I N - T H I S - I S S U E :

A Swinging 25th For Ford Detroit Festival

BY LARS BJORN

he 25th Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival had several musical highlights, good attendance, and fine weather. It is still an open question as to what the future of the festival is, but it seems this year's fest at least broke even.

I managed to catch about half of the acts this year and was particularly impressed with James Carter and Gerald Wilson. Carter was the last act of the festival and it was quite an ending. He presented his Lady Day tribute band with vocalist Miche Braden, who took on the Billie Holiday challenge with a great voice and the necessary soul. Johnny O’Neal, Ralphe Armstrong, and Leonard King were a tight swinging unit behind the phenomenal Carter, who was more focused on the material at hand than I have ever seen him. The audience response was appropriate: they went wild!

Gerald Wilson impressed everyone, not only because he seems to defy the laws of aging, but because he coaxed the Detroit big band to swing his charts as well as the band on his acclaimed New York New Sound CD. He was also a wonderful raconteur in a “Meet the Artist” interview with Jim Gallert, in the freshly added Jazz Talk tent.

SEMJA ran four successful clinics with a nice lineup of master educators: Gene Parker, Steve Wood, Ed Gooch and Chris Collins.

Above: James carter in a "meet the Artist" session

Below: SEMJA clinicians Chris Collins, Steve Wood and Gene Parker

Left: Chico Hamilton and Gerald Wilson
Below: Louis Hayes

photographs by Lars Bjorn