What’s In Store For The 2021 Detroit Jazz Festival

Detroit Jazz Festival President Chris Collins says the show will go on, with a sneak peek on WDET.

a trumpet being played in dim lighting

The Detroit Jazz Festival is one of the most anticipated events in the city, but jazz fans won’t have to wait for much longer. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, the festival will hold a live event streamed right here on WDET.org to announce its 2021 lineup. 

“This year, we stay by something that I hold very near and dear that the Detroit Jazz Festival is a live event that is accessible … We will make it happen, it will be live, and it will be from Detroit barring any strange changes in trajectory.” –Chris Collins, Detroit Jazz Festival 

The event will also feature full sets by Artist-in-Residence Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianist Omar Sosa


Listen: What to expect from the Detroit Jazz Festival this year.


Guest

Chris Collins is the president of the Detroit Jazz Festival. He says after last year’s successful virtual programming, the 2021 festival is ready to keep the music playing.

“This year, we stay by something that I hold very near and dear, that the Detroit Jazz Festival is a live event that is accessible … We will make it happen, it will be live, and it will be from Detroit barring any strange changes in trajectory,” he says. The festival will continue to operate within CDC and Detroit COVID-19 guidelines. “For 42 years the health and safety of our patrons and our artists has been our No. 1 priority and that will continue.” 

During Wednesday night’s event, Collins says listeners should expect to hear collaborative Havana jazz compositions from pianist Omar Sosa. “The output is equally owned by everybody. It’s one of those the sum is greater than its parts collaboration.” 2021 Artist-in-Residence Dee Dee Bridgewater will also be playing a full set. “She’s a very important artist in the world right now,” Collins says. “She has a real focus on supporting younger women in jazz, and we’ll see examples of that throughout this year’s festival.”

Web story written by Nora Rhein

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