This Week on One Detroit:
The Detroit Jazz Festival features grand opening of Gretchen C. Valade Center, poster artist Jess Fendo
The Detroit Jazz Festival, the world’s largest free jazz festival, is coming this Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 – Sept. 2. The star-studded lineup features local, national and international musicians.
One Detroit contributor Stephen Henderson, host of “American Black Journal,” talks with Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation President and Artistic Director Chris Collins about the festival’s impact on Detroit and its global audience.
Henderson also talks with Wayne State University President for Government & Community Affairs Patrick Lindsey about the grand opening of the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University, named in honor of the late jazz advocate Gretchen C. Valade.
Plus, Detroit artist Jess Fendo, a student at the College for Creative Studies, talks about her inspiration for the design of the official 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival Poster.
Brandee Younger to play restored Alice Coltrane harp at 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival
The Detroit Jazz Festival opens this year with a special performance in commemoration of the late jazz artist Alice Coltrane. Coltrane’s harp has been restored and brought back to Detroit, her birthplace.
Grammy Award-nominated harpist Brandee Younger will play the refurbished instrument opening night of the jazz festival. She will perform on the Carhartt stage in Detroit’s Hart Plaza on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. alongside Alice’s son, Ravi Coltrane, Reggie Workman, and the Detroit Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra. The performance is called “Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane,” honoring her life and legacy.
One Detroit contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ spoke with Younger about Alice Coltrane’s legacy, the restored harp and her upcoming jazz festival performance. The segment was produced by One Detroit’s Zosette Guir.
Detroit Jazz Festival artist-in-residence Brian Blade looks ahead to his festival performances
Drummer, composer, and bandleader Brian Blade is the artist-in-residence for this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival. The two-time Grammy Award-winning musician is set to take center stage during the free Labor Day weekend festival. The 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival takes place Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 in downtown and midtown Detroit.
As the 2024 artist-in-residence, Blade will participate in multiple performances throughout the festival. He’s also engaged with educational initiatives and community outreach programs spearheaded by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation throughout his residency. Blade’s band, The Fellowship Band, has been performing together for 25 years, with seven critically acclaimed recordings from their debut album in 1998 to the latest release, “Kings Highway,” in 2023.
Contributor John Penney of 90.9 WRCJ talks with Blade about his residency, the people who have shaped his music career, and passing advice on to the next generation of music students.
One Detroit Weekend: August 30, 2024
Labor Day weekend is here. Commemorate the unofficial end of summer with a trip to the Michigan State Fair or the Detroit Jazz Festival. The Romeo Peach Festival and the Mussel Beach Music Festival are also coming up.
Plus, Hamtramck hosts a Labor Day Fest, jessica Care moore’s Black Women Rock concert returns, and there’s a Detroit Sandwich Party at Eastern Market.
Check out some events coming up around town for this week’s One Detroit Weekend here.
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