Jazz From Detroit: Virtual Music Marathon on Feb. 27

[Mark Stryker]

Gang -- I'm hoping many of you can join us virtually for the Jazz From Detroit: Virtual Music Marathon on February 27. A little over two years ago I received a Knight Foundation grant to partner with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on a series of play-and-talk performances that I would host and which would feature multiple generations of Detroit musicians. We had originally planned on a May 2020 festival with performances on consecutive nights, but the pandemic of course forced us to postpone until November, when the surge in the virus forced us to again pivot. But the solution we've come up with is fantastic. The press release is below. I'm really proud of the artistic quality of the line-up we've put together -- Charles McPherson, Robert Hurst, Regina Carter, Marcus Elliot, Michael Malis -- and the film and audio production  is really state-of-the-art. (We've been filming over the last few months.)

 

—Jazz from Detroit: Virtual Music Marathon— DSO Digital Concert hosted by Mark Stryker celebrates Detroit’s landmark jazz legacy, Saturday, February 27

Feb 03, 2021

- Online festival experience features performances by and interviews with star-studded lineup including Charles McPherson with Randy Porter; Robert Hurst’s Black Current Jam; Balance: Marcus Elliot and Michael Malis; and Regina Carter and Xavier Davis duo

- CUBE | Digital event on DSO Digital Concerts streamed exclusively on dso.org from 2–7 p.m.

Detroit, (February 3, 2020) – This February, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) continues its CUBE | Digital series on DSO Digital Concerts with a celebration of Detroit’s landmark jazz legacy. Jazz from Detroit: Virtual Music Marathon will be streamed exclusively on dso.org on Saturday, February 27 from 2–7 p.m.

Hosted by award-winning author of Jazz from Detroit Mark Stryker, this five-hour event will feature performances by Charles McPherson (alto saxophone) with Randy Porter (piano); Robert Hurst (bass) and Black Current Jam; Marcus Elliot (saxophones) and Michael Malis (piano) performing as Balance; and Regina Carter (violin) and Xavier Davis (piano). The marathon event will also feature artist interviews conducted by Stryker. A complete schedule with exact set times will be published online the week of the event.

“The musicians in the marathon reflect the full sweep of Detroit’s extraordinary jazz legacy,” said Stryker. “Alto saxophonist Charles McPherson is one of the heroes to emerge from the city's legendary bebop explosion of the 1950s, and he remains at the top of his game in 2021. Violinist Regina Carter and bassist Robert Hurst came to international stardom in the 1980s and ‘90s. Saxophonist Marcus Elliot and pianist Michael Malis are among the leading lights of Detroit’s scene today. Taken together, these special performers illustrate the past, present, and future of one of the greatest jazz cities in America.”

Chris Harrington, Senior Director of Jazz and @ The Max for the DSO, said, “We're thrilled to partner with Mark Stryker on this one-of-a-kind virtual music marathon that celebrates Detroit's rich jazz legacy. Thanks to the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, we were able to capture these performances with our 4k ultra-high-definition cameras in Orchestra Hall—the venerable and acoustically perfect concert hall in Detroit where jazz has been presented for nearly half of its 100-year history. The DSO has the distinction of being one of few major American orchestras that regularly presents jazz on its mainstage and hosts a robust jazz education program that has nurtured the careers of some of the top musicians on the scene today, including Marcus Elliot and Michael Malis.”

DSO subscribers and select donors receive access to all DSO Digital Concerts. Single tickets for Jazz from Detroit: Virtual Music Marathon are available for $9. The marathon will be available to watch live and then on-demand for two weeks. To purchase single tickets, please click here. All DSO Digital Concerts can be viewed exclusively on dso.org via computer, mobile device, or smart TV. Click here to view a full list of upcoming digital events.

CUBE | Digital is supported by Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings, Ford Motor Company Fund, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with additional support from Quicken Loans and the Boston Consulting Group.

For a limited time, pick up a copy of Jazz from Detroit by Mark Stryker as part of a special edition DSO Gift Box, which also includes DSO-branded items and Detroit-made food products. For more information, visit dso.org/shop.

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JAZZ FROM DETROIT: VIRTUAL MUSIC MARATHON

CUBE | Digital

Saturday, February 27 from 2–7 p.m.

Join us online for a marathon festival experience that celebrates Detroit's landmark jazz legacy hosted by Mark Stryker, award-winning arts reporter and author of Jazz from Detroit. The event will feature performances by and interviews with Regina Carter, Marcus Elliot & Michael Malis duo, Black Current Jam, and Charles McPherson.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Mark Stryker

[Dan Gould]

Nice, and congratulations, Mark.  The on-demand option is a good idea and I think I will take advantage.

[ejp626]

3 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Nice, and congratulations, Mark.  The on-demand option is a good idea and I think I will take advantage.

Agreed.  It is quite odd but still interesting to plug in to concerts (jazz or classical) that are far from "home."  Live concerts are still strictly forbidden in Toronto. 

I am finding myself tuning in to Vancouver Symphony Orchestra livestreams (where I have at least some connection to that orchestra).  Obviously there is a limit on how much one can listen to, but I will consider this marathon, as well as a DSO-sponsored concert by Regina Carter and Xavier Davis on Feb. 12.