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 Shahida
Nurullah and Good Company
12:00 – 1:00
PM, Absopure Waterfront Stage
“[Nurullah] has a rare vocal gift. Her voice is pristine and she sings
the American songbook standards with a touch of the Brazilian composers Jobim,
Horta and Brant” (Nuvo.net). You can check out this Detroit
gem on her debut release, The Ruby and the Pearl. She’ll
be appearing at DJF with Good Company: Tad Weed (piano), Don Mayberry (bass),
Kenneth Rice (drums), and Diego Rivera (sax).
  Leebop:
A Tribute to Lee Morgan with
Dominick Farinacci, Jeremy Pelt and Brandon Lee
1:30 – 2:45 PM, Absopure Waterfront Stage
Rising trumpet stars Brandon Lee, Jeremy Pelt, and Dominick Farinacci
lead a tribute to one of the major figures of the hard bop era, legendary
trumpeter and Philadelphia native Lee Morgan. Known for his effortless,
virtuosic technique and muscular tone, Morgan produced some of the most
memorable Blue Note sessions of the 60s, including The Sidewinder, The
Gigolo, and Search for a New Land. The young trumpeters will
be joined by Rick Roe (piano), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), and Quincy Davis
(drums).
 Jimmy
Heath & the Wayne State University Big Band
2:00 – 3:00 PM, Carhartt Amphitheatre
Long recognized as a brilliant saxophonist and talented composer, Jimmy
Heath has also emerged as one of the best big band arrangers in the business.
All of these gifts are on full display in his Grammy-nominated album, Little
Man Big Band, and his latest release, Turn Up the Heath. The
NEA Jazz Master joins forces with the Wayne State University Big Band under
the direction of Chris Collins. The band consists of Michael Karloff (piano),
John Gordon (bass), Chuck Newsome (guitar), David Dionise (drums), Stefan
Seljia (trumpet), Dave Jennings (lead trumpet), Justin Umbarger (trumpet),
Devon Staples (trumpet), Chelsea Hallendy (bones), Ron Kischuck (bones),
John Paxton (bones), Jeff Nueshwander (bones), Levi Jenson (woodwinds),
Johnny Brunetto (woodwinds), James Hughes (lead woodwinds), Michelle Mallick
(woodwinds), and Eli Wilson (woodwinds).
 Larry
Lee and Back in the Day
3:00 – 4:00 PM Chase Main Stage
Back In The Day is an eight-piece high-energy professional unit led by
bassist and former NFL player Larry Lee. BITD has been nominated three
years in a row for “R&B Band of the Year” (Detroit Music
Awards), with the leader being named “Urban/Funk Musician of the
Year” in 2006. BITD includes Mia Johnson and Kendrick Jackson (vocals),
Steve Bibbs (drums), Jerry Jensen (guitar), John Sadler (keyboards), Kelvin
Green (trumpet), and James Chaney (sax).
 Pat
Martino Quartet
3:15 – 4:30 PM, Absopure Waterfront Stage
“. . .there's only one Pat Martino. No one who professes an interest
in improvised music should overlook this evidence of a master at work” (All
About Music). One listen to the Philadelphia-born guitar master
on Think Tank or his latest release, Remember: A Tribute to Wes
Montgomery, is sure to remove any doubt. Joining
Martino at DJF are pianist Rick Germanson, drummer Scott Robinson, and bassist
Harvie S.
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 Brubeck
Institute Jazz Quintet with Christian McBride
3:30 – 4:30 PM, Here & Now Stage
Bassist and 2008 artist in residence Christian McBride performs
with the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet (BIJQ). The Quintet, a component
of the Brubeck Institute, has performed at some of the major festivals
in the U.S. and recently completed a State Department tour in Spain. The
band features Ben Flocks and Chad Lefkowitz (saxophone), Javier Santiago
(piano), Zack Brown (bass), and Adam Arruda (drums).
 Detroit-Torino
Project
3:45 – 5:00 PM, Mack Avenue Records Pyramid Stage
The Detroit-Torino Project is a multi-media collaboration between composer/reed
player Chris Collins of Detroit and alto saxophonist Emanuele Cisi of Torino,
Italy. The project, supported by funding from Wayne State University, “involves
creating a composition that fuses visual and audio impressions of the [two]
cultures.” Collins and Cisi will be joined by Cliff Monear (piano),
Sean Dobbins (drums), and Nick Calandro (bass).
