Detroit Jazz Festival brings legends and newcomers to downtown

DETROIT — Lifelong jazz aficionados and those who want to experience the music for the first time will bop shoulder to shoulder when the 45th annual Detroit Jazz Festival takes over downtown Detroit on Labor Day weekend, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

“The audiences are so great,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “The artists always love coming to the festival. The result (of having newcomers and longtime jazz lovers together) is one of the greatest jazz listening events in the world. You can hear a pin drop, the audience is so engaged.”

This year’s artist-in-residence, Brian Blade, will perform with his own band and others throughout the weekend. Other headliners include Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Billy Childs Quartet with special guest Sean Jones, and Kyle Eastwood and the Detroit Jazz Festival Symphony Orchestra playing musical selections from dad Clint Eastwood’s films with new arrangements — some of them world premieres — and interviews with the senior Eastwood.

“It’s a mix of multimedia,” Collins said. “We create things that no one’s ever heard before. Those are the kinds of things people are going to brag about (seeing) to their grandkids.”

At 7 p.m. Aug. 30, Brandee Younger and the Detroit Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra will join Ravi Coltrane for “Translinear Light,” the music of Detroit native Alice Coltrane, with Younger playing Alice Coltrane’s restored harp — a gift from her husband, John Coltrane, that got delivered to the house shortly after his death.

There are many artists on the lineup with roots in Detroit’s rich jazz tradition, from veterans such as Wendell Harrison and Dr. Prof. Leonard King to newer talents like Anthony Stanco and Kasan Belgrave, son of the legendary Marcus Belgrave.

Unique collaborations, including Blade & The Fellowship Band with the Detroit Jazz Festival Jazz Orchestra arranged and conducted by Jim McNeely at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 2, are highly anticipated.

One of the local acts this year is the J Rowe/Jordan Schug Sextet. Rowe, a drummer who lives in Mount Clemens, said the group is making its jazz festival debut this year — despite not technically being a jazz band. They’re more of a progressive rock group, but sans vocals and with a lineup that currently includes saxophone, trumpet, piano and upright bass, “We’re just outliers in every (musical) community,” Rowe said.

Rowe — whose dad was a musician — has been playing music as long as he can remember. He and Schug, who’ve been collaborating for the last 15 years, pen structured songs that take listeners on a journey.

“We’re trying to do something fresh,” Rowe explained.

The largest free jazz festival in the world, Collins said the Detroit Jazz Festival attracts about 325,000 attendees over four days.

“As much as half of the audience comes from out of state and out of the country,” Collins said. “It’s become a destination.”

Detroit businesses and businesses in surrounding communities, like hotels and restaurants, benefit from the influx of visitors. Collins said a study they conducted showed the festival brought $32 million annually to the metro region.

“It’s a free jazz festival, but it’s also one of the best jazz festivals in the world,” Collins said. “We try to remove barriers to provide access to everyone.”

That includes features on the festival website for those with vision and hearing impairments, Collins said.

Those who can’t attend in person can watch a free festival livestream via the DJF website. Collins said that last year, about 1.6 million viewers in 32 countries tuned in for three minutes or more.

The festival will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 30 with Dr. Valade’s Brass Band featuring Shannon Powell. The traditional New Orleans-style brass band’s name pays tribute to the late Gretchen Valade, a philanthropist and businesswoman from Grosse Pointe Farms whose lifelong love of jazz led her to rescue the festival when it was on the verge of collapse, leading her to be called the “Angel of Jazz.” Her private foundation, the Gretchen C. Valade Endowment for the Arts, continues to provide funding for the festival.

Even with that annual gift and corporate sponsorships, personal donations remain critical to keeping the festival free and at a high caliber, and to support year-round educational programming. Collins said up to 85 cents of every dollar donated goes toward programming.

“People can be assured when they make that donation it’s going to an organization that makes sure nothing is going to waste,” Collins said.

Festival passes — for a day or the weekend — support the event while providing listeners with premium seating. The Guardian Program has returned with VIP seating, food and beverages, and more amenities offered.

The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University — a performance venue designed specifically for jazz performances — opens with an invitation-only reception Aug. 29. During a preview for the DJF April 10 on the WSU campus, WSU President Kimberly Andrews Espy said the university was “eternally grateful” to Valade for her gift, which Espy said is “truly remarkable for our campus.” Collins is a professor and director of jazz studies at WSU.

Wayne County Deputy Director of Communications Keith Owens said April 10 that Valade’s commitment to jazz “is a sort of love none of us will ever forget.”

He also acknowledged the festival’s legacy of excellence.

“Thank you for 45 years of the best jazz has to offer,” Owens said.

For a full festival schedule or more about donation opportunities, visit detroitjazzfest.org.