Detroit, Mich., April 16, 2014
- The Detroit Jazz Festival announces its 2014 Artist in Residence and
world-class headlining acts for the 35th annual Labor Day Weekend (Friday, August 29 - Monday, September 1)
performances. The Festival will stay true to its roots of delivering an
expansive lineup, featuring emerging and established artists as well as
jazz legends, from both Detroit and around the world.
"The Detroit Jazz
Festival is a significant event in the music world and in the Detroit
community. Each year we look forward to seeing it grow and be embraced
by so many," says Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival
Foundation board of directors. "We're proud of our great city, and
through this festival, we're able to show the world that Detroit is a
vibrant, cultural hub of creativity and expression. Jazz is an inspiring
genre, and we want to share its impact with music enthusiasts whenever
possible. By producing the world's largest free jazz festival, we're
able to do that."
The 2014 headlining acts include (in alphabetical order):
- 2014 Artist in Residence, Joshua Redman
- A Night at the Apollo Theatre featuring Ted Louis Levy, Margot B, Kevin Mahogany, the David Berger's New York City Jazz Orchestra and special guests
- "To Miles from Wayne" with Wallace Roney
- "Straighten Up and Fly Right" - The Nat King Cole Tribute Featuring Ramsey Lewis and
- John Pizzarelli
- Al Foster Quartet
- Aruan Ortiz & Orbiting Quartet
- Bad Plus featuring Joshua Redman
- Barry Harris Trio
- Bill Evans - Soulgrass
- Christian McBride Trio
- Cyrille Aimée
- Cyrus Chestnut Plays Dave Brubeck
- Dave Holland - Prism Quartet Featuring Kevin Eubanks, Eric Harland, Craig Taborn
- Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra (DJFO) HOMECOMING Band - Jimmy Wilkins and the DJFO
- Diane Schuur with Alan Broadbent
- Dirty Dozen Brass Band
- Dr. Lonnie Smith's "In the Beginning" Octet
- Elio Villafranca Quartet
- Gary Burton Quintet featuring Julian Lage, Vadim Neselovskyi, Jorge Roeder and Marcus Gilmore
- Joey DeFrancesco Quartet
- John Pizzarelli Quartet with Bucky Pizzarelli - Father and Son
- Lou Donaldson Organ Quartet
- Mack Avenue SuperBand
- Marcus Belgrave "Louis Armstrong's Musical Legacy"
- Mike Stern Band
- Nicholas Payton "Sketches of Miles and Gil" - Conducted by Bob Belden
- Pharoah Sanders Quartet
- Phil Woods Quintet
- Randy Weston African Rhythms Octet
- Randy Weston and Billy Harper Duo "The Roots of Blues"
- Regina Carter's "Southern Comfort"
- Rodney Whitaker and Soul-R Energy
- Ron Carter and Peter Bernstein: Tribute to Jim Hall
- Sean Jones Quartet
- Stanley Clarke Band "School Days"
- Steve Tormé sings Tormé: Tribute to Mel Tormé
- The Barry Harris Trio featuring Ray Drummond and Leroy Williams
- The DJF All-Stars - tribute to Sonny Red and other Detroit composers
- Tim Ries and the East Gypsy Band
- Tom Harrell's Colors of a Dream with Esperanza Spalding
- Tormé Sings Tormé featuring Steve March-Tormé
"Every year it's our
goal to bring a unique collection of world-class musicians to Detroit
for performances you literally can't see anywhere else, and I can say
without a doubt that, again, we've been able to do so," said Chris
Collins, artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival. "This year,
with our theme 'Jazz Speaks for Life' in mind, we
sought musicians from all walks of life who weave deep, meaningful
stories through their music. These stories are the root of what makes
jazz a very powerful medium, and we are blessed to have artists perform
that are able to express their worldly experiences through beautiful
works of jazz."
Joshua Redman,
2014 Artist in Residence, is one of the many artists that has a great
story to tell. Redman is known as one of the most acclaimed and
charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the 1990s and has
toured with jazz masters such as Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Pat
Metheny and Clark Terry. He, along with other world-renowned artists,
will take to four stages - JP Morgan Chase Main Stage, Carhartt
Amphitheatre Stage, Mack Avenue Records Waterfront Stage and Absopure
Pyramid Stage - over the course of Labor Day weekend.
The 35th annual Festival weekend will run Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1
in Hart Plaza and Campus Martius, downtown Detroit. The Detroit Jazz
Festival is the largest free jazz festival in the world, attracting
artists and attendees from all over the globe. On top of providing
impactful performances from jazz legends, Festival weekend activities
and year-round initiatives make a significant economic impact on
Detroit.
In addition to seeking
out established musicians, the Festival dedicates much of its time
throughout the year to educating students and the community about jazz
through workshops and Community Series Concerts. Likewise, in an effort
to foster artists within the Detroit region, but also beyond, the
Festival hosts annual competitions. This year, pianists and arrangers
from across the globe can submit their compositions for a chance to
perform at the 2014 Festival as well as win monetary prizes.
Applications must be submitted by June 20 and July 1,
respectively. Ensembles will be selected based on such things as
artistic excellence, creativity, group interaction, originality and
stylistic continuity.
This year's major
corporate sponsors, who continue to keep the festival free, include
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Opportunity Detroit, Carhartt, Mack Avenue
Records and DTE Energy Foundation. Individuals can also support the
Festival through Rhythm Section memberships.
About the Detroit Jazz Festival
The Detroit Jazz
Festival is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz
and educational workshops throughout the year. Recently voted number two
in North America in a JazzTimes reader's poll, 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, the Erb Family
Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Kresge
Foundation. Major corporate partners include JPMorgan Chase & Co.,
Opportunity Detroit, Carhartt and Mack Avenue Records. Additional
partners include Absopure Water Company, Comcast, Detroit Marriott,
Fathead, Great Lakes Beverage, McDonalds, MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity
Casino Hotel, Panasonic and Quicken Loans. Media partners include DownBeat, Hour Detroit, JazzTimes, MetroTimes and
Fox 2. The festival's Greening Program, now entering Phase IV, is
supported by a generous grant from the DTE Energy Foundation.
