Jazz is dead! Here we go again. The recent Wall Street Journal article by Terry Teachout, (the journal’s drama critic? Why is he writing about jazz? With all their resources they couldn’t find someone to write on jazz?) declaring that no one is listening to jazz and featuring a prominent cartoon of a “black Jazz musician” being wheeled out on a cart speaks volumes to a continued bourgeois, arrogant Eurocentric lack of understanding of jazz.

Mr. Teachout’s methodology is the classic case of someone going out to investigate the flowers, but never getting off the horse to “smell the flowers.” Hence the article is so “lightweight” I had to keep a paperweight on it to keep it from elevating and floating away on its own. Put another way, as Amiri Baraka in his latest book “Digging” would say, “The lack of knowledge about America’s richest contribution to world culture is a reflection as well of the deadly ignorance which stalks this country from the New York City Hall to the halls of Congress to the corporate offices to academic classrooms, like a ubiquitous serial killer…”

Teachout uses a number of useless (without context!) numbers from a National Endowment of the Arts survey to conclude that only those with their head in the sand cannot see a larger picture of “lack of mass support for jazz” leading to its demise. There were fewer people attending a jazz concert; the audience is (graying) growing older; older people are less likely to attend jazz performances today than yesterday; and the audience among college-educated adults is also shrinking. On the surface, this kind of approach can scare or misinform a great many people into following the ever present “jazz is dead” attacks upon the music. This kind of approach is not the approach of someone who wants to help jazz survive, but one that serves to drive people away from exploring and learning about jazz.

How about we come at the non arguable “less than healthy’ state of jazz another way? Once again we call on America’s foremost jazz critic for guidance. Why not investigate and raise the question as to the “domination of US popular culture by an outrageously reactionary commercial culture of mindlessness, mediocrity, violence and pornography means that it is increasingly more difficult for the innovative, serious, genuinely expressive, or authentically popular artist to get the same kind of production and the anti-creative garbage that the corporations thrive on.” (Digging, Amiri Baraka). I suggest that this is the inquiry that the Wall Street Journal should be making into the subject matter, the health state of jazz. But when you’re part of the problem, it’s difficult. From the standpoint of the WSJ, jazz’s mystery can/cannot be solved by market forces. “Look here are the numbers!”

From the great work “Blues People,” to his other book, “Black Music,” and the latest contribution from the peoples’ critic, “Digging,” there is one thing that stands out. Amiri Baraka insists that the music, from blues to jazz, is a creation and reflection of the struggles of the Afro-American people. The music is an expression of a people’s culture and cannot be separated from such. Jazz, Afro-American in origin, universal in content and expression, is nonetheless tied to a people, expressing their greatest fears and joys, hopes for the future and repository of the past, that it can said, “the music is the people.” Hence the music can never die, because the people live. Bill Cosby is quoted in Digging as saying, “There’s a wonderful story I like to tell. It’s the end of the world…gray, blowing, turbulent… and there is this tombstone that says, ‘Jazz: It Broke Even!’ The music has its high and lows, but it can never die.”

” a fundamental contradiction, sharp, at times antagonistic, existed between American Classical Music (jazz), its creators, mainly black, and the majority of commentators, critics, critical opinion about the music, which historically are not.”

Art is a reflection of a people’s culture. As Baraka says, “Whether African Song, Work Song, Spiritual, Hollers, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, etc., no matter the genre, the ideas contained in Afro-American art, in the main, oppose slavery and desire freedom.” (Digging). For jazz to die, the entire history and Afro-American people would have to die. This is the content that an interloper like Teachout cannot understand. Jazz is as vital and fighting for its existence today as it was in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. Jazz is currently experiencing the “tale of two cities.” On the one hand, due to the advances and demands of the black liberation movement, Jazz enjoys a newfound bourgeois respectability. This is evidenced by the fact that very many colleges and universities have jazz departments (some led by the creators of the music) that produces very rich programs and new venues for the jazz musicians to play. On the other hand, many of the formerly most popular jazz venues have “moved” downtown and have become inaccessible not only to the supporters of the music, but also its creators. Many of the new downtown venues only showcase the “jazz superstars” of the music, hence subsidizing many new young white jazz musicians, while the new black creators and continuators of the music can’t get gigs. This is a sorry state of affairs that must be investigated. Couple with the new thrust in white jazz criticism, the old (black) cats aren’t playing anything new (like in Europe), but just continue to “swing.” How ironic, given that it’s the swing that is the heart of the music. Whatever happened to the maxim…it don’t mean a thing?

I often joke with Amiri that two months after he dies, the jazz powers that be are going to call a meeting declaring jazz dead, or a European creation. As long as he lives this can’t happen, because they know he’ll light fire under their asses.

