Featuring Kevin Eubanks, Eric Harland, Craig Taborn
• Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra (DJFO) HOMECOMING Band - Jimmy Wilkins and the DJFO
• Diane Schuur with Alan Broadbent
• Dirty Dozen Brass Band
• Dr. Lonnie Smith's "In the Beginning" Octet
• Elio Villafranca Quartet
• Gary Burton Quintet featuring Julian Lage, Vadim Neselovskyi, Jorge Roeder and  Marcus Gilmore
• Joey DeFrancesco Quartet
• John Pizzarelli Quartet with Bucky Pizzarelli - Father and Son
• Lou Donaldson Organ Quartet
• Mack Avenue SuperBand
• Marcus Belgrave "Louis Armstrong's Musical Legacy"
• Mike Stern Band
• Nicholas Payton "Sketches of Miles and Gil" - Conducted by Bob Belden
• Pharoah Sanders Quartet
• Phil Woods Quintet
• Randy Weston African Rhythms Octet
• Randy Weston and Billy Harper Duo "The Roots of Blues"
• Regina Carter's "Southern Comfort"
• Rodney Whitaker and Soul-R Energy
• Ron Carter and Peter Bernstein: Tribute to Jim Hall
• Sean Jones Quartet
• Stanley Clarke Band "School Days"
• Steve Tormé sings Tormé: Tribute to Mel Tormé
• The Barry Harris Trio featuring Ray Drummond and Leroy Williams
• The DJF All-Stars - tribute to Sonny Red and other Detroit composers
• Tim Ries and the East Gypsy Band
• Tom Harrell's Colors of a Dream with Esperanza Spalding
• Tormé Sings Tormé featuring Steve March-Tormé

"Every year it's our goal to bring a unique collection of world-class musicians to Detroit for performances you literally can't see anywhere else, and I can say without a doubt that, again, we've been able to do so," said Chris Collins, artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival. "This year, with our theme 'Jazz Speaks for Life' in mind, we sought musicians from all walks of life who weave deep, meaningful stories through their music. These stories are the root of what makes jazz a very powerful medium, and we are blessed to have artists perform that are able to express their worldly experiences through beautiful works of jazz."

Joshua Redman, 2014 Artist in Residence, is one of the many artists that has a great story to tell. Redman is known as one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the 1990s and has toured with jazz masters such as Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny and Clark Terry. He, along with other world-renowned artists, will take to four stages - JP Morgan Chase Main Stage, Carhartt Amphitheatre Stage, Mack Avenue Records Waterfront Stage and Absopure Pyramid Stage - over the course of Labor Day weekend.

The 35th annual Festival weekend will run Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1 in Hart Plaza and Campus Martius, downtown Detroit. The Detroit Jazz Festival is the largest free jazz festival in the world, attracting artists and attendees from all over the globe. On top of providing impactful performances from jazz legends, Festival weekend activities and year-round initiatives make a significant economic impact on Detroit.

In addition to seeking out established musicians, the Festival dedicates much of its time throughout the year to educating students and the community about jazz through workshops and Community Series Concerts. Likewise, in an effort to foster artists within the Detroit region, but also beyond, the Festival hosts annual competitions. This year, pianists and arrangers from across the globe can submit their compositions for a chance to perform at the 2014 Festival as well as win monetary prizes. Applications must be submitted by June 20 and July 1, respectively. Ensembles will be selected based on such things as artistic excellence, creativity, group interaction, originality and stylistic continuity.

This year's major corporate sponsors, who continue to keep the festival free, include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Opportunity Detroit, Carhartt, Mack Avenue Records and DTE Energy Foundation. Individuals can also support the Festival through Rhythm Section memberships.

  

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.

  

The Festival receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Erb Family Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. Major corporate partners include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Opportunity Detroit, Carhartt and Mack Avenue Records. Additional partners include Absopure Water Company, Comcast, Detroit Marriott, Fathead, Great Lakes Beverage, McDonalds, MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Panasonic and Quicken Loans. Media partners include DownBeat, Hour Detroit, JazzTimes, MetroTimes and Fox 2. The festival's Greening Program, now entering Phase IV, is supported by a generous grant from the DTE Energy Foundation.

DetroitJazzFest.com