NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES FROM THE 47TH ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

 Ravi Coltrane Quartet Centennial Celebration (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

In 2009, when I profiled saxophonist Ravi Coltrane for the Metro Times, I asked why he had not performed his father John Coltrane’s music. At the time, he was determined to build his own name rather than ride his father’s coattails, and he told me the best way to honor that legacy was not to recreate it. Since then, recordings including “Spirit Fiction,” “Moving Pictures,” and “In Flux” have established him as a force. During this hour-plus set at the 47^th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival, he sounded fully at ease playing his father’s repertoire. My favorite moments of the set were the opening “Acknowledgment” and “Resolution,” movements from the landmark album “A Love Supreme.” On “Equinox” and “Expression,” Coltrane played with more daring and aggression than I had ever heard from him live. His solo on “Naima” sounded as if his father’s spirit was beside him, whispering in his ear what notes and changes to play.

 

Bob James (JPMorgan Chase Stage)

Pianist Bob James has long blended post-bop and smooth-jazz elements with unusual fluency, and on Saturday evening he delivered a rousing hour-long set. It was my second-favorite performance of the festival—a surprise because smooth jazz has never been my preference. James won me over through the elegance of his phrasing, especially on Roberta Flack’s classic “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” He was in top form, but Ukrainian saxophonist Andrey Chumut often became the center of attention, moving from a sweet tone on his original “Moving Forward” to a more commanding attack on James’s “The Music of Freedom.” By the middle of the set, he had the capacity audience in his hands.

African Rhythms Alumni Quintet: Celebrating the Centennial of Dr. Randy Weston (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

Jazz pianist Randy Weston would have turned 100 this year, and several former bandmates—including alto saxophonist TK Blue, pianist Sharp Radway, percussionist Chief Baba Neil Clark, trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, and bassist Alex Blake—honored him with the festival’s most thoughtfully conceived tribute. The quintet opened with Weston’s classic “Hi-Fly,” then remodeled his signature works “Anu Anu,” “The Gathering,” and “Portrait of Patsy J.” Rather than merely reproducing his arrangements, the musicians channeled his expansive rhythmic language, with longtime collaborator Blake adding especially vivid color on bass.

Artemis (Waterfront Stage)

Artemis had made a persuasive case for being one of jazz’s finest ensembles. Pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Allison Miller, bassist Noriko Ueda, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and saxophonist Nicole Glover offered a master class in collective virtuosity. Their set leaned heavily on standards including “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love,” “Hackensack,” and “Flamenco Sketches,” but the original “Sight Unseen” revealed the group at its most distinctive. The musicians listened and responded with such precision that even familiar standards seemed fresh off the assembly line, each player in lockstep with the others without sacrificing an individual voice.

 

Ron Carter Foursight Quartet (Waterfront Stage)

Ron Carter’s set was not billed as a tribute to his former boss, trumpeter Miles Davis; however, its emphasis on Davis-associated compositions made it feel like an unofficial centennial celebration. Carter is known for threading tunes together until the compositions take on the shape of a carefully built suite, and his quartet sustained that continuity with remarkable ease. Pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Payton Crossley, and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene swung with seemingly inexhaustible energy, while Carter anchored every transition with his polished tone. At 89, he remains a commanding bassist, and this was post-bop at its finest.

Cindy Blackman Santana (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

Cindy Blackman delivered the festival’s funkiest set. Few drummers I have encountered in my years as a music journalist match her combination of power and control. She sucks you in and releases you when she is damn good and ready. Her saxophonist was equally captivating. The set moved furthest toward the jazz tradition when Blackman surprised the crowd with a revamped take on Miles Davis’s “Blue in Green.”

