JAZZ DRUMMER TARIQ GARDNER AND HIS VERSATILE GROUP THE EVENING STAR, PERFORMS TO SOLD-OUT CROWD AT CLIFF BELL’S

Bandleader & Drummer Tariq Gardner

The jazz drummer Tariq Gardner leads a multi-faceted band called The Evening Star, known for its hard-to-classify style. The Evening Star’s setlist seamlessly blends jazz, funk, and world music, creating an eclectic sound that defies easy categorization. If a classification is warranted, The Evening Star could be called a marvelous, tightly knit group—and that cohesion was clear Saturday evening at Cliff Bell’s in downtown Detroit. From the very first number, the musicians locked into each other's musical psyches, effortlessly moving through tempo changes and improvisational bursts from saxophonist Stephen Grady, Jr. It was the kind of performance where the band’s energy drew in the crowd. The setlist highlighted a diverse range of musical influences, featuring songs from Stevie Wonder, Slum Village, and originals by bandmates pianist Leroy Micken and guitarist Caelin Amin, displaying their creative voices. Although the setlist lacked cohesion, the band more than made up for it with their chemistry and Gardner’s leadership. He guided the group through dynamic shifts, knowing when to lounge in the pocket and when to encourage the musicians out of their comfort zones. As an admirer of Stephen Grady Jr, I was floored by his expressive solos marked by daring phrasing. His improvising felt noticeably freer than in recent performances—he played with greater boldness, and he took more improvisational risks, unexpected melodic twists, and turns. At times, he can be an improvisational conservative, but Gardner has a knack for erasing his bandmates' comfort zones. Watching Gardner push Grady was like witnessing Elvin Jones ignite John Coltrane. The band’s centerpiece and crowd favorite was vocalist Coleman Ward, who did an excellent job, given that Cliff Bell’s acoustics are necessarily vocalist-friendly. Anyway, Coleman, the consummate entertainer, made the best of things by walking through the club while singing. The capacity crowd ate up every lyric. Mentored by master jazz drummers Gaylynn McKinney and Djallo Djakate, Gardner has quickly matured into a versatile and skilled drummer across all genres. My only criticism of Gardner is that he sometimes plays with too much reckless abandon, and while listening to him last night, I briefly wondered if the Detroit jazz community might eventually see him move into the funk genre. Apart from that, Gardner has a talented group that defies easy classification and adeptly moves among different popular genres

 

VOCALIST NAIMA SHAMBORGUER WARMS HEARTS AT THE BLUE LLAMA

 

Vocalist Naima Shamborguer

The jazz vocalist Naima Shamborguer's voice wraps around you like an expensive quilt. I experienced that firsthand Sunday evening, listening to her perform standard songs from the American songbook at the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, MI. At times, the warmth of her voice made me want to climb on the bandstand and snuggle up next to her. At her concerts, you’ll experience pure singing that draws you in and makes you feel instantly connected to her. Her knack for conveying vulnerability, beauty, and strength in a single phrase is remarkable. One thing you won’t encounter, thankfully, is a bunch of gratuitous scatting; unlike many of her peers, who rely heavily on that. Shamborguer is always the consummate professional, understanding her audience pays good money to experience the fullness of her gift. Unfortunately, she doesn’t perform around the state as often as she should. However, she has an impressive discography, so if you can’t experience her live as often as you’d like, at least you have the wonderful albums that she’s released, like “Naima,” “Round Midnight,” and “A Blossom Sings” to quench your desire to hear her singing. She opened her hour-long set Sunday with the classic “Autumn Leaves,” moved gracefully to a heartwarming version of “Song for My Father,” then showed the depth of her gift on Geri Allen’s “Unconditional Love.” Shamborguer sang the notes just as Allen originally conceived them. The highlight of the set was Shamborguer inviting two of her family members, vocalists Penny Wells and Michael Hanna, the late pianist Sir Roland Hanna’s son, on stage to sing with her on “Feelings.” The vocalists were of good form, adding rib-sticking nuances to Morris Albert’s classic. The downside was that they only performed that number. Not that Shamborguer needs any help serving a marvelous set. Bassist Jaribu Shahid and pianist Sven Anderson backed her. Shamborguer voice melted over Anderson’s fingers. The set would’ve been incomplete without the inclusion of a reworking of Thelonious Monk’s “Rhythm-A-Ning.” One of her best albums is her interpretation of some of Monk’s signature compositions. The Monk gem was the song the trio had the most fun reinventing. Although Shamborguer’s setlist featured songs that have been performed for decades, her trio’s take made each seem fresh from the showroom floor.

