Detroit International Jazz Festival to Keep Up with the Joneses in 2009 Detroit, MI – Today, organizers of the Detroit Jazz Fest announced the festival theme and initial slate of performers for its 30th anniversary Labor Day Weekend (September 4 - 7).
In celebration of three decades of presenting jazz, the Detroit Jazz Fest will honor key jazz families and Detroit's own significant history of players and composers.
Sub-titled Keepin' Up With the Joneses, it will center on the family dynasty of Thad, Elvin and Hank Jones through performances by brothers and families who not only stay connected to “the tradition," but to each other.
Families represented so far include the Brubeck family, John & Bucky Pizzarelli and the Clayton Brothers. T.S. Monk will honor the musical legacy of his father, Thelonious Monk, in Monk on Monk. The venerable Hank Jones, recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Grammy Awards, will appear on behalf of the Jones family.
