22nd Annual Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival

Detroit's rich jazz heritage will be celebrated at this year's 22nd Annual Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend, August 31-September 3. Native jazz luminaries Tommy Flanagan, James Carter, Marcus Belgrave and Bennie Maupin will be joined by Freddy Cole, Claude “Fiddler" Williams, Jimmy Smith, Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin, Herbie Mann & Dave Valentin, The Jazz Crusaders, and The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen. Made possible by the Ford Motor Company, the much-anticipated four-day event is the largest free jazz festival in North America.

“The Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival is one of the premier music events in the world," noted Music Hall Chairman and Ford Motor Company's Vice President of Dealer Development Elliott Hall. “In the hands of new artistic director Frank Malfitano, who brings more than 30 years of festival leadership and a lifetime of love for the art form, the festival will continue to flourish."

According to festival artistic director Frank Malfitano, this year's festival will feature more national and international artists than ever before. “First and foremost, this is definitely a 'Jazz' festival that will focus essentially, primarily and exclusively on various schools, styles and disciplines of jazz," declared Malfitano. “This is also definitely a