 Ravi
Coltrane’s Tribute to Alice, with Geri Allen,
Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette and Brandee Younger
4:30 – 6:00 PM, Carhartt Amphitheatre
The son of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, Ravi performs at
DJF in a special tribute to his late mother, jazz pianist/harpist and Detroit
native Alice Coltrane. Ms. Coltrane performed with her husband’s group
(replacing McCoy Tyner) in the final two years of his life and went on to
lead her own groups that included Pharaoh Sanders and Joe Henderson. Ravi
has also acquitted himself quite well, as evidenced on his latest album, In
Flux. The “Tribute to Alice” brings together veteran bassist
Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette (both of whom played on Ms. Coltrane’s
final album, Translinear Light,), pianist Geri Allen, harpist Brandee
Younger, and Ed Feldman on tamboura and tabla.
 Spangler & O’Donnell
Planet D Nonet
5:00 – 6:00 PM, Chase Main Stage
Founded by drummer RJ Spangler and trumpeter James O’Donnell – two
eastside Detroit-based musicians – the Planet D Nonet plays swing,
blues, space-age jazz, and classic American songs. Their performance
at DJF will pay tribute to the “Hucklebuck,” the 1948 hit that
many consider an important precursor to rock ‘n’ roll.
 Tribute
to Donald Walden with Marion Hayden, Rick Roe, Diego Rivera and Special
Friends Barry Harris, Charles McPherson and Geri Allen
5:30 – 7:00 PM, Mack Avenue Records Pyramid Stage
Bassist extraordinaire Marion Hayden leads a tribute to her fellow band
mate and friend, Detroit saxophonist/composer Donald Walden. As jazz critic
Mark Stryker recently noted, “Few musicians have embodied the
soul of the Detroit jazz scene as powerfully in recent decades as Donald
Walden.” The set will feature some very special friends – pianists
Barry Harris and Geri Allen and saxophonist Charles McPherson – and
members of the Free Radicals (the group Walden founded): Rick Roe (piano),
Diego Rivera (sax), Thaddeus Dixon (drums), and Cassius Richmond (alto
sax).
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 bugs
Beddow
5:30 – 6:30 PM, Here & Now Stage
Winners of the 2007 & 2008 Detroit Music Award for “Outstanding
Rhythm & Blues Group,” this Detroit favorite serves up trombone-driven
party blues and funk. For a pre-festival sample, check out their 2002 album, Smokin’ Live.
The band features bugs Beddow on trombone and flute, Duffy King (guitar),
Jim Pryor (drums), Robert Reeves (sax), and Glen Olds (bass).
 Benny
Golson Quartet
6:00 – 7:30 PM, Absopure Waterfront Stage
JazzTimes called this Philadelphia-born saxophonist/composer “an
awesome modern mainstream improviser, able to craft captivating and
emotion-laden melodic lines while sailing through the chord changes
with the ease afforded by his ultra sharp composer's ear.” An
NEA Jazz Master, Golson has been on the scene for more than five decades,
contributing such jazz classics as “Killer Joe,” “I
Remember Clifford,” “Along Came Betty,” and “Whisper
Not.” His latest release, Terminal I, pays tribute to
the Steven Spielberg movie of the same name, in which he appeared and
played. The quartet features Mike LeDonne (piano), Buster Williams
(bass), and Carl Allen (drums).
 Stanley
Jordan Trio
7:00 – 8:15 PM, Chase Main Stage
“Stanley Jordan is an example of what happens to an artist when technique
and spirit meet” (All About Jazz). Jordan brings his unique
guitar mastery to DJF on the heels of his debut release on Mack Avenue Records, State
of Nature, his first mainstream release in over a decade. The musically
diverse recording employs jazz, classical and rock textures to express the
artist’s ideas about “man’s relationship to nature and humankind.” Jordan
will be joined by bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Kenwood Dennard.
 Kenny
Garrett Quartet
7:15 – 8:30 PM, Carhartt Amphitheatre
“[Garrett] has achieved a marvelous coherency. Nothing is employed to
show off, nothing extraneous is brought into to lend a commercial edge. Garrett
can lock his gaze on to any musical ingredient and command it to serve the
purpose of jazz”(The Times). Recent dates by the Detroit-born
alto master (including his latest, Beyond the Wall) confirm this lofty
assessment.