But since jazz is what the great trumpet player Ahmed Abdullah calls, “the music of the spirit,” it can never die. While the WSJ declares jazz dead, refuses to get off the horse and smell the flowers, the music continues to thrive and fight for its life, for its expression. In New Jersey, new small clubs are opening up all over the place, anchored by Cecil’s in West Orange. You have the work of Newark’s own Stan Myers, who has run a successful Tuesday night Jam session at Crossroads for years;  Papillion, Skipper’s, the Priory, Trumpets, John Lee’s annual concerts in South Orange, and countless other venues all testify to the fact that the “spirit” is alive. This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, the Oskar Schindler jazz program in the park in West Orange will take place with some of the greatest musicians in the world. This annual event continues to grow larger every year. You can’t convince the people attending these venues that “jazz is dead.” In NYC, the opening of Creole’s uptown that now has a dynamite line up of jazz performances, to Sistas’ Place in Brooklyn; the great work of Bob Myers and the Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, the Lenox Lounge and St. Nick’s in Harlem, the reopening of Minton’s demonstrates that there are real soldiers in the field fighting to keep jazz alive in our communities. Countless other new, small venues in Brooklyn is a further testament that “jazz lives, will never die, and continue to find outlets for its expression.”

Jazz is not popular culture. To compare and demand that Jazz be equated with the lowest common denominator cultural expression, packaged for the most extreme exploitation by monopoly capitalism is to have no understanding of the music. By its very nature it is “rebel” music. Teachout complains that it is not the music of the masses, of the youth, as determined by corporate measuring sticks. Well of course. I like hip-hop but I’m not going to any concerts. That’s youth music. Not particularly challenging. Jazz is a challenging experience, for all of the reasons stated above and yes must be able to attract younger listeners. But the commonly referred to model, “jazz must return to its 1930’s swing era roots, when big bands like Benny Goodman’s ruled the roost and young and old danced their lives away to the music. Most reputable jazz historians recognize that period as one of the worst in jazz history, as monopoly capital stripped the music of its vitalness, repackaged it to the public in a sanitized (racist) endeavor. Be-Bop was a rebellion against this co-modification and bastardization of the music.

When we say jazz is “a music of the spirit,” sitting in on a jazz program has the possibility of elevating the listener to heights never experienced by a poplar culture event. For many it is a shared communal experience, as witnessed by the common clapping in appreciation of a musical interlude, or the strictly individual experience of the music. Some can appreciate the full recipe of musical virtuosity on display, some may connect deeply in an emotional way with the music, some relate to the democratic display of the skills of the musicians, and some may not have liked the particular performance. Jazz is a broad palette, some things we don’t like, some things we like better than others. All of this is part of the learning curve as people come to appreciate jazz. It’s great when a young brother or sister after leaving their first jazz experience, say “I really liked what I heard.” Or to say, I didn’t understand what I heard. This too is part of the learning process.

McDonald’s is popular fast food. Many like it, many do not. But McDonald’s is not the only food on the market. There is other food, much tastier, much more healthful in the long run, more beautiful in its presentation, that people should be exposed to, for a more elevating food experience. This is the difference between jazz and popular music.

Often times when inviting someone to a jazz club, you get the usual question? “How’s the parking, how’s the security, etc.? I usually chuckle to myself because this person has no clue to the different vibe in a jazz club than at a popular musical event. Because the music is so elevating and brings a different emotional approach given its history, the experience, as I said before is much more a shared and communal experience. Jazz does not attract the kinds of persons prone to antagonistic conflicts with others, but just the opposite, in that it attracts the kinds of persons prone to spiritual connections with the music and other patrons. I’ve never seen a “weapons detector” at a jazz club or venue. As we used to say back in the day, “we ain’t about that!” This music means something else.

The WSJ approach to “summing up the current state of jazz” has the open or hidden affect of driving people away from the jazz experience. “Who wants to go hear music that no one attends anyway?” It can’t be any good if as the market numbers show that no one is listening.

In “Jazz and the White Critic (Thirty Years Later),” Baraka in Digg says, the theme of one of his former articles was that,” a fundamental contradiction, sharp, at times antagonistic, existed between American Classical Music (jazz), its creators, mainly black, and the majority of commentators, critics, critical opinion about the music, which historically are not.” Sadly, the WSJ article confirms his observations, then and now.

Jazz, like the Afro-American people: We got problems, but still we rise. The music of the spirit will never die. “It may break even!”

Luckily, that’s not all it means.  Labor Day weekend in Detroit also means a lot of great art and music festivals–we like to save the best for last and then cram them all into one weekend!

There is a little something for everyone this weekend, from jazz to art to film.  Enjoy!

Arts Beats and Eats
No longer the “Chrysler” Arts Beats and Eats (Chrysler could not afford the sponsorship this year), Pontiac’s annual festival of art, music, and food soldiers on with only a $2 admission price.  With 50 restaurants, 200 music performers, and 155 art exhibitors, this is one of the largest festivals in the metro area, not to mention one of the most comprehensive.  (It rivals CityFest in restaurants and music performers and whallops them in art; the Ann Arbor Art Fair has more art but little of anything else.)  It’s one of my favorites and I’m thrilled that, even without their major sponsor, they were still able to pull it off.

Friday-Sunday, 11:00AM-10:00PM, Monday 11:00AM-8:00PM

The Detroit International Jazz Festival
Celebrating its 30th year, the Detroit Jazz Fest (DJF) features 5 stages with over 100 artists performing over the four-day weekend.  It is one of the most noteworthy jazz festivals in the country (and the largest free jazz festival in America), and is a signature event for Detroit.  The DJF strives to perpetuate Detroit’s significant jazz history and nurture the development of jazz by offering educational and collaborative opportunities, and all of it free to everyone.

Friday 6:00PM-11:00PM, Saturday-Sunday 12:00PM-11:00PM, Monday 12:00PM-10:00PM

The Innaugural Ferndale Film Festival
The summer begins with the DWIFF and ends with F3.

