Results for "Detroit"

Dave McMurray Hears Himself In All Of Detroit's Music

by John Chacona
January 19, 2026

Saxophonist and composer Dave McMurray has much of the celebrated history of Detroit music in his memory and under his fingers. Now 70, and with four acclaimed releases on the storied Blue Note label, he is arguably at the pinnacle of a long and remarkably varied career. All the strands of that career are ...

Craig Taborn: When Kabuya Dances

by John Chacona
December 14, 2025

With every passing year, the genius of the late Geri Allen increasingly comes into focus. “When Kabuya Dances" has all the hallmarks of her style: memorable melodies, a sophisticated approach to rhythm and formal audacity. Allen had left Detroit for Howard University shortly before Craig Taborn arrived at the University of Michigan, but he might have ...

Jordan Anderson

Introducing: The Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet

by Vincent Chandler
October 23, 2025

What do these musicians have in common: Wardell Gray, Joe Henderson, Yusef Lateef, Thad, Elvin, and Hank Jones, Betty Carter, Howard McGhee and Marcus Belgrave? They are all legendary jazz musicians from Detroit who were born elsewhere. Some were raised in Detroit, while others moved there later in their lives. This phenomenon dates to the Great ...

Stanley Clarke Band at The Carver

by Katchie Cartwright
October 18, 2025

Stanley Clarke The Carver Community Cultural Center / Jo Long Theatre The New Season 2025/26 San Antonio, TX October 11, 2025 A capacity crowd at The Carver's Jo Long Theatre celebrated the opening of San Antonio's 2025 season on October 11 with a high-spirited set from Stanley Clarke ...

Introducing: The Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet

October 20, 2025

Following up on his Juno Nominated debut album The South Detroit Connection Russ Macklem returns with a sophomore release that is sure to turn heads. Introducing: the Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet brings together a group of some of the best musicians Detroit has to offer: Kasan Belgrave (alto saxophone), Jordan Anderson (piano), Noah Jackson (bass), Louis ...

Louis Jones III: Motions

by Paul Rauch
October 9, 2025

Drummer and composer Louis Jones III is an artist steeped deeply in the Detroit jazz tradition. A Motor City native, Jones is a prominent figure on the scene there, applying his talents across a variety of genres. That versatility is ever-present in his jazz playing but, to be clear about this, he is a jazz drummer ...

Jeff Haas

Born: May 9, 1949

Jeff Haas learned to crawl in the organ loft of Temple Israel in Detroit, listening to his dad play. He grew up surrounded by classical cats rehearsing chamber music with his dad, Karl Haas. At five, he was at the piano under his dad’s watchful eye. In his early teens, Jeff stumbled upon his first live Motown review (Marvin, Martha, The Temps, Four Tops, Supremes and Little Stevie Wonder) at the Michigan State Fair. He had gone rogue. The Motown music scene became Jeff’s playground, hanging out at the Grande Ballroom, Easttown and the back door of Bakers Keyboard Lounge, where Jeff could catch the jazz vibe even though he wasn’t old enough to get in.

Chris Pitts

Born: November 14

Steeped in Post Bop and Blues, Detroit Saxophonist, Chris Pitts made Manhattan, San Francisco and Paris, his homes before moving to Boston. His bands have always featured energetic rhythm sections and adventurous music. He performs regularly in the Boston area and released a recording titled "42". Active as a music producer, he produces the annual Newton Piano Summit and music for several local fairs. He also serves as Festival of the Arts Chair in Newton and Co-chair of the Newton Cultural Council.

He has performed at major jazz festivals and clubs in North America and Europe and played with jazz notables; Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Phil Woods, Jon Faddis, Regina Carter, James Carter, Betty Carter, Geri Allen, Robert Hurst, Kenny Garrett, Roy Brooks, Johnny O’Neil, Ralph Armstrong, Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, Danny Spencer, Rick Margitza, Kim Nalley, Eula Lawrence, John Handy, Madeline Eastman, Kitty Margolis, Bruce Forman, Mike Clark, Grover Washington Jr., Ronnie Cuber, Steve Slagel, Winard Harper, Marvin Stamm, Herb Geller, Wes Wirth, John Lockwood, Sean Skeete, Yuron Israel, Charles Boles, Sam Sanders, Jaribu Shahid, Ralph Peterson, and Warren Gale.

Joe Syrian: Secret Message

by Richard J Salvucci
April 14, 2025

A title like Secret Message does make a listener wonder what it might be. Is it deeply subversive, like the Zimmerman Telegram, or apocalyptic, like Fatima? Of course, as someone is reputed to have said, 'Sometimes, a cigar is just a smoke.' So it is possible to over-interpret a title, which may, in the final analysis, ...