VOCALIST CARMEN LUNDY AND SAXOPHONIST GARY BARTZ DELIVER NEAR-FLAWLESS SETS AT THE CONCERT OF COLORS

Carmen Lundy

At the 2026 Concert of Colors at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Sunday evening, jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy proved the widely held belief that the human voice is an instrument. I first heard that years ago from the renowned Detroit jazz radio host Ed Love, and it has stayed with me. I hadn’t experienced it firsthand until Lundy’s performance that Sunday. Her ability to make her voice sound like an instrument sets her apart from her peers. Her stage presence is equally engaging. Lundy never spends her set reinterpreting jazz standards; instead, she draws from her discography. Sunday, she started with “Blue Woman,” then seamlessly moved into “Lonesome Blue Butterfly” and “Lone Journey Home,” composed by her brother, bassist Curtis Lundy. When she ended “Old Friends,” I bet most attendees had tears in their eyes. She clearly embodies near-superhuman powers, able to evoke and manipulate every emotion imaginable. But the true joy isn’t always in hearing her sing from the far reaches of her soul; it’s in watching how she inspires her bandmates. For this concert, her band included her brother Curtis, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, drummer Terron Gully, and the rising pianist Sequoia "Redwood" Snyder. Her touch and temperament at the piano resemble those of the late Geri Allen, and Snyder was unquestionably Lundy’s favorite band member, brimming with pride as Snyder played with grace, color, and self-assurance. Man, the young lady can swing when encouraged. At a young age, she understands the mechanics of accompanying a world-class vocalist. Although Lundy believes in sharing the spotlight, the near-flawless set hinged on her voice—that wonderful instrument.

Gary Bartz

Before saxophonist Gary Bartz blew the audience out of their seats at the DIA after Carmen Lundy’s set, he told the audience that he and his band, bassist Ralphe Armstrong, drummer Eric Kennedy, pianist Joe Block, and guitarist Paul Bollenbeck, would perform the set without commercial interruptions. They planned to swing and only come up for air if necessary. They never broke stride. At 85, Bartz sounded even more robust and together than when he ran the streets with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis. Bartz never revealed the setlist, but the music, an amalgamation of bop, funk, R&B, and free jazz, came off like one extended composition designed for the Concert of Colors. Honestly, I only planned to stay for a few of the tunes in Bartz’s set. I was there for Lundy, and she didn’t disappoint. Twenty minutes into Bartz’s set, I couldn’t in good conscience leave such a marvelous improvisational swing fest. It was the first time I had heard him live with his own band. I'm not sure if this band is his regular touring band. I know Armstrong was a last-minute replacement for Bartz’s regular bassist. Anyway, collectively they were tighter than a size 10 foot in a size eight dress shoe. Their individual solos were as satisfying as home cooking, especially those of Bollenbeck and Kennedy. He’s one of those likable jazz drummers who never tries to be the center of attention. His drumming is direct, and he is a stickler for time management. Each member was a perfect complement to Bartz's worldly swing ethic.

 

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND URSA MAJOR CLOSE THE 2026 PARADISE JAZZ SERIES

Christian McBride and Ursa Major

The jazz bassist Christian McBride has a gift for spotting and developing young jazz musicians. Much like Art Blakey with the Jazz Messengers, he has built bands that serve as launching pads for emerging jazz musicians who go on to become major bandleaders, often stars. Among those McBride has helped elevate are drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., pianist Christian Sands, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf. McBride’s current group, Ursa Major, features drummer Savannah Harris, pianist Mike King, saxophonist Nicole Glover, and guitarist Ely Perlman. On Friday night at Orchestra Hall in Midtown Detroit, the group closed the 2026 Paradise Jazz Series in grand fashion. McBride describes Ursa Major as an all-in-one group that incorporates elements of his other ensembles: New Jawn, Inside Straight, and the Christian McBride Big Band. It is an ambitious concept, but the group carried it off easily over a terrific, mostly swing-driven 90-minute set. Their debut recording, “Point of Light,” is due out this summer, and McBride drew much of the evening’s set list from that project, along with songs from his earlier recordings. The band opened with an abstract original by Glover before igniting a brushfire with the next, which Glover gobbled the changes like a hungry man ripe fruit. Throughout the performance, she demonstrated that she can blow lovingly and freewheelingly. The performance was filled with ravishing highlights. I awoke this morning thinking about the exchange between King and Harris on McBride’s “Black Mood.” Their interplay matched the energy and intensity of pianist Joey Calderazzo and drummer Justin Faulkner during their heated musical dialogues. Harris’s attack, rim shots, and cymbal work have a strong kinship to Faulkner's style of drumming. There were times when the musicians came up for air, playing slow-tempo numbers that were not as arresting as the harder-swinging selections that immediately won the audience over. Although McBride assembled Ursa Major largely so Harris, King, Perlman, and Glover could swing and develop, he never languishes in the background. He reminded the audience of his considerable virtuosity with death-defying bass work on Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta.” Yes, he was showboating some, but the near-capacity audience was totally invested. McBride has long favored forming new bands every couple of years, and continuing to staff them with ambitious, swing-conscious young musicians has proven a winning formula.

