Detroit Jazz Festival Announces Lineup | Sept. 4th-7th, 2015

Detroit Jazz Festival Announces
Lineup for 36th Annual Event

Festival to Run September 4 – 7, 2015

The Detroit Jazz Festival announces a diverse lineup of headlining acts for the 36th annual Labor Day Weekend Festival, set to take place September 4-7. The lineup is the culmination of the Festival’s commitment to bringing an eclectic and unique group of jazz musicians to downtown Detroit, while delivering a collection of performances that includes a Homecoming Series with Detroit natives, exciting new artists, legends, and student groups all connected around musical experiences that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

“Detroit is a place filled with soul, culture and creativity, and we have a great legacy of jazz here. Our Festival-the world’s largest free jazz festival-truly showcases what makes our city special,” said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Being part of the Festival since its inception, it has been rewarding to watch it grow and become an event that is woven into the fabric of the Detroit and Jazz communities. We’re looking to add to its legacy with another collection of unforgettable performances this year.”

In his fourth year as artistic director, Chris Collins has once again curated a world-class lineup that is truly representative of the genre in all its facets. Launching this vision is 2015 Artist in Residence Pat Metheny, presented by Absopure, who will grace all four stages throughout the weekend with sets including:
Pat Metheny Trio with Antonio Sánchez, Scott Colley & special guest Kenny Garrett
Pat Metheny acoustic duo with Ron Carter
Pat Metheny Reunion with Gary Burton Quartet
Pat Metheny, Scott Colley, Antonio Sánchez, and Danny Gottlieb with the Detroit Jazz Festival Big Band and String Orchestra, Conducted by Alan Broadbent, performing new works including the North American premiere of Metheny’s multi-movement/multi-media tribute to Eberhard Weber.

The full 2015 lineup includes (in alphabetical order):
Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
Richard Bona: Mandekan Cubano
Joanne Brackeen Quartet

Ron Carter
Will Calhoun Quartet with Greg Osby
Ron Carter Trio
ANAT COHEN Celebrando Brasil: From Rio to Minas
Eddie Daniels jazz version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for Detroit with the Detroit Jazz Festival String Orchestra and original narration from Douglas Preston
Dave Douglas Quintet
Paquito D’Rivera Quintet
Kenny Garrett Quintet
Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra: Conductor Carla Bley, Bassist Steve Swallow
Jon Irabagon Quartet
Jungle Funk Trio
Oliver Lake Organ Quartet
Carmen Lundy
Mack Avenue SuperBand
Rudresh Mahanthappa “Bird Calls”
René Marie Experiment in Truth
Ken Peplowski Quartet
Danilo Pérez – World premiere of his commissioned Detroit World Suite
Ester Rada
Arturo Sandoval
Maria Schneider Orchestra
The John Scofield & Joe Lovano Quartet
Tuba Skinny
Christian Scott Sextet
“Benny’s Threads” – Inspired by the artistry of Benny Goodman, featuring new compositions by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, spoken word from author Douglas Preston, and superstar clarinetists featuring Anat Cohen, Eddie Daniels, Paquito D’Rivera and Ken Peplowski
Steve Turre and James Carter: Rahsaan Roland Kirk Birthday Celebration
James “Blood” Ulmer & Black Music Experience featuring Queen Esther
Manuel Valera & Groove Square
To see the full lineup, visit detroitjazzfest.com

“Jazz is a genre that evokes such powerful and varied emotion, and it strongly emphasizes the experimentation of sound and musicianship. When putting together an artist lineup like this, our job is to capture all that diversity, all that makes this art form so beautiful, in one weekend of performances. I think we accomplished that with this lineup,” said Collins. “We wanted a mix of up-and-coming acts and big-name performers that would grab people’s attention, and we are excited to get them all in one place, in the heart of Detroit.”
To help add to the Festival lineup and showcase talent that may otherwise go unnoticed, the Detroit Jazz Festival hosts annual jazz competitions. Musicians from metro Detroit and across the globe are encouraged to participate. This year, jazz guitarists who embody Detroit’s jazz scene and offer an original sound can submit recordings for a chance to perform at the Festival as well as earn monetary prizes. Guitarists will be evaluated on overall artistry and musicality, creativity, craftsmanship and depth of vocabulary. Applications must be submitted by July 17, 2015.

Outside of Labor Day Weekend performances, the Festival also engages in year-round education initiatives dedicated to educating students and the metro Detroit community about jazz through workshops, student performances and concert showcases.

The 36th annual Festival weekend will take place in Hart Plaza and Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. With world-renowned artists taking to four stages – JPMorgan Chase Main Stage, Carhartt Amphitheater Stage, Mack Avenue Waterfront Stage and Absopure Pyramid Stage – the Detroit Jazz Festival attracts jazz enthusiasts from far and wide. In addition to fostering the exchange of art and culture in Detroit, the Festival also drives economic activity through performances and initiatives that take place throughout the year.

This year’s major corporate sponsors, who continue to keep the festival free, include Absopure, Carhartt, DTE Energy Foundation, Greektown Casino, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mack Avenue Records and Opportunity Detroit. Individuals also can 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% 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.

For more information, please visit DetroitJazzFest.com

DL Media