Detroit International Jazz Festival

The Detroit Jazz Festival is a free jazz festival held every year during Labor Day Weekend at Hart Plaza and Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit Jazz Festival
GenreJazz
DatesSeptember
Location(s)Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates42°19′53″N 83°02′45″W / 42.33139°N 83.04583°W / 42.33139; -83.04583
Years activeSince 1980
FoundersRobert McCabe, Detroit Renaissance
Attendance300,000
Websitedetroitjazzfest.com
A crowd cheers The Blind Boys of Alabama performing on the Campus Martius stage at the Detroit International Jazz Festival in September 2005.

History

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The festival began in 1980.[1] Until 2000, it was known as the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival.[1] The festival again changed names in 2005, becoming the Detroit International Jazz Festival after Ford Motor Company removed its sponsorship.

In January 2006 Gretchen Valade, Chairman of Mack Avenue Records founded the Detroit International Jazz Festival Foundation, which took over production and management of the festival.[1] Since 2012 the festival has been called the Detroit Jazz Festival.[2]

Performers have included Dave Brubeck, Gary Burton, Regina Carter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, The Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Mulgrew Miller, Paquito d'Rivera, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Take 6, and Tower of Power.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Dwyer, Alex (17 August 2017). "How The Detroit Jazz Festival Became The World's Largest Free Premier Jazz Festival". Forbes. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Detroit Jazz Festival History". Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  3. ^ "Detroit Jazz Festival announces '12 lineup". Retrieved 2012-04-04.
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