The 2020 event will feature performances by artists such as Robert Glasper, Marion Hayden, and Pharoah Sanders
A few months ago, when everything was being canceled due to the pandemic, it seemed likely the Detroit Jazz Festival would have to accept the same fate. But the organizers of this Labor Day weekend tradition for the past 40 years had more time to figure out how the fest might proceed compared to the early summer festivals that had no choice but to call off their events. That’s why the 41st Detroit Jazz Festival will run in 2020, in a safe and virtual way.
During the four-day fest (Sept. 4-7), three stages at the Renaissance Center Marriott will host 40-plus concerts shot with three cameras and broadcast in high-definition audio and video to a variety of platforms, including TV, radio, the festival’s website, and its new app. There will be no replays or on-demand options; you’ll have to watch and listen in real time.
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater is this year’s artist-in-residence, and she’ll be performing with a variety of ensembles every day of the festival, from a duo to big bands. She’ll kick off the fest on Sept. 4 with the Woodshed Network Ladies, and then jazz giant Herbie Hancock will take the stage.
That’s a terrific one-two punch, which will be followed by three more days of knockouts, from legends like Pharoah Sanders, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Kenny Barron to Detroit-area artists and collegiate groups. Other major names include Kurt Elling and Broadway star Ben Vereen, Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Terri Lyne Carrington, dual pianists Omar Sosa and Marialy Pacheco, and The Manhattan Transfer combining its talents with Take 6 for a jazz-vocal extravaganza.
Days two through four of the Detroit Jazz Festival will feature eight to 10 hours of performances, so you should head over to detroitjazzfest.org to map out the days and times of the artists you want to watch. Or you could just have the festival playing in the background at your house via Detroit Public Television, Channel 22 (Detroit’s new arts and culture station), WRCJ 90.9 FM, WDET 101.9 FM, or the Detroit Jazz Fest LIVE! app. For $20, the app will also give you access to all Detroit Jazz Festival livestreams for the next year.
COVID-19 changed everything. But it’s comforting to know the Detroit Jazz Festival found a way to present itself in 2020, a balm of tradition during a time when so many of our customs have been smashed.