From legends like Elvin Jones, Yusef Lateef, and Ron Carter to contemporary stars like Karriem Riggins, Kenny Garrett, and Regina Carter, you can’t tell the history of jazz in America without telling the history of jazz from Detroit. Scores of world-class jazz musicians have rolled off Detroit’s assembly line, influenced by both a profound legacy of mentors, including Barry Harris, Marcus Belgrave, and Rodney Whitaker, and the soulfulness of a great American city that never quits.
Inspired by Mark Stryker’s 2019 book, Jazz from Detroit, this 90-minute documentary weaves a compelling historical and cultural tapestry through the 20th and 21st centuries. Set within Detroit’s dramatic rise and fall as an industrial power and the triumphs of its creative and resilient African American community, The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit connects the dots between the city’s history and Black music excellence.
A post-screening discussion at the Spurlock Museum will feature producers Daniel Loewenthal, Roberta Friedman, and Mark Stryker, who was also the writer of this compelling documentary. An afterglow performance of music from Detroit’s jazz scene will take place at the Rose Bowl Tavern and will feature Joel Spencer on drums, Joan Hickey on piano and Larry Gray on bass.
Sponsors for this programming include Global Arts Performance Initiatives, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Spurlock Museum, Rose Bowl Tavern, UNESCO Center for Global Citizenship, and the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. For further information about this programming call 217-333-4577 or email schwrtzs@illinois.edu.