Local filmmakers have yet another opportunity to shine with this 4-day festival held in locations all over Ferndale, from Dino’s to the Rosie O’Grady’s.  55 films ranging from 300 second micro-minis to full-length features will be shown throughout the city over this four-day weekend.  Regulars of the local festival circuit–this and last year’s DWIFF, the Mitten Movie Project–will likely see a lot of familiar titles, but there are also plenty of new titles (or ones you might have missed previously) worth checking out.

I know from having been at the screening that there were only about 8 people watching Tracy at this year’s DWIFF, which is an outright shame.  I thought the film was hilarious (read about it here), and I highly recommend to the 8 of you who didn’t already see it that you go to the Go Comedy! Theatre on Saturday at 5:30PM and catch this screening.  Get there an hour earlier and you can also catch local filmmakers Five Clover Films’ Office Space send-up First Day.

The Purple Gang is a riveting documentary that covers one of the most feared (and now one of the least-known) crime syndicates in history–the predominantly Jewish Purple Gang, who ruled Detroit (and much of the country) during Prohibition.  It’s a fascinating piece of local history, and one you don’t often hear much about.  See it at Rosie O’Grady’s Sunday at 8:00PM.

Detroit Unleaded is a much-buzzed-about short film by Detroiter Rola Nashef, which is a coming-of-age drama about two Arab brothers who own a gas station and asks the question: What is the American dream?  This is playing with several other shorts, including the award-winning short Bitch by Lilah Vandenburgh, at AJ’s Cafe on Saturday at 7:00PM.

The Festival opens with the red carpet premiere of Creator of God at the Magic Bag on Friday.  There will be an opening reception inside the venue at 7:00PM followed by the screening at 8:30PM.  F3 also will feature a micro-mini film challenge, outdoor screenings of Army of Darkness and Monsters, Inc., and free workshops which range on topics from guerrilla filmmaking, photography, lighting, and zombie makeup.

Tickets are $5 per screening, $10 for opening night, and $20 for weekend passes.  Tickets are available at Dino’s Lounge and other show locations.  See the website for details on screenings, workshops, and more.

Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
The fringe festival of Labor Day, the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival–now in its 29th year–promises lots and lots of polka, the Polish Day Parade (Monday at 1:30PM), a world music stage featuring everything from Afrobeat to Bosnian pop, and enough local indie rock to see you through to the next indie rock festival (i.e., next weekend).  There will also be children’s activities, a dunk tank, carnival rides, and all the Polish food you can eat (which isn’t much, because those pierogies are filling).  It’s a tried-and-true Hamtramck-style festival!

Friday, September 4th-Monday, September 7th (see website for complete schedule)

Post-Labor Day Events

The fun doesn’t entirely stop after Labor Day!  There are a few more festivals we can count on before we need to break out our parkas once again.

Dally in the Alley
Saturday, September 12th (rain date: Sept. 13) Detroit’s greenest festival returns with indie rock, techno, food, art, beer, and all that random stuff you find in the alley.  It’s got the most DIY spirit of all the Detroit festivals, though it doesn’t quite have the name…

…Not like the DIY Streetfair!
The second installment of this popular music-food-art event, first started last year, is back and is now spanning three days, Friday Sept. 18-Sunday Sept. 20.  The beer garden, featuring all Michigan-made brews, is back, as is the stupendous music lineup on the main stage.  The Hard Lessons, Octopus, Oscillating Fan Club, Johnny Headband, Lee Marvin Computer Arm, Champions of Breakfast, the Hentchmen, Friendly Foes, Child Bite…yes, this is the best indie rock lineup any of the big outdoor festivals have seen yet this year.  It looks like DIY might once again take top prize for best fest!

And there you have it.  It ends not with a whisper, but a bang (on drums, with lots of fuzzy guitars and reverberating amplifiers).  Enjoy these final hours of summer fun!

Friday Night Live!
North Star Jazz Sextet
Friday, August 21, 2009 7 & 8:30 p.m.
The North Star Jazz Sextet, led by saxophonist Carl Cafagna is one of Detroit’s hottest jazz acts. North Star Jazz employs a 3-horn sextet format inspired by the T.S. Monk Sextet and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The ensemble includes pianist/composer Scott Gwinnell, Dr. Scott Cowan on trumpet, saxophonist James Hughes, bassist Shannon Wade, and drummer Scott Kretzer.

Drop-in Workshop: Simple Adornments
6–9 p.m.
(12 and under must be with an adult)

Create imaginative jewelry using common materials in unusual ways.

Drawing in the Galleries for Youth
6–9 p.m.
(Ages 6–14, children 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult)

Artist/instructors help participants create pencil drawings to take home. No experience necessary; materials provided.

Location: See the This Week at the DIA handout at any Information Desk.

Drawing in the Galleries for Adults
6–9 p.m.
(Ages 15 & older)

Artist/instructors help participants create pencil drawings to take home. No experience necessary; materials provided.

Location: See the This Week at the DIA handout at any Information Desk.

Guided Tours
6 and 7:30 p.m.

Highlights of the museum tours offered at both times.

