Brian Blade Named Detroit Jazz Festival’s 2024 Artist-in-Residence

By DownBeat I Mar. 12, 2024

Blade will lead multiple performances during this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival.
(Photo: Courtesy Detroit Jazz Festival)

Brian Blade has been named Artist-in-Residence for this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival, which will be held Aug. 30–Sept. 2 (Labor Day weekend) in downtown Detroit. The two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer, composer and bandleader is also a highly sought-after sideman and collaborator.

As the 2024 Artist-in-Residence, Blade will support Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation educational initiatives for students and community engagement activities across the region throughout the year. In addition, Blade will lead multiple diverse performances during the festival on Labor Day weekend. Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band will also perform at a sneak peek for the new Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the campus of Wayne State University on April 10 during the Detroit Jazz Festival Preview Event, which will be livestreamed for free on detroitjazzfest.org. The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center is scheduled to open to the public later this fall.

“Brian Blade’s career, beginning with his gospel roots in Shreveport, Louisiana, to his ascension to becoming one of the most acclaimed jazz drummers in the country, is a shining testament to his dedication and commitment to jazz and its evolutions,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “His legacy and contributions to this year’s festival will be greatly appreciated by our fans and the entire global jazz community.”

Over the 25 years The Fellowship Band has existed, the group has released seven recordings, including Fellowship (1998), Perceptual (2000), Season Of Changes (2008), Landmarks (2014), Body And Shadow (2017), Live From The Archives (2022) and Kings Highway (2023).

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