 

DWIGHT ADAMS QUARTET OPENS WJZZ’S CONNOISSEUR CONCERT SERIES AT THE RADISSON-SOUTHFIELD

Trumpeter Dwight Adams

In recent years, Detroit’s jazz scene has produced several praiseworthy concert series. The most prominent has been the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, founded by jazz educator and trombonist Vincent Chandler, which has honored departed Detroit legends like Geri Allen, Donald Walden, Curtis Fuller, Betty Carter, and Harold McKinney. This year, it expanded its reach to include active swingers like saxophonists Kasan Belgrave and Marcus Elliot. The series recently ended its third consecutive year of exceptional programming. DJPCS set a high bar for any emerging new series. On Friday evening at the Radisson in Southfield, MI, a new series, the WJZZ Connoisseur Concert Series, debuted. Rodger Penzabene, Jr., president of WJZZ, started the jazz concert series and chose trumpeter Dwight Adams’s Quartet for the opening concert. Adams, one of Detroit’s most enduring jazz stars, delivered the best jazz concert I’ve attended this year. Adams’s quartet—drummer Andre Wright, pianist Bob Mervak, and bassist Jeff Pedraz—opened the 90-minute set with Horace Silver’s “Barbara” before moving into Lee Morgan’s “Mr. Kenyatta.” By the end of the second selection, the musicians were sweating like union laborers. To give them a breather, Adams called the ballad “Angel Eyes,” which shifted the attention to Mervak’s vocals, and he proved to be not only a versatile jazz pianist but also a fine singer. Mervak’s voice was smooth as patent leather. After the ballad, the quartet returned to its deep-swinging. Adams was clearly the star, though Pedraz and Wright delivered goosebump-inducing solos the entire set. Wright’s chops are akin to the late jazz drummer Pete La Roca in both decisiveness and taste. Like La Roca, Wright understands a jazz drummer’s first job is to keep time, and he managed that responsibility all night without the showboating common among other jazz drummers. As for Adams’s trumpet playing, there is little left to say that I haven’t already said over the decades I’ve known him. He is one of the last jazz musicians of the 1990s with an instantly recognizable sound. Within a few choruses in the upper register of his horn, any seasoned Detroit jazz listener would know it’s Adams’s voice. After the concert, attorney and avid jazz devotee Mark Brown told me that Adams is a complete soloist whose improvisations have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Adams knows how to tell a story through his solos. That was evident when he waltzed with the changes of “The Last Minute.” Every moment of the concert qualified as a highlight, especially the arresting guest appearance by flutist James Russell, who sat in for one tune. The quartet also performed Adams’s original “The Last Minute,” repurposed Benny Golson’s “Blue Walk,” and closed with Freddie Hubbard’s “Mr. Clean.” For the encore, Adams once again cast the zoom lens on Mervak, who thrilled the full house with a jazzy take of Erykah Badu’s “I’ll See You Next Lifetime.” The WJZZ Connoisseur Concert Series clearly met the high standard set by the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, and Adams raised expectations even further for the jazz bands Penzabene Jr. has lined up next. Also worth mentioning is that many of the jazz fans who attend the DJPCS were in attendance. Unfortunately, Penzabene Jr. announced the date of the next concert but did not reveal who the band is. 

THE XAVIER DAVIS NEW YORK JAZZ QUARTET OPENS THE MIDTOWN JAZZ CRAWL AT THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS.

 

Pianist Xavier Davis

The Midtown Jazz Crawl, presented by the Carr Center, exemplifies the organization’s commitment to outstanding jazz programming. The first event in 2022 featured top jazz musicians, including Tia Fuller, Camelle Thurman, Keyon Harrold, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Jazzmeia Horn. Due to budget reductions, this year's crawl—taking place at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the Cathedral of St. Paul—is less star-heavy compared to its debut. Nevertheless, the opening performance by the Xavier Davis Quartet on Friday evening in the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts was exceptional. The quartet performed material from his discography and from the works of well-regarded Detroit icons such as Pepper Adams and Tommy Flanagan. Davis introduced saxophonist Greg Tardy, drummer Quincy Davis, and bassist Vincente Archer by joking that he might call the group the Professors of Jazz, as each member teaches at a prominent university. Davis himself is a Jazz Piano professor at Michigan State University. The 90-minute performance felt like a graduate seminar exploring every nook and cranny of acoustic jazz. No fanfare or unnecessary grandstanding—just four adult jazz musicians cooking. This jazz quartet is about as excellent as you could hope for in a straight-ahead. group. Davis never clarified when the band got together or how long they had been performing as a group. If I had to guess, I would say as long as established other powerhouse jazz outfits like the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the James Carter Trio. Davis opened with "Plan Unknown” from his first album. Tardy, who established a solid reputation in the late 1990s alongside notable musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Mark Shim, Christian McBride, and Jason Moran, truly made an impact several choruses in, wolfing down the chord changes like snack cakes. Tardy’s tone was arresting but never too aggressive, which perfectly fits Davis’s sophisticated and thoughtful brand of piano playing. It’s so pleasing to hear a jazz pianist like Davis treat the piano with such care and reverence, as do pianists Kenny Barron and Eric Reed. Davis never whips and bangs the piano like some nut working out his aggression. On “Quiet Corner” and “Dance of Life,” Davis’s fingers melt over the keys. He surrounds himself with like-minded chops like his brother Quincy Davis, an undemonstrative drummer who never gets in the way or attempts to divert the audience’s attention to himself. Midway through the set, Davis confessed that he struggles with assembling setlists. I found that hard to believe, given the unified beauty of each composition the quartet performed.

