Ed Sarkesian and Detroit's First Jazz Festivals By Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert
Ed Sarkesian clearly remembers the afternoon of August 16,
1959. It was Sunday, the third and final day of the first American
Jazz Festival, held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. The weather
had been sunny and hot Friday and Saturday, but Sunday saw cooler
temperatures and rain, which threatened to ruin the much-anticipated
evening performance by Stan Kenton’s orchestra. But Sarkesian remained
calm and optimistic. “I said, it’s not gonna rain, it’s gonna stop.
And it didn’t stop…but by five o’clock it stopped, and the sun
came out, it was beautiful. And we did a hell of a job at the door…biggest
crowd was on Sunday night, when Stan Kenton was on.” MORE>
Nights at the Blue Bird Inn By Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert
In the jazz world, one sure sign of veneration is having tunes named for you.
By that measure, Detroit's Blue Bird Inn has made it. At least two prominent
Motor City jazz stars have honored the legendary jazz nightclub – their old stomping
ground – with tune titles in recent years. First there was trumpeter Thad Jones’
composition “5021.” It refers to the Blue Bird’s address on Tireman, on the city’s
near west side. Then there’s pianist Tommy Flanagan’s “Beyond The Bluebird,”
the title track of his acclaimed 1990 recording with his former bandmate, guitarist
Kenny Burrell. This CD is a virtual compilation of Blue Bird-related tunes. MORE>
Special Note: The photo of Ed Sarkesian was provided courtesy of
Jon Sarkesian.
