Detroit Jazz Festival - Pre-Fest Series

Another Great Day in Detroit

For its 30th anniversary in 2009, DJF initiated a year-long series titled “Another Great Day in Detroit.” Through collaborations with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Wayne State University, Detroit Institute of Arts, the Guardian Building, the Rowland Café and area jazz clubs, the series will continue to provide special performances for music lovers, showcasing Detroit artists, and building momentum toward Labor Day Weekend.

Here is a listing of 2010 Pre-Fest Series events. Stay tuned for updates.

February
	THE MOVEMENT Revisited – a jazz opus by bassist and composer Christian McBride in partnership with Second Ebenezer Church, in dedication to four icons of the civil rights movement – Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The performance features Christian McBride, the Christian McBride Band, the Detroit International Jazz Festival Orchestra, the Second Ebenezer Majestic Voices and special guest narrators Dion Graham, Willis Patterson, Sonia Sanchez and Bishop Edgar L. Vann, II.

March
	Terence Blanchard & the WSU Big Band: Mo’ Better Jazz – An Evening of Swing and Film. Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard appears with the Wayne State University Big Band under the direction of Chris Collins. The performance features Blanchard’s arrangements of popular movie themes – from A Streetcar Named Desire to The Pawnbroker. Blanchard will also talk about scoring for film and show clips from several Spike Lee movies

April
	Wendell Harrison and the Detroit Swing Machine. DJF, in partnership with the Rowland Café, presents Wendell Harrison and the Detroit Swing Machine at the Guardian Building as part of the Let’s Do Lunch! series. 12 noon to 2PM. Admission is free.
	Mulgrew Miller at Warren Mott High School. The 2010 artist in residence leads a musicians workshop at this Detroit-area high school (located at 3131 E. 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI). The workshop is open to the public and free of charge. Space is limited. For more information or to reserve a spot, call the Detroit Jazz Fest office at 313.447.1248.
	Mulgrew Miller at the Carr Center. Miller performs with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble and students from the Detroit School of Arts at the Virgil H. Carr Center, located at 311 E. Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI. The evening features original compositions by Miller along with student arrangements and compositions. Show time is 7:00PM. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information, contact the Virgil H. Carr Center at 313.965.8430.

May
	The Wayne State University Jazztet. Let’s Do Lunch! continues with the Wayne State University Jazztet at the Guardian Building. 12 noon to 2PM. Admission is free.
	The Perry Hughes Trio. DJF closes out the Let’s Do Lunch! series at the Guardian Building with this presentation of the Perry Hughes Trio. 12 noon to 2PM. Admission is free.

June
	Mulgrew Miller and Roland Hamilton. Duo piano concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 7:00 & 8:30PM
	CHICK COREA FREEDOM BAND. DJF and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are proud to present the Chick Corea Freedom Band with Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Roy Haynes at Orchestra Hall, 7PM.

July
	Jazz Week @ Wayne – a partnership between DJF and the Wayne State University Department of Music – is a one-week workshop that provides forty high school students with an intensive and rewarding jazz education. All participants, selected from surrounding high schools, are awarded full scholarships to attend the program. For more information, go to music.wayne.edu/jazzweek.php.
	The WSU Detroit Collective. Chris Collins, Cliff Monear, Marion Hayden and Dave Taylor are joined by Steve Nelson at Bakers Keyboard Lounge.
	Jazz Week @ Wayne Ensemble performance. Jazz Week @ Wayne students will perform in a concert at Campus Martius (Downtown Detroit) from 11:30AM to 1:00PM.

August
	Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme. DJF presents the first of two installments of the "Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme" Poetry Slam at the General Motors Theatre of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Youth Session. 7-8pm; Adult Session 8-9PM.
	Java & Jazz. Pianist Johnny O’Neal (an Art Blakey alum) performs at the Detroit Public Library as part of the Java & Jazz series. Detroit jazz historians Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert will be on hand to interview O’Neal and chat about Blakey. 6PM. The DPL is located at 5201 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI. Click here for more information.
	2nd Annual DJF Cruise. The cruise sets sail from the GM Wintergarden Dock at Renaissance Center (downtown Detroit) at 7:30 P.M. The two-hour excursion takes place aboard the stylish Ovation Yacht – a 138-foot vessel that offers a “distinctly metropolitan flair,” an outstanding slate of amenities and three fabulous decks.
	Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme. DJF presents the second of two installments of the "Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme" Poetry Slam at the African World Festival in the Hart Plaza Underground Café. Youth 3-4PM; Adults 4-5PM.
	LOUIS. As part of a series of five premiere performances nationwide, DJF and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will co-present LOUIS, a silent film directed by Dan Pritzker and starring Jackie Earle Haley, Shanti Lowry and Anthony Coleman. The screening takes place at 8PM in Orchestra Hall. Tickets may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Avenue, Detroit); by calling 313.576.5111; or online at www.detroitsymphony.com.

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