Detroit Jazz Festival Announces 2022 Lineup

The Detroit Jazz Festival presented by Rocket Mortgage, the world’s largest (and best) free jazz festival in the world, announced its lineup for Labor Day weekend during a livestream preview event that included a live performance from the 2022 Artist-in-Residence Chucho Valdés. The Festival is expected to be back live, in-person in downtown Detroit.

The Detroit Jazz Festival Livestream Preview Event was held with a limited audience at the future home of the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University, in Midtown Detroit. The Gretchen Valade Jazz Center is scheduled to open Fall 2023.

The Festival lineup announcement also coincided with International Jazz Day, a global celebration to raise awareness about the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

“It’s extremely befitting we announce the 2022 Festival lineup on what is considered a global day of unity in the jazz community,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director, Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “As we look forward to pivoting back to an in-person format, this year’s lineup reflects our renewed mission to feature legacy artists, propagate and nurture the next generation of jazz performers and audiences, and showcase the diverse tapestry of jazz in one festival.”

“We are proud to present the Detroit Jazz Festival, a marquee event that celebrates jazz’s rich history in our hometown of Detroit,” said Laura Grannemann, the Vice President of the Rocket Community Fund. “This event is more than a festival, it’s a community that comes together to celebrate music, our city and each other.”

Here’s a partial listing of this year’s Festival lineup: 

Friday, Sept. 2

• Chucho Valdés “The Creation” with the Yoruban Orchestra, Hilario Durán & John Beasley, Musical Directors, The extraordinary summation of an extraordinary career
• The Soul Rebels

 Saturday, Sept. 3

• The New Orleans Groove Masters with Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis & Shannon Powell
• Roosevelt Collier
• Julian Lage
• Harriet Tubman featuring Brandon Ross, Melvin Gibbs & JT Lewis
• Donny McCaslin
• Ranky Tanky with very special guest Ms. Lisa Fischer
• Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet
• Vijay Iyer Trio
• Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya
• Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band with special guest Marquis Hill

 Sunday, Sept. 4

• Bill Frisell Trio featuring Thomas Morgan & Rudy Royston
• José James presents Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday
• Georgia Anne Muldrow
• Antonio Sánchez & Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, BIGYUKI & Lex Sadler
• Nubya Garcia
• Tottori Jazz Generation Band
• Charles McPherson Quintet featuring Brian Lynch
• Cécile McLorin Salvant
• Roberto Fonseca YESUN
• The Lighthouse Project
• Duets – Dianne Reeves, Chucho Valdés & Joe Lovano

 Monday, Sept. 5

• Theo Croker – LOVE QUANTUM featuring Gary Bartz
• Ethan Iverson Trio (with Larry Grenadier and Nasheet Waits)
• Dianne Reeves
• Artemis featuring Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Nicole Glover, Alexa Tarantino, Noriko Ueda & Allison Miller
• Emmet Cohen Trio
• John Scofield’s “Yankee Go Home” featuring Vicente Archer, Jon Cowherd & Josh Dion
• JD Allen Trio
• Chucho Valdés Quartet

 The full Festival schedule will be available as the event nears.

Also returning this year is “Detroit Jazz Fest LIVE!” now available for FREE through the Festival’s website at live.detroitjazzfest.org. Festival attendees and out-of-towners unable to make it to the Festival can livestream performances from all four stages, all four days via their smartphone, tablet or desktop. Additionally, the livestreaming services features select performances throughout the year from the Foundation’s year-round initiatives, Festival schedules, maps and more.

The Detroit Jazz Festival will be held on Sept. 2 – 5. “There is no better place in the world for jazz than Labor Day weekend in Detroit,” said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation Board of Directors. “We’re truly excited for another great jazz festival and welcome our guests from around the world to our beautiful city.”

Source: DL Media Music