A jazz record in the truest sense of that word, Tribe Rebirth, will see the quartet of Phil Ranelin,
Wendell Harrison, Marcus Belgrave and Doug Hammond recreating tunes from their past as
well as a number of new compositions. The group, which first assembled in the ’70s, and issued
a slew of LPs that have grown in stature over the years among jazz aficionados, was put back in
contact in 2007 when Craig asked Wendell Harrison to be a part of a gig he was putting
together in Paris.

Craig had previously worked with Belgrave on his Detroit Experiment record, and covered
Tribe’s “Space Odyssey,” but it was his talks with the saxophonist that helped bring the group
back together. Craig says that the record, which will see the light of day on Community
Projects, is “less experimental than Innerzone Orchestra and more cohesive than Detroit
Experiment.”

Tracklist
01. Living In A New Day
02. Glue Fingers
03. Denekas Chant
04. Vibes From The Tribe
05. Son Of Tribe
06. Jazz On The Run
07. Ride
08. Lesli
09. 13th And Senate
10. Where Am I (Featuring Joan Belgrave)

Community Projects will release Tribe Rebirth on October 6th, with an iTunes pre-release
scheduled for August 25th.

Myspace preview: Tribe Detroit

Marcus Belgrave
Trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
Born June 12, 1936, in Chester, Penn.

Marcus Belgrave first learned bugle from his saxophone‐playing father and by age six was
playing trumpet. He later was exposed to jazz by his cousin, saxophonist Cecil Payne, and
through Payne met bebop icons Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. As a teenager Belgrave played
with Clifford Brown, who opened up a “whole new world” for Belgrave after Brown schooled
him in improvisation. Belgrave began touring with Ray Charles at age 19, and it was one of the
most valuable learning experiences he could have had. He also worked around New York with
the likes of Yusef Lateef and Charles Mingus. He met Wendell Harrison during that time.

The road took its toll on Belgrave and he moved to Detroit in 1963 to work in the Motown
studios. After a short while he returned to Chester to care for his ailing father. During this
eastern sojourn he worked with singer Lloyd Price, trumpeters John Hunt and Jimmy Owens,
and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. After that he toured with saxophonist Hank Crawford, and
later he worked with singers Bobby “Blue” Bland and Jerry Butler. Belgrave returned to Detroit
in 1967 and became involved in efforts by musicians to mark their own space in the Detroit
Creative Musicians Association, Strata Record and Concert Gallery, and ultimately Tribe.

His Tribe release, Gemini II, was his first as a leader. He later founded the Jazz Development
Workshop and eventually became mentor to a younger generation of musicians such as Geri
Allen, Bob Hurst, Kenny Garrett and James Carter. He worked with elder master drummer J.C.
Heard’s quartet and big band and taught in the jazz studies program at Oakland University in
Rochester, Michigan.

Through the 1980s and 1990s he toured worldwide as a leader and as a sideman, working with
Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Eddie Jefferson, Dizzy Gillespie, Lawrence
Williams, J. C. Heard and others. He played with Branford Marsalis on the “Tonight Show with
Jay Leno,” was an original member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center
Motor City Jazz Masters. He was named a Michigan Jazz Master by Arts Midwest and toured
Africa and the Middle East with the Michigan Jazz Masters. Since 2000 Belgrave has performed
a Tribute to Louis Armstrong, particularly recreating the seminal Hot Five and Hot Seven
recordings, with clarinetist Charles Gabriel. In 2003 he joined Carl Craig for The Detroit
Experiment and has continued working with the techno master. He was named Jazz Master
Laureate of Detroit in 2008 by the Detroit City Council.

In addition to numerous recordings as a sideman, as a leader he’s recorded Working Together
(1992) with Lawrence Williams; Live at Kerrytown Concert House, Vol. 1(1993) with Tommy
Flanagan, Geri Allen and Gary Schunk; Marcus Belgrave’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong (2002);
Marcus & Charlie, Detroit’s New Orleans Connection(2002) with Charlie Gabriel; You Don’t
Know Me, A Tribute to New Orleans, Ray Charles and the Great Ladies of Song(2007) with Joan
Bow and Charlie Gabriel; and Marcus, Charlie & Joan … Once Again(2009) a tribute to his
bebop mentors.

Doug Hammond
Drums, percussion, vocals
Born Dec. 26, 1942, in Tampa, Fla.

Doug Hammond started playing music in Florida as a sideman working in blues and R&B bands.
He practiced and learned as many songs as possible so he could play with working bands, and
his will to succeed led him to eschew holding a day job. The strategy worked and through
records he schooled himself with some of the great masters of blues, jazz and swing. In the
early 1960s he worked alongside Earl Hooker, The Five Royals, Sam and Dave, and Little Willie
John. He had his eyes on New York but in 1965 moved to Detroit as a warm‐up for the Big
Apple. His early Motor City associations include Kirk Lightsey, James “Blood” Ulmer, and
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. He built a reputation as a spare drummer who accented
the nooks and crannies of the music while still swinging. That soon led to work with the likes of
Donald Byrd, Sonny Redd, Joseph Jarman, Betty Carter, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Hank
Crawford, Focus Novii and Marcus Belgrave — covering everything from blues to bop and free
jazz. In 1967 he was a founding member of the Detroit Creative Musicians Association, and
served as vice president and coordinator of the organization that presaged some of the ideals
that later led to Tribe’s founding.

