Detroit Jazz Festival: World’s largest free jazz festival downtown Detroit Labor Day weekend

DETROIT, MI - Jazz luminaries, up-and-comers and undiscovered talent, along with fans from around the world, will call downtown Detroit home Labor Day weekend – Sept. 4-7 – as the 36th annual Detroit Jazz Festival (DJF) brings the world’s largest free jazz festival and its unique musical explorations to four stages in Campus Martius and Hart Plaza.

“Every year, during a long Labor Day weekend, the city comes alive and we celebrate. We celebrate our community. We celebrate expression. And we celebrate this genre of music that we love and have supported for so many years,” said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “Having the world’s largest free jazz festival right here in Detroit says a lot about our city and the people who live in it. It speaks to our great music heritage that continues to evolve and grow, and it also shows that this is for everybody. Jazz is a special art form, and by keeping it free we can share it with as many people as possible.”

The Detroit Jazz Festival brings hundreds of artists and nearly 70 performances to the city during the holiday weekend. Every year, the Festival features its Homecoming Series which includes accomplished artists from Detroit who return home to perform unique sets often only seen in Detroit. This year’s Homecoming Series presented by St. John Providence highlights include:

• 2015 Artist-in-Residence presented by Absopure, Pat Metheny Trio with Antonio Sanchez, Scott Colley & special guest Detroiter Kenny Garrett
• DJF 2015 Homecoming Band led by Spencer Barefield with soloist Harvey Thompson featuring James Carter, David McMurray, Dave Young, and Djallo Dakate Keita
• Ron Carter Trio
• J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne Alumni Band

Also, the Festival annually features a mentor disciple series of performances that showcase jazz legends and their influence on today’s jazz greats. This year’s incarnations include:

• Benny's Threads – Inspired by the artistry of Benny Goodman, featuring new compositions by Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, spoken word from author Douglas Preston, and superstar clarinetists featuring Eddie Daniels, Paquito D’Rivera, Ken Peplowski and Anat Cohen with special guests Barry Harris and the Wonder Twins
• Danilo Pérez – World premiere of his commissioned Detroit World Suite
• "For Lady Day," Wayne State University Big Jazz Band with guests Ursula Walker, Joan Belgrave and Jeannine Course-Miller celebrating the 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birthday
• Wendell Harrison Ensemble featuring Pamela Wise

New for 2015, the Festival is expanding its artistic endeavors by integrating the medium of film through two important documentaries that will be showing at the Festival’s official hotel, the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The first film showing on Saturday at 11 p.m. is “The Case of the Three-Sided Dream,” a documentary about the genius of multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The film was directed by Adam Kahan who will be on hand, along with musicians such as Steve Turre, to discuss the film and Kirk’s legacy. On Sunday at 11 p.m., “Rambling Boy,” a documentary about Charlie Haden directed by Reto Caduff, will premier. The showing also will feature insight from legendary conductor Carla Bley and artists from Haden’s famed Liberation Orchestra.

These films are part of the Festival after-hours activities, which also include unique musical collaborations and late-night jam sessions presented by Mack Avenue Records at the Marriott. The highlighted jam session for this year will be a special tribute performance to the late Marcus Belgrave, a highly acclaimed Detroit trumpeter. This performance will include a host of special guests, including the Detroit House Trio with Robert Hurst on bass, Gayelynn McKinney on drums and pianist Michael Malis as well as special guests from the Festival’s lineup and the Detroit area. This not-to-be missed jam session will be held in the Mackinac Ballroom at the Marriott on Friday night. Other weekend jam sessions at the Volt Lounge at the Marriott include Jon Irabagon Quintet, Aaron Diehl Trio with Stanley Jordan and Tuba Skinny.

“Each year we create unique musical explorations that give jazz enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the breadth of the genre and the artists behind the music,” said Chris Collins, artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival. “Our stage performances, jam sessions, films, Jazz Talk Tent and more, each bring forward a different perspective, and together weave a beautiful story that we’re proud to showcase in the Motor City.”

Fostering growth in young and undiscovered talent
In an effort to provide a diverse lineup and continue to foster future talent, the Detroit Jazz Festival seeks jazz legends, as well as up-and-coming musicians and undiscovered talent from Detroit and around the world. To support national artists who may fly under the radar in the jazz scene, the Festival, for the fifth consecutive year, staged national performance and arranging competitions. In these competitions, submissions are accepted from a defined category of jazz musicians across the country – this year being guitarists – in hopes of being selected to play live during Labor Day weekend. This year’s winner, Tal Yahalom from New York earned a $2,000 award from the Festival and a performance slot at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage where he will perform his composition “Kadawa.”

