The Metro: Jazz concert at the Aretha to pay tribute to Ed Love

Back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, longtime radio broadcaster Ed Love was honored with the Spirit of Detroit award for 60 years of service for jazz in Detroit. In 2021, The Michigan Association of Broadcasters also honored Love with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding career in broadcasting.  

Love wasn’t born in Detroit, but he adopted the city as his hometown in the 1950s with the goal of continuing the city’s jazz footprint. What many don’t know is that a lot of Motown’s early studio musicians were jazz players throughout the city. Love made sure those artists hit the radio airwaves. 

In 1983, Love debuted Destination Jazz: The Ed Love Program on 101.9 WDET, marking the start of a longtime musical tradition and inspiring generations of jazz lovers.

Now, over 70 years into this long career, Love continues to receive his flowers for the preservation of jazz in Detroit.  

An upcoming tribute show at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre will honor him on Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. President of the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre Shahida Mausi and Mr. Ed Love himself joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss how the show came to be and the long legacy that precedes it.

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Love has put on many jazz concerts that educated and inspired generations of musicians and jazz listeners. However, that wasn’t Love’s priority.

“Now, there are many people who do the educational thing. If you get any education out of me, that’s secondary, because my main thing is to entertain, with jazz,” Love said.

Although it wasn’t Love’s intention, many musicians admire his legacy in the field of jazz. The artists that will be featured at the concert to honor Love include Cassandra Wilson as well as Detroiters Ralphe Armstrong and James Carter.

When the idea for this tribute concert came about last summer, Mausi explained how particular The Aretha was with selecting artists.

“You have to be really particular about what kind of music you add to attribute for Ed Love. You can’t just pick anybody. And it had to be a musician, an artist that he says is the right pick,” Mausi explained. “So we started talking and talking. And I think we came up with something that I hope is going to be a pleasant experience, not only for Ed, but a magnificent experience for the rest of the audience.”

While The Aretha is excited to honor Ed Love with a concert, Love is excited too. He says the theater is “a second home” and that he was astonished when he received a call from Mausi asking to honor him.

“With great music and a great night, it’s the place to be in Detroit for all of you who love jazz, who love great music, who love Ed Love,” Mausi said. “I mean, you can’t be a jazz person in Detroit without loving Ed.”

Tickets for “Cassandra Wilson: A Tribute to Ed Love with Ralphe Armstrong” are available on The Aretha’s website and on Ticketmaster.

More headlines from The Metro on July 17, 2024:

• For years, abandoned boats have popped up on Detroit streets and alleys. Since 2015, over 600 abandoned boats have been reported using the Improve Detroit App. During his State of the City Address earlier this year, Mayor Mike Duggan laid out a plan to remove these junk vehicles and boats. To discuss the plan and why the boats are there in the first place, Alex Alsup joined The Metro. Alsup is the Vice President of Research and Development at Regrid and writes for the Chargeback newsletter, which explores housing access in Detroit.
• With a new year comes new contracts, including significant changes for Detroit Public School teachers. Starting salaries for new teachers at the Detroit Public Schools Community District increased to $55,000, mid-career teachers will see salary increases between 10% and 23% depending on the degree they hold, and veteran teachers could make as much as $94,000 a year if they have a doctorate. Detroit Federation of Teachers President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins joined The Metro to discuss why these contracts are such a big deal.
• For the past few weeks, President Joe Biden has been getting a lot of attention as several Democrats have been calling for him to end his presidential reelection campaign. That attention was constant until Saturday, when former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally. The spotlight has stayed on him this week as the Republican National Convention kicked off in Wisconsin. The biggest thing we’ve learned thus far is that JD Vance has become Trump’s Vice Presidential pick. To hear more about this year’s convention, WDET’s Russ McNamara joined The Metro. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.