Detroit Jazz Festival

Experience Detroit Jazz Culture and its Iconic Impact

For over 40 years, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has celebrated Detroit’s rich history of jazz music by providing year-round concerts and educational programming, and of course, organizing the world’s largest free jazz festival, featuring world-class talent, over Labor Day weekend.

With the support of corporate sponsors, philanthropic organizations, individual donors and volunteers, the Detroit Jazz Festival is free to music fans looking to revel in the artistry and improvisation of jazz legends, rising stars, legacy and homecoming artists. Each year’s lineup of more than 60 performances as remarkable and diverse as the genre itself, as well as spontaneous late-night jam sessions, offers something for everyone.

View Full 2024 Lineup and Schedule

Detroit Jazz Video Series

This year, for the 45th anniversary of the Detroit Jazz Festival, we wanted to do something extra special to celebrate this exciting milestone. We teamed up with Detroit music historian and Detroit Musix Founder, Sam Donald, to do a deep dive on how to best maximize your experience of jazz culture in Detroit.

First stop, Aretha's Jazz Cafe...

Detroit Jazz Series: Aretha's Jazz Café

Any experience related to jazz in Detroit ,must include a stop at Aretha's Jazz Café. Join Sam as he starts our journey with a stop at Aretha's Jazz Café! This musical destination stands as a beacon for jazz enthusiasts and a nurturing ground for emerging talents. From live music and poetry performances to a well-stocked bar and delicious deli sandwiches, Aretha's is a must-visit during the Jazz Festival!

Detroit Jazz Series: Cliff Bell's

Next stop on the tour, we make our way to Cliff Bell's! Cliff Bell's is a swanky, restored art deco club that serves creative, eclectic fare with live jazz on stage nightly.

This hidden gem is no secret to jazz enthusiasts from all over. Come for the music, stay for the vibes.

Detroit Jazz Series: Baker's Keyboard Lounge

Did you know that Baker's Keyboard Lounge is the oldest jazz club in the world? More than a must see or can't miss, this is a bucket list item for any music fan or jazz coinsurer.

When you walk into Baker's Keyboard Lounge, you know you're walking into a historic spot. Join Sam as he takes us to Baker's Keyboard Lounge for the final stop in the series.

The Detroit Jazz Foundation: The Machine Behind the Detroit Jazz Scene

About the Detroit Jazz Foundation

The Detroit International Jazz Festival was founded in 1980 by Robert McCabe and the Detroit Renaissance. Along with the Detroit Grand Prix and the International Freedom Festival, the Festival was intended to bring people into the city and to provide all segments of the population with world-class entertainment.

The Detroit Jazz Festival is now managed and produced by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2006. Through the generosity of Detroit philanthropist and Mack Avenue Records Chairman Gretchen Valade, the Foundation also established a significant endowment to support Festival operations. The staff and advisory committee continuously work to raise the balance of operating costs through corporate partnerships, contributions and earned-income opportunities.

Year-round educational programming creates one-of-a-kind opportunities for regional students and aspiring musicians to help them achieve artistic excellence, while the concerts celebrate the works of students and mentors, in addition to local and national artists.

J.C. Heard JazzWeek @ Wayne

In collaboration with the Wayne State University Department of Music and with generous support from the Eric Heard family and Carolyn Wanzo, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation presents the annual J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne workshop. Forty local high school students, selected through auditions, are chosen for this tuition-free, week-long workshop that provides students with an intensive and rewarding jazz education experience.

Jazz Week combines the artistic and educational forces of three jazz entities: the Wayne State University Department of Music, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and the J.C. Heard Legacy. Students will work in master class settings, jam sessions and small and large ensemble rehearsals studying jazz improvisation, theory and ensemble playing. These sessions are instructed by Wayne State University’s jazz faculty, guest artists from the Detroit community and national artists and educators.

The Detroit Jazz Festival All-Star Youth Ensemble will be selected from students participating in the workshop to play at the Detroit Jazz Festival. Following tradition, all JazzWeek students will open the Detroit Jazz Festival as players in Dr. Gretchen Valade’s Brass Band led by Powell.

International Initiatives

The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation like jazz itself is a global entity. Every year the Foundation creates and maintains international exchanges and Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation All-Star performances around the world. The artists in the All-Stars Band serve as ambassadors of Detroit culture and artistry presenting concerts, educational workshops and hosting jam sessions in Europe, Panama, Japan and other countries.

The Latino Jazz Project

Jazz is for everyone. Jazz is about everyone. The contributions of Latino cultures continue to be a driving force in the creation of jazz and American music. Through concert series, backstage tours, translation of print and electronic media and community outreach, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation is seeking new ways to collaborate, break down barriers to participation and create opportunities to engage with the diverse communities in Southwest Detroit and throughout the region.

New Jazz Infusion Project

In celebration of the DPSCD legacy of producing leading jazz artists, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation places professional artists-educators in Detroit Public Schools Community District middle school and high schools. The program is carefully designed to support students and teachers in schools with established and burgeoning jazz programs. The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation works to provide additional performance opportunities for students in the District and collaborates with the District to create the Detroit All-City High School Jazz Band.

Collegiate Combo Competition

The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation celebrates the excellence and opportunity inherent in college and university jazz programs. Where once jazz was viewed as an inappropriate area of study in colleges and universities, now jazz degree programs and ensembles are a central part of many music departments across the country. The Collegiate Combo Competition seeks to reward those student musicians who have developed the discipline, artistry and professionalism to thrive in this competitive and demanding environment.

Youth Jazz Vocal Competition

Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation Youth Jazz Vocal Competition is designed to celebrate the Detroit jazz vocal tradition and provide mentoring and diverse performance opportunities to young vocalists.

Talented young jazz vocalists from Detroit area high schools compete at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café accompanied by the Detroit Jazz Festival All-Star trio. Winners are chosen by professional jazz vocalists and Chris Collins. Winners receive a cash award and a performance opportunity at the Detroit Jazz Festival.

Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra

Assembled by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and led by Chris Collins, the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra can take many forms. Tapping into the vast line-up of professional jazz and orchestral musicians from the Detroit region, the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra rotates different musicians into the ensemble according to the stylistic needs of the music being performed. In this way, the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra can present a diverse collection of styles and engage most ensemble musicians in the community.

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