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The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit
Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
600 S. Gregory St.
Urbana, Illinois 61801
(217) 333-2360
Category
Hours
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From legends like Elvin Jones, Yusef Lateef, and Ron Carter
to contemporary stars like Karriem Riggins, Kenny Garrett,
and Regina Carter, you can’t tell the history of jazz in America
without telling the history of jazz from Detroit. Scores of world-class
jazz musicians have rolled off Detroit’s assembly line, influenced
by both a profound legacy of mentors, including Barry Harris,
Marcus Belgrave, and Rodney Whitaker, and the soulfulness
of a great American city that never quits.
Inspired by Mark Stryker’s 2019 book, Jazz from Detroit, t
his 90-minute documentary weaves a compelling historical
and cultural tapestry through the 20th and 21st centuries.
Set within Detroit’s dramatic rise and fall as an industrial
power and the triumphs of its creative and resilient African American
community, The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit connects
the dots between the city’s history and Black music excellence.
A post-screening discussion at the Spurlock Museum will feature producers
Daniel Loewenthal, Roberta Friedman, and Mark Stryker, who was also
the writer of this compelling documentary. An afterglow performance
of music from Detroit’s jazz scene will take place at the
Rose Bowl Tavern and will feature Joel Spencer on drums,
Joan Hickey on piano and Larry Gray on bass.
Sponsors for this programming include Global Arts Performance Initiatives,
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Spurlock Museum, Rose Bowl Tavern,
UNESCO Center for Global Citizenship, and the Sousa Archives
and Center for American Music.