Hammond moved to New York in 1970, and over the next decade worked with Kenny Durham,
O.C. Smith, Charles Mingus, Sam Rivers, Howard Johnson, Lonnie Liston Smith, Howard
Johnson, Marion Williams, Etta James, Lowell Fulson, Arthur Blythe, Sammy Price/Hal Singer,
Dorothy Ashby, Nina Simone and Mal Waldron. He co‐led an octet with saxophonist Sonny
Fortune. His 1974 Tribe release with keyboardist David Durrah evidenced a fusion of jazz,
African grooves and light, soulful melody. Lyrically he stood against the war in Vietnam and
called out to African Americans to live positive lives.

In the late 1970s and into the 1980s he led the Doug Hammond Trio, and played in Peter
Giger’s Family of Percussion. His resume stretches further in work with Paquito D’Rivera,
Arnett Cobb, Wolfgang Dauner and Stephan Kurmann. In 1984 he moved to Germany and
worked from that base until 1988 when he returned to Detroit for a year. In 1989 he moved to
Linz, Austria, to teach jazz percussion at the Anton Bruckner Private University until his
retirement in 2007. Over time his music has evolved toward blues and rhythm chant forms
spiced with American and European avant garde.

Hammond has written several books of poetry, song lyrics, essays and drum instruction,
including: Lonely Music Man(1982); Percussion and Rhythm Workshop(1993); In This Maze of
Seeming Wonders(1994); 10 Melodies for Memory(1998); and Times On the Planet
Earth(2000).

Hammond has recorded many times as a sideman over the decades. As a leader his albums
include: Folks(1980); We People(1989); The Original Doug Hammond Trio; Perspiciuty(1991);
Spaces (1992); It’s Born(1996/2000); Singing Smiles(2005); and A Real Deal (2007).

Wendell Harrison
Saxophones, clarinet, vocals
Born Oct. 1, 1942, in Detroit, Mich.

As a youngster, Wendell Harrison’s mother got him involved in music to keep him of the
streets. By the time he arrived at Northwestern High School he knew his instrument and
played with classmates, and later jazz luminaries, such as trumpeter Lonnie Hillyard,
saxophonist Charles McPherson, and percussionist Roy Brooks. He studied formally with
pianist Barry Harris, who introduced Harrison to the music of Sonny Rollins, and also at the
Detroit Conservatory of Music. His early jobs included stints with the show bands of Choker
Campbell and Teddy Harris Jr. He also worked with Claude Black and Willie Metcalf. These
associations led him work with Sonny Stitt and Elvin Jones.

After graduating from high school Harrison headed to New York where he soon joined guitarist
Grant Green and hit the road. During the 1960s he worked with Big Maybelle, Jack McDuff,
Lou Rawls, Woody Shaw, Charles Tolliver, Jimmy Owens, Betty Carter, Eddie Harris, Sarah
Vaughn, the Joe Henderson ‐ Kenny Dorham Big Band and others. He played and recorded
with saxophonist Hank Crawford for nearly five years, and replaced John Gilmore in the Sun Ra
Arkestra, spending a few years in orbit with the celestial keyboardist.

In 1971, after some two years in residence at the Synanon community in California to kick a
heroin habit, Harrison returned to Detroit. After taking a job teaching at the nonprofit Metro
Arts Complex, he founded Tribe with trombonist Phil Ranelin.

As Tribe wound down Harrison worked regularly as a duo with pianist Harold McKinney with
whom he founded Rebirth, Inc., a nonprofit, in 1978. With his second wife, pianist Pamela
Wise, Harrison and Rebirth embarked on a path of jazz education and performances with
national and local artists. He established WenHa records and publishing company, which
released many of his records and those of Wise. In the 1980s he published the Be Boppers
Method Books I & II to aid young people in developing improvisational skills.

Musicians brought in by Rebirth for workshops, performances and recordings include Andy
Bey, Steve Turre, Reggie Workman, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Horace Silver, Jerry Gonzalez,
Cindy Blackman, Don Byron, Jean Carne, Howard Johnson, Kirk Lightsey, Vanessa Rubin and
Dennis Rowland.

Starting in 1979 Harrison reacquainted himself with the clarinet, his first instrument. He later
established the Mama’s Lickin’ Stick clarinet ensemble, featuring each instrument in the
clarinet family, to perform new music he composed. Rebirth received several grants from
Chamber Music America in support of composing, residencies and cultural exchange related to
the clarinet ensemble.

In 1993 Harrison was named a Michigan Jazz Master by Arts Midwest and in 1995 toured
Africa and the Middle East with the Michigan Jazz Masters ensemble. He has also received a
composer award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a commission from ArtServe
Michigan, and was named a Jazz Master by the Detroit City Council. Harrison excels as a
composer, educator and performer, recording music from early swing, to bebop, hip hop and
techno. He has more than 30 records as a leader, sideman and producer, including: Birth of a
Fossil (1985) with Dennis Rowland; Reawakening (1985) with Leon Thomas; Wait Broke the
Wagon Down(1987) with Pamela Wise; The Carnivorous Lady(1988) with Marcus Belgrave and
Pamela Wise; Fly By Night(1990); Forever Duke(1991) with Mama’s Lickin’ Stick; Something for
Pops (1993) with Harold McKinney; Rush and Hustle(1999) with Mama’s
Lickin’ Stick; Battle of the Tenors (2003) with Eddie Harris; Eighth House: Riding with
Pluto(2002); and Urban Expressions(2005).

