Detroit

Keeping the flame

Detroit International Jazz Festival observes ‘Flame keepers’ theme

with modern jazz stars paying tribute to greats who came before them

DETROIT — Downtown will be a hot spot for jazz over the Labor Day weekend.

The 31st annual Detroit International Jazz Festival will offer five stages from Hart Plaza on the Detroit River to Campus Martius three blocks north, as well as a children’s area and the Jazz Talk Tent with informational presentations. The free festival will spotlight dozens of local and international jazz talents and run 4-11 p.m. Sept. 3, noon-11:30 p.m. Sept. 4-5 and noon-7:30 p.m. Sept. 6.

The urban soul group Tower of Power will headline Friday night. Other festival headliners include Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Manhattan Transfer, The Yellowjackets, Roy Haynes, Allen Toussaint, Terrence Blanchard and artist-in-residence Mulgrew Miller, who’ll be performing with a number of other acts, including Take 6 on Sept. 3. Metro Detroit acts taking the stage include Hot Club of Detroit, Carl Cafagna and North Star Jazz, Muruga Booker and the Rainforest Band, Ron Kischuk and the Masters of Music Trombones, and Dennis Tini Trio, among others.

“I think the opening night is going to be killer,” said Festival Executive and Artistic Director Terri Pontremoli.

Other certain highlights, said Pontremoli, are a rare opportunity for local audiences to see Maria Schneider perform with a full orchestra, Defenders of the Groove with Ernie Andrews, and Miller’s many performances with other groups and his own trio and Wingspan.

Pontremoli said the festival’s theme — “Flame Keepers — carrying the torch for modern jazz” — is about carrying on and passing on a musical tradition for generations, something that will be evident as modern artists honor their predecessors. Kirk Whalum will offer a tribute to Donny Hathaway, Michael Weiss and Randy Brecker will pay homage to Horace Silver, and Gary Smulyan and Barry Harris will pay tribute to Pepper Adams, among the weekend’s many overt nods to historic jazz greats.

“I’m always excited about the theme because the theme of our festival connects all of these musicians … to each other and to the audience,” Pontremoli said. “(And) I always get a kick out of the things that are one of a kind. We end up (organizing collaborative performances) that you wouldn’t hear anywhere else.”

Once again, local school jazz bands will have a chance to perform and learn from professional musicians. High school student bands chosen to appear on the Meijer Education Stage on Campus Martius this year include Cousino, Lake Shore, Stevenson, Troy, Warren Mott, Detroit Renaissance and Detroit School of Arts. In addition, local students will be performing as part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Jazz Ensemble with Karriem Riggins, Michigan Youth Arts All-State Ensemble and the Detroit Jazz Fest All Star Youth Ensemble. And Big Noise, a Fort Wayne, Ind., middle school big band that won a DownBeat magazine competition, will perform during the opening night festivities.

“We’re always trying to make sure the Detroit student musicians get attention, but we’re trying to bring in other young musicians, too,” Pontremoli said.

In a nod to those who’ve kept the local jazz torches burning, jazz historians/authors Jim Gallert and Lars Bjorn and educator Ben Pruitt will be honored with the 2010 Jazz Guardian Award.

The festival is also going high tech, introducing DJF’s Jazz Planet TV, an interactive Web experience that will stream live and taped interviews, performances, comments from audiences members and more.  Pontremoli said people can tune in on computers or smart phones. Festival organizers hope this tool introduces jazz, and the festival itself, to more people across the globe.

“My big hope is that we’re going to get thousands and thousands of people to tune in and say, ‘I have to come to Detroit next year,’” Pontremoli said.

The festival is already a major draw for visitors, with 23 percent of the estimated audience of 750,000 coming from outside of Michigan. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said the festival generates close to $90 million for Southeast Michigan.

All of those visitors are great for the local economy, but festival organizers hope audiences will also be inspired to help support what has become a beloved family tradition in the city. Grosse Pointe Farms businesswoman and philanthropist Gretchen Valade, who rescued the festival when it lost its principal sponsor several years ago, is behind a new fundraiser this year to support the free event. Through Gretchen’s Challenge, Valade will match all 2010 gifts up to $250,000 by 50 percent, such that a donation of $100 becomes $150, for example.

“I love the festival. It’s great,” Valade said of this year’s lineup. “It creates a great ambiance. Jazz is a great equalizer, as far as I’m concerned.”