 Hot
Club of Detroit with Special Guest Kruno
7:15 – 8:30 PM, Here & Now Stage
The five-time Detroit Music Award winners return to DJF with
their distinctive brand of Gypsy jazz, following the recent release
of their second album, Night Town. The album is a worthy follow
up to their acclaimed debut, Hot Club of Detroit, and “showcases
the band's maturity, virtuosity, and musical growth.” HCOD
is led by guitarist Evan Perri, and features Paul Brady (guitar), Shannon
Wade (bass), Carl Cafagna (sax), Julien Labro (accordion), and special
guest, Kruno, a gypsy guitarist from Philadelphia.
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 Gerald
Cleaver
7:30 – 8:45 PM, Mack Avenue Records Pyramid Stage
The Detroit-born Cleaver is another product of the city’s rich musical
tradition. Inspired by his drummer father, John Cleaver, he has gone
on to perform or record with Jacky Terrasson, Reggie Workman, Matt Shipp,
and Henry Threadgill. Cleaver’s debut recording as a leader, Adjust,
was nominated for Best Debut Recording by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Joining Cleaver at DJF are Ben Waltzer (piano), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet),
J.D. Allen (tenor sax), and Andrew Bishop (soprano/tenor sax and bass clarinet).
 Roy
Hargrove Quintet
8:00 – 9:15 PM, Absopure Waterfront Stage
“Hargrove's voice comes from a long line of trumpeters from Dizzy Gillespie
and Lee Morgan, to Miles and Marsalis and his command of the trumpet is complete” (All
About Jazz). Widely recognized as one of the premier jazz trumpeters,
the two-time Grammy Award-winner appears at DJF following the recent release
of Earfood, a straight-ahead effort that was “made to bring
sonic pleasure to the listener.” Joining Hargrove at DJF are Justin
Robinson (alto sax and flute), Gerald Clayton (piano), Danton Boller (bass),
and Montez Coleman (drums).
 Brian
Bromberg with Randy Brecker and Jeff Lorber
8:45 – 10:00 PM, Chase Main Stage
“His performance is one step short of manic. At times he seems to be
producing two melodies simultaneously, using three or four fingers of each
hand – his solo foray is phenomenal” (Leonard Feather, LA Times). Bromberg’s
latest release, Downright Upright (2007), marks his return to the
acoustic upright bass and offers his personal take on such classics as “Cantaloupe
Island” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” Bromberg will be joined
by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker and Philly-born fusion pioneer
Jeff Lorber on keyboards.
 “Battle
of the Big Bands” – Count Basie Orchestra with Special
Guest Nnenna Freelon vs. The Gerald Wilson Orchestra with
Special Guest Kenny Burrell
9:15 – 11:15 PM, Carhartt Amphitheatre
This epic “battle” features the legendary Count Basie Orchestra
under the direction of Bill Hughes, with Grammy-nominated singer Nnenna
Freelon versus The  Gerald
Wilson Orchestra, led by NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson, with guitar master
Kenny Burrell. The Count Basie Orchestra consists
of Michael Williams, William " Scotty" Barnhart, Waldron Ricks
and Kris Johnson (trumpet); Clarence Banks, David Keim, Barry Cooper and
Alvin Walker (trombone); John Williams (baritone sax); Doug Miller (tenor
sax); Marshall McDonald (lead alto sax); Doug Lawrence (tenor sax); Cleave
Guyton (alto sax); Marion Felder (drums); James Leary (bass); Will Matthews
(guitar); and Tony Suggs (piano). The Gerald Wilson Orchestra consists
of Brian O’Rourke (piano); Mel Lee (drums); Trey Henry (bass);  Ron
Barrows, Eugene “Snooky” Young, Bijorn Watson, Wynton Bird,
and Steve Hussteter (trumpet); Les Benedict, Isaac Smith, Mike Wimberly
and Maurice Spears (bone); Jack Kelso, Jack Kelso and Randall Willis (alto
sax); Carl Randall (tenor sax); Kimasi Washington (tenor & baritone
sax); and Anthony Wilson (guitar).
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