JAZZ BASSIST NOAH JACKSON CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF ‘FULL CIRCLE’ AT CLIFF BELL’S

Bassist Noah Jackson

I first met jazz bassist Noah Jackson when he played in the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra as a teenager, and his outgoing nature and talent convinced me he'd become a prominent figure in jazz. After graduating from Michigan State University and earning a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music, Jackson rose to fame by touring with noted jazz musicians such as Abdullah Ibraham, Branford Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett. He also became a respected bandleader. On Saturday evening, Jackson and Full Circle celebrated the release of their new self-titled album. During the first 90-minute set, they played only two tracks from the album, instead focusing on standards like “Jeanine,” “Along Came Betty,” and “Embraceable You,” with Jackson surprising the audience by singing. The ensemble began with Jackson’s “Centrifuge” and concluded with “Hope Comes with Morning.” With a modern post-bop style, Jackson’s group appeals to younger listeners by reinventing standards. The show spotlighted saxophonist Stephen Grady Jr. and trumpeter Dwight Adams, whose solos were crowd favorites. Adams has crafted an immediately recognizable sound that’s both old-school and youthful. He gets to the point instead of being a note-monger. Jackson was right in introducing Adams as Detroit jazz royalty. Most of the set, Adams dwelled brilliantly in the upper register of the trumpet, and on the opener “Centrifuge", he almost blew the linen off the tables in front of the stage. There was some fine playing from the rising piano sensation, Brendon Davis, a key role player of the ensemble. Davis infused it with needed youthfulness and energy, and pro drummer Nate Winn, the one member who kept the set focused. It’s worth noting that Cliff Bell’s is no longer the noisiest jazz club in Detroit. I’m not sure if the club management has implemented a no-talking policy during the performances or if Jackson and Full Circle had the audience so completely engrossed. I’m confident it was the latter.

 

IMMANUEL WILKINS, GRAMMY-NOMINATED SAXOPHONIST, MAKES HIS BLUE LLAMA DEBUT

 

Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins

It’s such a pleasure to hear a young jazz musician whose influences are instantly recognizable after he or she plays a note or two. That’s how I felt Saturday evening listening to the alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins perform with his quartet at the Blue Llama jazz club in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Juilliard graduate, a Grammy-nominee, and a Blue Note artist, Wilkins performed at the Blue Llama for the first time, and it didn’t take long for his quartet to win over the packed club. The quartet is unflashy and woven tightly, featuring bassist Ryoma Takkenaga, drummer Kweku Sumbry, and pianist Micah Thomas. From the opening number, it was apparent that Wilkins had spent considerable man-hours dissecting the licks and mechanics of saxophonists James Spaulding and James Carter. Wilkins embodies Spaulding’s completeness and vast tone and Carter’s fearlessness and command of every inch of the saxophone. Throughout the 90-minute set, the quartet performed original compositions—though Wilkins never announced any title, which was disappointing. But it was an easy flaw to forgive, given how inviting the music presented was. He showcased his range with brisk, fast-tempo numbers, slow grooves, and even an avant-garde-leaning number. The standout for me was a ballad, which he approached with such warmth and tenderness that his saxophone seemed to melt in his hand. What I admire most about his quartet is their sure-footedness. They get to the point without taking any shortcuts. Wilkins is a fantastic saxophonist who truly deserves all the press he’s received since hitting the jazz scene. Yet, if there’s one noticeable weakness in his game, it’s his lack of stagecraft—an area in need of immediate attention. Engaging the audience between numbers and explaining the genesis of his compositions would be an excellent starting point.