Detroit Jazz Festival 2026
Features Joe Lovano
This year’s Detroit Jazz Festival lineup has been announced. Joe Lovano is the 2026 Artist in Residence and he will appear throughout Labor Day weekend starting on Friday night, September 4, with his Paramount Quartet — guitarist Julie Lage, bassist Sante Debriano and drummer Will Calhoun. Lovano’s quintet with trumpeter Dave Douglas takes the stage on Sunday, September 6. On Labor Day he will celebrate Coltrane 100 with up-and-coming tenorist Melissa Aldana. Detroiter and bassist Ron Carter and Foresight also will appear on the last day of the festival.
Lovano is from Cleveland, of Sicilian heritage. His father was Tony “Big T” Lovano and a tenorist as well. He attended Berklee College of Music and studied under Herb Pomeroy and Gary Burton. He received an honorary doctorate in 1998. After Berklee Lovano worked with Jack McDuff and Lonnie Smith. After three years with Woody Herman he moved to New York City to work with the Mel Lewis Big Band. In 1990 he joined Blue Note Records where he recorded (among other albums) four with pianist and former Detroiter Hank Jones. In the late 90s he established the Saxophone Summit with, among others, Dave Liebman and Michael Brecker. More recently, Lovano has released records with trumpeter Dave Douglas in a group called Sound Prints. Down Beat magazine gave Lovano the Jazz Album of the Year Award for a quartet album recorded at the Village Vanguard.