Full Description
Jazz from Detroit explores the city's pivotal role in shaping the course of modern and contemporary jazz. With more than two dozen in-depth profiles of remarkable Detroit-bred musicians, complemented by a generous selection of photographs, Mark Stryker makes Detroit jazz come alive as he draws out significant connections between the players, eras, styles, and Detroit's distinctive history.
Stryker's story starts in the 1940s and '50s, when the auto industry created a thriving black working and middle class in Detroit that supported a vibrant nightlife, and exceptional public school music programs and mentors in the community like pianist Barry Harris transformed the city into a jazz juggernaut. This golden age nurtured many legendary musicians—Hank, Thad, and Elvin Jones, Gerald Wilson, Milt Jackson, Yusef Lateef, Donald Byrd, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, and others. As the city's fortunes change, Stryker turns his spotlight toward often overlooked but prescient musician-run cooperatives and self-determination groups of the 1960s and '70s, such as the Strata Corporation and Tribe. In more recent decades, the city's culture of mentorship, embodied by trumpeter and teacher Marcus Belgrave, ensured that Detroit continued to incubate world-class talent; Belgrave protégés like Geri Allen, Kenny Garrett, Robert Hurst, Regina Carter, Gerald Cleaver, and Karriem Riggins helped define contemporary jazz. The resilience of Detroit's jazz tradition provides a powerful symbol of the city's lasting cultural influence.
Stryker's 21 years as an arts reporter and critic at the Detroit Free Press are evident in his vivid storytelling and insightful criticism. Stryker has fully updated the paperback since the publication of the hardcover. This award-winning book will appeal to jazz aficionados, casual fans, and anyone interested in the vibrant and complex history of cultural life in Detroit.
Contents
Table of Contents
A Note on Sources and Recordings
Introduction
Part 1: Setting the Stage
Chapter 1: Jazz in Detroit, 1900-1950
Part 2: The Golden Age, 1940-60
Opening Chorus
Chapter 2: Gerald Wilson — Head and Heart
Chapter 3: Yusef Lateef — Gentle Giant
Chapter 4; Milt Jackson — Bags' Groove
Chapter 5: Sheila Jordan — Sheila's Blues
Chapter 6: Barry Harris — Professor of Bebop
Chapter 7: Tommy Flanagan — A Legendary Touch
Chapter 8: Kenny Burrell — Community Builder
Chapter 9: Donald Byrd — Renaissance Man
Chapter 10: Roland Hanna — Magician
Chapter 11: Curtis Fuller — Trombone on Top
Chapter 12: Louis Hayes — The (Cymbal) Beat Goes On
Chapter 13: Ron Carter — The Right Note at the Right Time
Chapter 14: Joe Henderson —The Phantom
Chapter 15: Charles McPherson — Reminiscing by Ear
Part 3: The Jones Brothers
Opening Chorus
Chapter 16: Hank Jones — One Extra Ace
Chapter 17: Thad Jones — Jonesisms
Chapter 18: Elvin Jones — Philosopher-King
Part 4: Taking Control — Self-determination in the 1960s and '70s
Opening Chorus
Chapter 19: Detroit Artists Workshop, Detroit Creative Musicians Association and Focus Novii
Chapter 20: Contemporary Jazz Quintet and Strata Corporation
Chapter 21: Tribe
Coda
Part 5: Marcus Belgrave and His Children
Chapter 22: Marcus Belgrave — The Nurturer
Chapter 23: Geri Allen — Back to the Future
Chapter 24: Kenny Garrett — Sound and Spirit
Chapter 25: Regina Carter — Searching for Roots
Chapter 26: Gerald Cleaver — The Big Picture
Chapter 27: Robert Hurst— Platonic Ideal
Chapter 28; Rodney Whitaker — Family Man
Chapter 29: James Carter — Volcano
Chapter 30: Karriem Riggins — Duel Identity
Part 6: Tradition and Transition in the 21st Century
Opening Chorus
Chapter 31: Present and Future — Ralphe Armstrong, Marion Hayden, Michael Malis, Marcus Elliot
Coda
Appendix A: Jazz Musicians from Detroit
Appendix B: List of Quoted Interviews
Acknowledgments
Index