Phil Ranelin
Trombone, vocals
Born May 25, 1939, in Indianapolis, Ind.

Phil Ranelin began studying trombone at age 11 because his paternal grandmother said he
would have a wonderful life pursuing music. In the late 1950s he studied at Jordan
Conservatory under the principle trombonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Ranelin
was especially inspired by bebop trombonist J.J. Johnson. In 1958 he took first place in the city
wide City Parks Talent Contest. At age 19 he met Wes Montgomery and played 16 weeks of
Saturday matinees at a local club. He sat in with Grant Green and Eddie Harris whenever they
came through town. In 1964 he joined Freddie Hubbard in New York, where he met
Thelonious Monk. After returning to Indianapolis for a short stay, he moved to Detroit in 1968
and worked in local bands in addition to sessions at Motown studios, particularly with Stevie
Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, and The Temptations. During this time he played
with Pharaoh Sanders and Roland Kirk. He chose to stay in Detroit when Motown moved to
Los Angeles and co‐founded Tribe with Wendell Harrison.

Ranelin was Tribe’s most prolific composer and released Message from the Tribe (1972) with
Wendell Harrison, The Time is Now (1974) and Vibes from the Tribe( 1976) as a leader.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1977 and continued his association with Freddie Hubbard’s band
for several years, including appearing on the trumpeter’s album Mistral, 1981’s top jazz album
in Japan. Ranelin has played with the Horace Tapscott Quintet, the Michael Session Sextet, the
Taumbú International Ensemble, Solomon Burke, Norman Connors, Ella Fitzgerald, Al “Tootie”
Heath, Billy Higgins, Freddie Redd, Sarah Vaughan, and the Gerald Wilson Big Band, and has
toured Japan with the New Temptations. He was a founding member of the BoneSoir
trombone choir collective and has led groups for club dates and festivals.

In recent years that has included Phil Ranelin & the Tribe Renaissance, and the Phil Ranelin
Jazz Ensemble. He has performed tributes to greats across the jazz spectrum, such as Louis
Armstrong, Duke Ellington, J.J. Johnson, Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane.

Always an active civic participant, Ranelin was honored in 2002 for his Outstanding
Contributions to Jazz by the International Association for Jazz Education. He’s also been
honored by official resolutions as a “Rare and Valuable Cultural Treasure” and a “Cultural
Ambassador” by the Mayor and the City Council of Los Angeles. May 25, 2004 was declared
Phil Ranelin Day throughout the City of Los Angeles.

In addition to numerous recordings as a sideman and his Tribe releases, as a leader Ranelin has
recorded Love Dream(1986); A Close Encounter of the Very Best Kind(1996); and Inspiration
(2004). In 2001 The Time is Nowand Vibes from the Tribewere remixed, remastered and rereleased
on Hefty Records. The single “Livin’ in a New Day” was released in 2007 by Carl
Craig’s Planet E Communications.

“Rebirth” Album Credits
Artist: Tribe
Project: Rebirth
Label: Community Projects / Planet E
Producer: Carl Craig
Engineer: Collin Dupuis
Recording Studio: White Room & My House of Trouble, Detroit, MI
Mix Studio: My House of Trouble, Detroit, MI
Mastering: Michael Fossenkemper @ Turtle Tone Studios
The Tribe: Wendell Harrison, Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave, Doug Hammond
Personnel:
Kelvin Sholar ‐ Rhodes
Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums
Damon Warmack ‐ Bass
John Arnold ‐ Guitar
Amp Fiddler ‐ Keyboards
Humberto ‘Andres’ Hernandez ‐ Congas
Joan Belgrave ‐ Voice
Pamela Wise ‐ Keyboards
Ralphe Armstrong ‐ Bass
Pathe Jassi ‐ Bass
Gayelynn McKinney ‐ Drums
Motor City Horns ‐ Backing Horns
Mark Byerly (Trumpet), John Rutherford (Trombone), Keith Kaminski (Sax)

01. Living In A New Day
Written by Phil Ranelin (Philran Music BMI)
Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Damon Warmack ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Humberto
‘Andres’ Hernandez ‐ Congas, Carl Craig ‐ Synth and sound design

02. Glue Fingers
Written by Marcus Belgrave (EdMarsyl Publishing)
Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Pathe Jassi ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Amp Fiddler ‐ Organ,
Additional Horns ‐ Motor City Horns

03. Denekas Chant
Written by Doug Hammond Gema (Jodgoa Publishing Corp, ASCAP)
Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Wendell Harrison ‐ Clarinet, Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Kelvin Sholar
‐ Rhodes, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Ralphe Armstrong ‐ Bass, Amp Fiddler, Carl Craig ‐ Synths,
Additional Horns ‐ Motor City Horns

04. Vibes From The Tribe
Written by Phil Ranelin (Philran Music BMI)
Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Pathe Jassi ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Humberto ‘Andres’
Hernandez ‐ Congas, Carl Craig ‐ Synth bass and sound design

05. Son Of Tribe
Written by Marcus Belgrave, Carl Craig, Wendell Harrison (EdMarsyl Publishing, Planet E
Communications ASCAP, WenHa Music Publishing BMI)
Wendell Harrison ‐ Bass Clarinet, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Damon
Warmack ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Carl Craig ‐ Keys and vibe

