Detroit Jazz Festival

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

Year-Round Educational Programs

The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation recognizes its responsibility to perpetuate the history, culture, language, and art of jazz.

Through its year-round educational programs, the foundation creates one-of-a-kind opportunities for regional students and aspiring musicians to help them achieve artistic excellence, all while passing down the jazz tradition from one generation to the next. Through community education, students can develop relationships with mentors, perfect their craft, and be part of a creative and inspiring community.

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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