The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation named two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer Brian Blade as its artist-in-residence for the 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival.
The Detroit Jazz Festival will take place in downtown Detroit Aug. 30-Sept. 2 (Labor Day weekend). Blade, a sideman and collaborator, also is a composer and leader of Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band.
As the 2024 artist-in-residence, Blade will support Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation educational initiatives for students and community engagement activities across the region throughout the year.
He will lead multiple performances during the Festival on Labor Day weekend. Blade’s band will also perform at a sneak peek for the new Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the campus of Wayne State University on Wednesday, April 10 during the Detroit Jazz Festival Preview Event, which will be livestreamed for free on detroitjazzfest.org. The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center is scheduled to open to the public later in the fall.
“Brian Blade’s career, beginning with his Gospel roots in Shreveport, Louisiana, to his ascension to becoming one of the most acclaimed jazz drummers in the country is a shining testament to his dedication and commitment to jazz and its evolutions,” says Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “His legacy and contributions to this year’s Festival will be greatly appreciated by our fans and the entire global jazz community.”