06. Jazz On The Run
Written by Wendell Harrison (WenHa Music Publishing BMI)
Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Additional Horns ‐ Motor City Horns

07. Ride
Written by Wendell Harrison (WenHa Music Publishing BMI)
Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, Karriem Riggins ‐ Drums, Damon Warmack ‐ Bass, Amp Fiddler ‐ Organ, Humberto
‘Andres’ Hernandez ‐ Congas, Additional Horns ‐ Motor City Horns

08. Lesli
Written by Lawrence Williams (EdMarsyl Publishing)
Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Wendell Harrison ‐ Clarinet, Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Karriem
Riggins ‐ Drums, Kelvin Sholar ‐ Rhodes, Ralphe Armstrong ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Carl
Craig ‐ Synth and sound design

09. 13th And Senate
Written by Phil Ranelin (Philran Music BMI)
Phil Ranelin ‐ Trombone, Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Kelvin Sholar ‐
Rhodes, Doug Hammond ‐ Drums, Ralphe Armstrong ‐ Bass

10. Where Am I (Featuring Joan Belgrave)
Written by Wendell Harrison (WenHa Music Publishing BMI)
Wendell Harrison ‐ Sax, Marcus Belgrave ‐ Trumpet, Pamela Wise ‐ Keyboards, Drums ‐
Gayelynn McKinney, Damon Warmack ‐ Bass, John Arnold ‐ Guitar, Amp Fiddler ‐ Rhodes, Joan
Belgrave ‐ Voice

A member of of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement Musicians, Dushun Mosley is a percussionist extraordinaire. In addition to work with other AACM artists and other greats like Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Davis and Don Cherry, Dushun is a member of Eight Bold Souls, The AACM Big Band and co-leads The Vizitors with Detroit pianist Kenny Green. Kenny also has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, Douglas Ewart and a host of Detroit favorites like Faruq Z. Bey, Michael Carey and Skeeter Shelton. This is duo is reputably a full-tilt powerhouse.

A native of southeastern Michigan, saxophonist Jeff Marx now makes his home in Chicago. His work stradles the fence of post-bop and freer playing, delivered with a big tone and confident approach. His Detroit quartet will consist of Joel Peterson (double bass) and Marko Novachcoff (reeds) with a drummer TBA.

Doors at 8 pm; sliding scale donation, $5-10. CAID is located at 5141 Rosa Parks, just a couple blocks N. of Warren Ave.

DETROIT JAZZ MUSICIANS CO-OP JAZZ JAM!!- Hosted by Joan Belgrave!!

“Jazz is good for Detroit, and Detroit is good for Jazz”
           BRING YOUR AXE,  BRING YOUR VOICE!! - 

PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, & VOCALISTS- WE WANT TO HEAR YOU!!

WHEN:      THIS SATURDAY:    AUGUST 15TH,
                                                  9-11:30 PM
WHERE:    HART PLAZA – DETROIT -
WHAT:      AFRICAN WORLD FESTIVAL – NILES STAGE
               

If you can’t make it… send a friend!!!.. spread the word… There’s  Jazz At the African World Festival!!! Come on out DETROIT!!!!

Wayne County and Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts proudly presents- Jazz On The River 2009 – Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd at Elizabeth Park , Trenton, Michigan- Noon until 10PM.
Free Admission.

Warm Days, Cool Music!
Jazz On The River welcomes families and groups, so bring a blanket, sit on the arena hill and spend a warm day with some cool music! This year’s lineup is a great mixture of Smooth Jazz, Pop, World and R&B sensibilities, in an idyllic setting on the Detroit River. The 2009 Jazz On The River makes the weekend of August 1-2 a don’t miss cultural event in one of Wayne Counties most beautiful parks, the gem on the Detroit River, Elizabeth Park in Downtown Trenton.

The Music!
This year’s headliners include ace pianist, Alex Bugnon, woodwind virtuoso, Nelson Rangell, and the sensuous saxophone triumvirate, Gentlemen Of The Evening, featuring Michael Lington, Marion Meadows and Paul Taylor. Other headliners includes, Saxophonist Randy Scott and premier bassist, Terrance Palmer which round out the main performers.
Other performers include, Angelo Primo and Kimmie Horne, Lola Morales who grabbed 3 Detroit Music Awards this year for her exotic mix of latin jazz, Soul and trip-hop. The sensuous sounds of Modern Tribe featuring Chuck and Gwen Scales, vocalist, Shiron Denise & Point Blank, Jesse Palter, and this years winner of Jazz Café’s, Discovery Series.
Visit www.jazzontheriver.org for more information, schedule and directions.

Admission is FREE ($5.00 donation for parking to benefit Wayne County Parks)

July 29th
Starts at 7PM

Presented by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
in collaboration with Detroit International Jazz Festival

The event will feature a conversation between John Clayton and DSO Jazz Chair Michel Camilo, moderated by Detroit Free Press writer and noted jazz critic Mark Stryker.

As an added treat, the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra will perform
before the discussion.

The event is free and open to the public, with no tickets or reservations required.

