Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Blindfold Test: Ethan Iverson
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
Brian Blade will serve as Artist-in-Residence at this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival, to be held over Labor Day Weekend.
(Photo: Courtesy Detroit Jazz Festival)The Detroit Jazz Festival has announced that this year’s lineup will include Artist-In-Residence Brian Blade, as well as Billy Childs Quartet with special guest Sean Jones, Christian McBride, Carmen Lundy, The Bad Plus, Mimi Fox Organ Trio and other nationally and internationally celebrated artists. The announcement was made during a free livestream preview event that included live performances from the Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band and the One-World Jazz Orchestra, a collaboration between the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and Wayne State University’s Jazz Program.
“This year’s lineup reflects a very dynamic and eclectic combination of next generation and legacy jazz musicians who reflect the diverse tapestry of jazz and its evolutions,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “We look forward to their energy and craftsmanship on our stages and seeing our faithful jazz fans on Labor Day weekend.”
The free festival will be held in downtown Detroit on Aug. 30–Sept. 2.
In addition to dynamic ensemble performances spearheaded by Blade, other major acts slated for this year’s event include Monty Alexander D-Day, Cameron Graves, Charlie Sepulveda & The Turnaround plus special guest Chief Adjuah, Ghost-Note, Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet, James “Blood” Ulmer Music Revelation Ensemble, Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa “Where Are We” Tour, Kyle Eastwood–Eastwood Symphonic, Melanie Charles, Marquis Hill: Composers Collective, Nate Smith, Pablo Ziegler Quintet featuring Roberta Gambarini, Nate Smith, Zig Zag Power Trio (Vernon Reid, Melvin Gibbs and Will Calhoun) and The Vibraphone Summit (Warren Wolf, Joe Locke, Jason Marsalis and Chien Chien Lu). A special project titled “Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane” will feature Ravi Coltrane performing with guest Brandee Younger.
The livestream preview event also served as a sneak peek for the new Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the campus of Wayne State University, which is scheduled to open to the public later in the fall.
For more information on the 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival, CLICK HERE. DB
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 11:50 AM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
