DETROIT – The 39th annual Detroit Jazz Festival returns to Downtown Detroit on Labor Day weekend.
The musical lineup was released on Wednesday, with more than 30 performances set to take the stage, ranging from leading women artists, and up-and-comers to legendary artists that play the spectrum of jazz undertones.
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In its 39th year, the Detroit Jazz Festival presented by Quicken Loans, which runs Aug. 31 through Sept. 3, 2018, in downtown Detroit, will kick off with performances by Artist-in-Residence Chick Corea and the 2018 inaugural Resident Ensemble, a new addition to the Festival’s annual programming.
Each year a core ensemble noted for their artistry, connectivity and camaraderie will engage with the Detroit community and prepare multiple performances of varying texture, instrumentation and repertoire for the Festival. This year’s Resident Ensemble will feature Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding, who will lead three sets, with one incorporating a technology element. Originally meant to include the late Geri Allen, much of the Ensemble’s focus will be inspired by her music.
“Jazz has always been about freedom, communication and individual expression, and there’s nothing that encapsulates the depth of the genre better than a diverse lineup like the one we have planned this year,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation.
Some of the more influential women artists headlining the Festival, beyond the Resident Ensemble and Masakowski, include Cecile McLorin Salvant, Tia Fuller, the original all-female group Straight Ahead, and Trio of Oz’s Rachel Z.
Here's the full lineup:
Friday, Aug. 31
- Dr. Valade’s Brass Band Led by New Orleans Legend Shannon Powell
- Resident Ensemble: Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding – Tribute to Geri Allen
- Artist-in-Residence: Chick Corea Akoustic Band
Saturday, Sept. 1
- Straight Ahead 25th Anniversary Reunion Featuring: Regina Carter, Marion Hayden, Gayelynn McKinney and Alina Morr
- Julian Lage Trio
- Dr. Lonnie Smith Organ Trio
- Detroit Jazz Festival National Instrumental Competition Winner
- Tia Fuller
- Nicholas Payton – Afro-Caribbean Mixtape
- Sasha Masakowski & Art Market
- Emmet Cohen Trio
- Trio of Oz featuring: Omar Hakim and Rachel Z
- Artist-in-Residence: Chick Corea Elektric Band
- Ravi Coltrane’s Universal Consciousness: Melodic Meditations of Alice Coltrane
Sunday, Sept. 2
- Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
- Harold López-Nussa with Grégoire Maret and Pedrito Martinez
- Eddie Daniels Quartet with The Harlem String Quartet
- Omar Sosa Quarteto AfroCubano
- Karriem Riggins Detroit Generations
- Hub-Tones: Freddie Hubbard 80th Birthday Celebration – Featuring: Nicholas Payton, Randy Brecker, David Weiss and Dwight Adams
- Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
- Resident Ensemble: Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding – Tribute to Geri Allen
- Senri Oe
- J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne All-Stars
- Pat Martino Quintet
- Marcus Miller
- ASABA Trio – Hirofumi Asaba
Monday, Sept. 3
- Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones
- Cecile McLorin Salvant
- The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion
- Resident Ensemble: Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding – Tribute to Geri Allen
- Christian Sands Trio
- Joey DeFrancesco: Project Freedom
- Artist-in-Residence: Chick Corea with the Detroit Jazz Festival Symphony Orchestra, Conductor: Steven Mercurio
The full Festival schedule will be available at detroitjazzfest.org as the event nears.
“There is no better place to spend Labor Day weekend than downtown at the Detroit Jazz Festival,” said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation Board of Directors. “Once again, we have a truly remarkable, all jazz, world-class lineup for Detroiters – and our guests from around the world – to enjoy in one of the best cities I know.”
The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz and educational workshops throughout the year.
The Foundation supports the Detroit Jazz Festival, which is the largest free jazz festival in the world and a major tourist attraction for the City of Detroit, with 26 percent of its audience coming from out of state.