For more information, please call the DSO Box Office at 313.576.5111.

http://www.detroitjazzfest.com/anothergreatday.html

THURS. JULY 16th, 6:30-7:30pm ­  WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH JAZZ
FESTIVAL, (313) 341-2697
17567 Hubbell at Outer Drive, Detroit west side
Supreme vocalist, Audrey Northington, and I, along with Butter Hawkins
on drums, will play a one hour outdoor concert

THURS. JULY 16th, 8:30pm-1:30am- SBH TRIO OPEN MIC JAZZ JAM
2727 Russell, between Mack and Gratiot, in the Eastern Market, $3 cover
It¹s my BIRTHDAY BASH! Members of La Inspiracion and Soneo will be
joining Ralphe, Spider and I and all the great performers that come in!
Great food, FREE parking, and the best jam in town!

FRI. JULY 17th, 7:30pm-10:30pm ­ ITALIAN FESTIVAL -

http://www.iacsonline.net/

Macomb Community College South Campus, 14500 E. 12 Mi Rd at Hayes, in
Warren (between Groesbeck and Schoenherr)
Aaron Caruso (Mario Lanza-type) and the Gaylords show with our 6 piece
band

SAT. JULY 18th, 10:45am-4:30pm ­ RAGTIME STREET FAIR AT GREENFIELD VILLAGE

http://www.thehenryford.org/events/ragtime.aspx

20900 Oakwood south of Michigan Ave in Dearborn, included with Village
admission (check website for prices)
I¹ll be playing piano for silent movies from 10:30am ­ 2pm and a concert
from 4-4:30pm

SAT. JULY 18th, 7:30pm-10:30pm – ITALIAN FESTIVAL

http://www.iacsonline.net/

Macomb Community College South Campus, 14500 E. 12 Mi Rd at Hayes, in
Warren (between Groesbeck and Schoenherr)
Aaron Caruso and the Gaylords show with our 6 piece band

SUN. JULY 19th, 12pm-1pm ­ MICHIGAN JAZZ FESTIVAL

http://michiganjazzfestival.homestead.com/

Schoolcraft College, Haggerty Rd, between 7 & 8 Mi Rds
My 8-piece Latin jazz group, SONEO, will be opening the Festival at the
outdoor RED TENT. Many other great acts all day!

SUN. JULY 19th, 5:30pm-6:30pm ­ CONCERT OF COLORS

http://www.concertofcolors.com/

Max Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward, north of Mack Ave.
12-piece Latin salsa band, La Inspiracion, will be playing at this
amazing FREE world music festival (which runs SAT AND SUN) MANY great
groups!

SUN. JULY 19th 7pm-10pm – ITALIAN FESTIVAL  http://www.iacsonline.net/
Macomb Community College South Campus, 14500 E. 12 Mi Rd at Hayes, in
Warren (between Groesbeck and Schoenherr)
MARK RANDISI will be added to Aaron Caruso and the Gaylords show with
our 6 piece band

TUES. JULY 21st 6pm-8pm ­ DETROIT LIBRARY JAZZ AND JAVA SERIES -

http://www.detroitpubliclibrary.org/events/JavaJazz09.htm

5201 Woodward, north of Warren Ave. Stage in on Cass Ave entrance.
8-piece Latin jazz group, SONEO, will be playing at the outdoor stage. A
fresh Latin approach to jazz, R&B and Motown songs!

Jazz Café presents some Mid-Summer fusion excitement, with 2 shows by Jazz Fusion drummer, Steve Smith and his longstanding group, Vital Information, Friday, July 17th at 8PM and 10PM in the cozy, Jazz Café , just inside The Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts lobby.

Now in their 26th year since their initial 1983 release, Steve Smith and Vital Information has become a formidable jazz/fusion juggernaut whose longevity surpasses all of the major fusion groups. The all-star lineup of Tom Coster (keyboards), Baron Browne (bass), Vinny Valentino (guitar) and Steve Smith (drums) serve up a veritable banquet of sounds, from slamming funk and syncopated second line grooves to seriously swinging, up-tempo B-3 burners, South Indian Carnatic inspired jams and sizzling fuzoid romps.

The group’s founder and drummer, Steve Smith, has a resume that stretches from Ahmad Jamal, Zakir Hussain, The Buddy Rich Big Band and Steps Ahead to Andrea Bocelli and Journey. It is no surprise that he won Modern Drummer Magazine’s #1 All Around Drummer award five years in a row, and was voted one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time in a recent Modern Drummer reader’s poll. In 2002 Smith was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. In the last ten years, Smith has led, or co-led, fifteen different jazz or jazz/rock projects for the Tone Center label. Steve Smith is one of the most constantly evolving drummers on the scene today.

On the band’s 12th album, Vitalization, Vital Information continues to hone its “U.S. music” direction while staking out some adventurous new territory including rhythms from India. The seasoned veterans cover a lot of bases on Vitalization and do it all in such convincing fashion. There isn’t a more flexible and disciplined band of players on the jazz scene today than Vital Information.

www.vitalinformation.com

Steve Smith and VITAL INFORMATION

TOM COSTER – Keyboards (Santana)

BARON BROWNE – Bass (Billy Cobham/Jean-Luc Ponty)

VINNY VALENTINO – Guitar (Bill Evans/Jimmy McGriff)

STEVE SMITH – Drums (Journey/Steps Ahead)

Tickets are $25
Available at Music Hall Box Office (313) 887-8500 or Ticketmaster.com

Jazz Café at Music Hall
350 Madison Ave.
Detroit, MI 48226
313 887-8532
www.jazzcafedetroit.com
www.musichall.org