Digging further into its Detroit roots, the Festival hosted the Detroit Youth Vocalist Competition, an “American Idol,” style competition where young vocalists – age 18 and under – compete against one another. This year’s winner was Steffi Roche securing her a spot on stage at the Festival, a $1,000 award and invaluable coaching from local jazz giants Ursula Walker and Buddy Budson in preparation for her performance.

The Detroit Jazz Festival also works year-round with young artists to promote the history and development of jazz music in Detroit. It continuously strives to educate students about the importance of music – its healing power, beauty and how it can transform a student’s life with enlightenment and opportunity. To instill this message and foster young talent from the region, the Festival puts on a variety of concerts, programs and workshops on a regular basis. One of these programs is the J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne, a week-long intensive workshop done in partnership with the Wayne State University Department of Music, designed to help promising high school students hone their musical abilities. Continuing in its ninth consecutive year, exceptional students who stood out during the program earned a spot in the J.C. Heard All-Star Youth Ensemble, which will perform Monday afternoon.

In addition to performances by the J.C. Heard All-Star Youth Ensemble and high schools affiliated with the Michigan State Board of Education High School Band Showcase, the Michigan State University Big Band I, University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble and Wayne State University Big Jazz Band will perform throughout the weekend.

Festival attendees who are interested in seeing their favorite artists – or discover new ones – in a more intimate setting will have the opportunity to do so at the Greektown Casino-Hotel Jazz Talk Tent, where select musicians will give unplugged performances and discuss their music and influences. Other activities at the tent include interviews, panel discussions and presentations from jazz experts and musicians themselves, offering an in-depth look into the artists and history of what makes jazz such a compelling force of expression. In addition DownBeat magazine will present its Blindfold Test with guitar legend John Scofield at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage.

A big festival draws bigger support
Year after year, the world’s largest free jazz festival brings in tens of millions of dollars to the city by drawing people from around the globe to Detroit on Labor Day weekend to watch some of jazz’s best, most-acclaimed musicians perform at this exciting music event. On top of stimulating the local economy, the Festival also makes a positive environmental impact through its Greening Program, coordinated by the DTE Energy Foundation. The eco-friendly program promotes a green atmosphere through recycling and minimizing the Festival’s carbon footprint.

“This grand festival – and its free admission – would not be possible without the generous support from a variety of sponsors, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Quicken Loans, Opportunity Detroit, Carhartt, Comcast, Mack Avenue Records, Absopure Water Company and DTE Energy Foundation, as well as individual donors,” said Valade. “While additional support is always needed we’re grateful for the dedicated supporters we have and for a city that embraces our mission.”

For additional information, the full list of performers and performance times, after-hours jam session schedule and more, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com. You also can follow the Festival on Facebook, Twitter and with the Detroit Jazz Festival app available for free download through iTunes.

About the Detroit Jazz Festival
The Detroit Jazz Festival is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz and
educational workshops throughout the year. 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, Erb Family Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Carolyn P. Wanzo, Arts Midwest Touring Fund and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Major corporate partners include JPMorgan Chase & Co., DTE Energy Foundation, Absopure Water Company, Carhartt, Quicken Loans, Greektown Casino-Hotel, Mack Avenue Records and Comcast. Additional partners include AMTECH International, Andiamo, Bingham Legal Group, Central Michigan University, Cliff Bell's, Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Detroit 300 Conservancy, Detroit Land Bank Authority, Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Domino's, Fathead, Fifth Third Bank, George Johnson & Co., Grand Valley State University, Great Lakes Beverage, Greenleaf Trust, Merrill Lynch, MGM Grand Detroit, Oakland University, Opportunity Detroit, Pepsi, Plante Moran, St. John Providence, Tux & Chucks, Wayne State University, Whole Foods Market and Woodward Gallery. Media partners include Fox 2, WJR, WDET-FM, WEMU-FM, WRCJ-FM, DownBeat, JazzTimes and MetroTimes. The Greening of the Detroit Jazz Festival is supported by a generous grant from the DTE Energy Foundation. For more information, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.