Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
Keeping the Flame at Van Gelder Studio
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
Dave McMurray (left), Esperanza Spalding, Ravi Coltrane and Terri Lyne Carrington pay tribute to the late Geri Allen at the 2018 Detroit Jazz Festival.
(Photo: Tak Tokiwa/Detroit Jazz Festival)On Labor Day weekend this year, the Detroit Jazz Festival is set to pivot to an online model being adopted by large-scale events around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.
From Sept. 4 through Sept. 7, performances will be broadcast live from the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. There won’t be live audiences, but the same festival lighting and sound tech will be utilized, according to a press release. Streams and broadcasts will be available on local Channel 22, the festival’s website, on public radio and through the DetroitJazzFest LIVE! app.
“We have all felt the pain of all the canceled festivals and experiences around the globe,” said Chris Collins, the event’s president and artistic director, in the release. “The sheer financial strain the pandemic has put on artists, agents, crew and, indeed, the entire musical industry is epic. Fortunately, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation is in an almost unique position to produce a real, live jazz format this year, albeit in a virtual environment, due to our status as a free festival for 41 years, a progressive funding structure from generous corporate sponsors and private donors, and a three-year investment in year-round streaming and broadcast technologies through our DetroitJazzFest LIVE! App.”
In contrast to previous installments of the event—one of the largest free jazz fests in North America—the shows will consist of only Detroit-area performers. Submissions for performance slots, which will be open through July 15, can be made via the fest’s homepage.
“The Detroit Jazz Festival is one of our city’s most popular events, and we’re thrilled to know that this 41-year tradition will continue this summer—safely and with a spotlight on our world-class local artists,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in the release. DB
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
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