JAZZ SAXOPHONIST WENDELL HARRISON CELEBRATED AT THE CARR CENTER

Saxophonist Wendell Harrison

Those familiar with jazz saxophonist Wendell Harrison's history know he wears many hats: the co-founder of the iconic band Tribe, composer of classics like “Dreams of a Love Supreme,” music educator at Metro Arts, mentor to generations of jazz musicians, and business executive behind independent jazz label, WenHa. His discography is populated with jewels like “Get Up Off Your Knees,”"Rush and Hustle,"  “Fly by Night,” and “Wait Broke the Wagon Down.” His Moma's Licking Sticks Clarinet Ensemble became one of the more acclaimed jazz ensembles regionally. In 2018, he received the highest honor given to a Michigan artist, the Kresge Eminent Artist award. Saturday night, key areas of his accomplishments and genius were highlighted during a two-hour tribute to him at the Carr Center. The center was packed with admirers, family, and young and accomplished musicians whom Harrison has influenced. The celebration offered musical performances, poetry, and testimonials. Saxophonist Stephen Grady Jr. and pianist Jacob Hart opened the evening with “Stablemates,” “Take the Coltrane,” and “Peace,” recreating much of the magic that Harrison and the late pianist Harold McKinney summoned up on their duet album “Something for Pops.” Grady, Jr. has a clean and uplifting tone, as well as a command of the tenor saxophone akin to Joe Henderson. Hart—who’s still a high schooler—has already made a name for himself, headlining top jazz clubs around Detroit. For a teen jazz pianist, he has an OG’s ability to efficiently groove and move through chord progressions. And he demonstrated that he’s a thoughtful accompanist. Grady, Jr, and Hart’s terrific opening set was augmented by poetry from wordsmiths Professor Gloria House and the pastor of the Shrine of the Black Madonna Church, and a short but soul-soothing number from pianist Pam Wise, trumpeter Ingrid Racine, and saxophonist Salim Washington. Harrison schooled him, and although he's now a world-renowned bandleader and music educator, he still considers Harrison to be his north star. After the great performances and anecdotes by bassist Ralphe Armstrong and Carr Center President Oliver Ragsdale, Harrison took the stage, obviously touched and appreciative of all the love lavished on him. Harrison discussed the origins of his organization, Rebirth, and its cultural impact in Detroit. He also shared stories about meeting his wife, the accomplished and woefully underpraised jazz pianist Pam Wise. Together, they performed a duet on her original piece, “Fly by Night.”  It was a pleasure listening to them swing lovingly and showing their fondness for each other and the music. The celebration ended with Harrison and Hart performing a blues. Here’s where I gained a deeper sense of Hart’s true potential, particularly in his ability to expose the marrow of the blues, as if he had vast life experience. The tribute’s only shortcoming was that none of Harrison’s signature compositions were performed. Still, it was a fitting celebration for a musician, educator, mentor, and business executive who’s been a cultural force in Detroit for decades.

 

THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES CELEBRATES ACCLAIM JAZZ BASSIST MARION HAYDEN

Bassist Marion Hayden

Many people know jazz bassist Marion Hayden for her impressive career, whether she's leading a band, working alongside renowned jazz musicians, teaching music, or guiding up-and-coming jazz talents. However, it's rare to find a concert dedicated exclusively to Hayden's own compositions. Hayden was honored as a composer on Sunday night at the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series. I need to confirm with the series’s founder trombonist, Vincent Chandler, if this was the first time an honoree has performed in the series. Hayden assembled an outstanding group featuring Steve Woods and Stephen Grady on saxophone, Vincent Chandler playing trombone, Jordan Anderson at the piano, Tariq Gardner on drums, and Tim Blackmon on trumpet. Hayden wrote the arrangements and narrated a ninety-minute concert featuring eight of her original compositions. The performance started with four movements from her Phillis Wheatley Suite: "Middle Passage," "Woik," "Duality," and "From a Flicker to a Flame." The band executed the songs with remarkable ease and cohesion. No single solo stood out more than the others. This was the most evenly balanced band that I’ve witnessed in a long time. Blackmon's playing was sharper than the creases in his dress slacks, and Grady possessed an old-school elegance. His blowing was consistently clean and exact. Gardner, the youngest in the lineup, plays drums with a journeyman’s maturity, knowing when to be subtle and when to blow the barn doors open, as shown by his precise solos on “The Drummmm” and “Teddy’s Dance/H.P. For Life.” “A compelling demonstration of his development as a jazz drummer. Anderson was the band’s linchpin, acting as a facilitator whose high rhythmic IQ pushed all his bandmates to heights they may not have known were achievable. This is a jazz pianist’s top trait. As for Hayden, she faced a tough challenge during the performance, having to cope with hip pain, forcing her to perform seated on a stool. Despite the physical discomfort, she managed to keep the packed audience captivated with one mic-dropping solo after the other. Her high swing aptitude allowed her to direct the band and walk the bass astonishingly for 90 minutes, all while seated—an achievement only a skilled jazz musician like her could pull off.

THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES KICKS OFF ITS THIRD SEASON WITH THE IAN FINKELSTEIN TRIO HONORING GERI ALLEN

 

Pianist Geri Allen

Since its inception in 2023, the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series has become a must-attend event in Detroit’s jazz community. Vincent Chandler, the creator of the series, continually adds nuances to it, refining each season. Before Sunday’s set commenced, he shared with the near-capacity audience that this season will feature more concerts by notable Detroit jazz musicians who are currently active. This was also the first time Chandler neither performed nor arranged any of the music. The season-opening concert featured the music of the late jazz pianist Geri Allen, performed by pianist Ian Finkelstein, a former student of Allen at the University of Michigan. Since graduating from the University of Michigan, he has become a well-rounded jazz pianist adept at accompanying vocalists and leading ensembles and trios. At Wayne State University's Schaver Music Recital Hall, Finklestein’s trio maneuvered seamlessly through some of Allen’s signature compositions—including “Timeless Portraits and Dreams,” “Skin,” “Drummer’s Songs,” “Unconditional Love,” and “Feed the Fire”—with the capable young talent drummer Caleb Robinson and bassist Michael Abbo. Abbo is an emerging star with considerable bandwidth, and Robinson is a drummer with chops akin to Ulysses Owns, Jr, and Rudy Royston. The trio sounded fit and sophisticated, handling Allen’s music as if they had invested most of their careers dissecting her work. Finkelstein deserves credit for choosing not to copy Allen’s phrasing or the way she wolfed down chord changes to the many songs she immortalized. He stretched out on his mentor’s music while maintaining his own identity. The trio’s adherence to details made it impossible to identify a specific highlight. It’s not off base to reason that every part of the concert was a highlight for the appreciative audience. However, If pressed, I must acknowledge Finkelstein’s solo rendering of "Amazing Grace" as a pure crowd-pleaser executed with such gravitas and sensitivity that it could’ve made Allen’s spirit and God cry.

STANDOUT SETS FROM THE 2025 DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

 

Pianist Jason Moran

Jason Moran and Jeff Mills with special guest Jessica Care Moore (Friday Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

I believed wholeheartedly this opening night performance was one of the more inventive in recent years and set the tone for how special this year’s Detroit jazz fest was going to be. Moran is a worldwind force in jazz, Mill is one of the founding fathers of Techno music, and Moore is one of the best writers Detroit has ever produced. Mixing their respective talents was pure delight. And Moore’s culturally and politically conscious poems mixed beautifully with the improvisational magic Moran and Mills created.

Chris Potter Trio featuring Matt Brewer and Kendrick Scott (Saturday Carhartt Amphitheater)

Listening to Potter’s Saturday afternoon set, I couldn’t help thinking about something that saxophonist Sonny Rollins told me. That you must be an exceptional musician to play in a band without a pianist. No one in their right mind would argue that Potter, Brewer, and Scott aren’t world-class jazz musicians who could swing in whatever musical situation they are in. A whole lot of swinging was exactly what the Potter trio served up, moving proficiently from standards to original material. Potter is a tenor saxophonist with a substantial discography and mastery of his instrument. Solo after solo, Potter gobbled up the music changes like Halloween candy.

Pianist Kenny Barron

Kenny Barron Voices featuring Tyreek McDole (Saturday JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)

Kenny Barron is one of the best jazz pianists in the history of jazz, and he doesn’t need to bring any extras during a performance because his playing is so soul-grabbing that any extras are overkill. For his Detroit fest performance, Barron offered more than himself this time around. He introduced to the jazz fest a magnificent young vocalist named Tyreek McDole, who had the audience eating out of his hands a short time after he began singing. Two of my jazz friends, Ronald Lockett and Debbie Tent, implored me to catch this set, and I'm glad that I listened to them. Barron, of course, was amazing, and McDole's mature and enticing voice melted in the audience’s ears.

Pianist Hiromi

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder (Saturday Carhartt Amphitheater)

Hiromi’s performance was a fitting follow-up to Jason Moran’s opening night set, although it wasn’t designed to be. Hiromi is an energetic pianist and a creative dynamo, rare these days in jazz circles. She raced up and down the piano like a madwoman, even at times banging the keys with her elbows. Her brand of swing may not appeal to the average jazz purist, but it would appeal to a listener searching for a pianist who is comfortable swinging outside the lines.

Vocalist Joan Belgrave

Detroit Jazz Queens-Paying Homage to Those Upon Whose Shoulders We Stand Ella, Nancy, Dinah, Etta (Sunday Absopure Waterfront Stage)

This set was a beautifully produced homage to four jazz vocalists who had a lasting impact on the music. And a tribute of this magnitude could have only been pulled off by vocalists who also profoundly impacted the music: Joan Belgrave, Joan Crawford, Diane Mathis, and Tonya Hood. The wonderful thing about this set was that neither of the vocalists attempted to emulate the style of the vocalists they were honoring. Belgrave, Crawford, Mathis, and Hood brought their own uniqueness to the songs that Ella, Nancy, Dinah, and Etta immortalized. This set was unadulterated vocal jazz at its absolute finest.

Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin

Lakecia Benjamin (Sunday Carhartt Amphitheater)

I had my fingers crossed for years that the organizers of the Detroit jazz fest would book saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. I have experienced her twice before in Detroit. The last time at a church. She couldn’t cut loose like she usually does. I felt the Detroit jazz fest would be a good place for her to be herself, and her Sunday afternoon set didn’t disappoint. She opened the set with an ode to John Coltrane, nearly blowing the sun out of the sky. Then she moved to selections from her Grammy-nominated albums. The best part of the set was her band stretching out on “My Favorite Things” and the dynamic exchange between Benjamin and drummer Terreon Gully, a newcomer to her band.

Pianist Jason Moran

Jason Moran Presents the Music of Duke Ellington featuring the Detroit Jazz Festival Collegiate Jazz Orchestra (Sunday JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)

For the past few years, pianist Jason Moran has been immersed in the music of Duke Ellington, and he let the Detroit jazz festival audience in on the extent of his immersion with Ellington's music by performing many of Ellington’s signature compositions with the Detroit Jazz Festival Collegiate Jazz Orchestra. In the hands of Moran and the collegiate musicians, Ellington's music was expertly performed, and it was good to hear the next generation swing their way through the music. The highlight of the set was the orchestra burning through Ellington’s “Bragging in Brass.” Jason was so taken with how the orchestra handled that complicated piece, Moran surprised the orchestra and the audience by having the orchestra perform it again.

Pianist Omar Saso

Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos (Sunday Carhartt Amphitheater)

Pianist Omar Sosa is the reigning king of Afro-Cuban jazz, and he proved why that title is apropos. Sosa had the piano sweating like a personal trainer. Sosa delivered an hour-plus of feel-good swing.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet

The Branford Marsalis Quartet (Sunday Carhartt Amphitheater)

This was Marsalis' first set at the Detroit jazz festival in 15 years. It was a set that I’ve seen Marsalis deliver many times, and yet his band pianist, Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner never disappoint. The set opened with “The Mighty Sword” followed.

by “There’s No Sweet Man Worth the Salt of My Tears.” Here’s where you get to see the best pianist and drummer duo in the business show their ass. Witnessing the two music soulmates trading is always engaging. Marsalis surprised the audience by inviting Lakecia Benjamin to join his band. I thought Benjamin needed at least 24 hours to recover from her thunderous set.

JAZZ BASSIST RODNEY WHITAKER PERFORMS MUSIC FROM HIS NEW ALBUM ‘MOSAIC: THE MUSIC OF GREG HILL’ AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ’

 

Bassist Rodney Whitaker

Rodney Whitaker, a jazz bassist, played music from his new album “Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill” at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café over the weekend. I caught the late show on Friday and noticed something about Whitaker that people don’t often talk about. Those who know his background are aware of his time with Jazz at Lincoln Center, his success as a bandleader, and his role in making the jazz program at Michigan State University one of the best in the world. He is also great at putting together top-notch bands, often mixing his students, local Detroit musicians, and well-known jazz musicians. This was clear at Friday’s show. His band featured trumpeter Dwight Adams, drummer Dana Hall, pianist Brendon Davis, saxophonist Allen Paige, and special guest Rockelle Whitaker, his daughter, who was the star of the band. The set began with a Joe Henderson classic. Then, Whitaker led the band through songs from “Mosaic,” featuring Gregg Hill’s music. Hill’s work has been on albums by guitarist Randy Napoleon and trombonist Michael Dease. Hill started his music career later in life, but he quickly became a sought-after composer. Whitaker has been a great promoter of Hill’s music. The concert’s highlights were solos from Adams, Detroit’s top trumpeter, and Davis, one of the best pianists of his generation. Adams’s soloing on songs like “Slow Gin Fizz” shook the Dog’s foundation. I only get to hear Adams once or twice a year, but he always manages to sound better each time. This is impressive since his skills are already comparable to those of great trumpeters like Donald Byrd and Freddie Hubbard. Davis’s playing has grown a lot in the brief time he’s been in the Detroit jazz scene. He swung on Friday night as if playing in Whitaker’s band was a major goal on his career vision board. What is striking about his playing is his control and his ability to dazzle without being overly showy. Rockelle Whitaker is always delightful when she joins in. She came on stage after the fourth song and captivated the audience with her first song. She is a pure vocalist with a calm stage presence, like Shahid Nurullah. The hour-long concert was nourishing and satisfied my week-long craving for good jazz.