35th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival Brings Jazz Legends Downtown

World’s largest free jazz festival jams out in Hart Plaza, Campus Martius Labor Day weekend

DETROIT - At the Detroit Jazz Festival Chrysler Jazz Talk Tent, Artist In Residence Joshua Redman revealed, “I’m just blown away by the breadth and depth of the music presented here.”

A stroll through the entire campus of the Festival at a particular hour of the evening, one could hear the funky blues of the Lou Donaldson Organ Quartet, vocalist Freda Payne fronting the Airmen of Note Big Band, down Woodward you’d hear Randy Weston’s African Rhythm’s Septet. Then the impeccable swing of the Christian McBride Trio.

But of all the great music I heard on Saturday, nothing compared to the transcendent set by Pharaoh Sanders’ Quartet.

At 73 years of age, Sanders is an iconic figure in improvised music. Heavily influenced by jazz legend John Coltrane, (4 For Trane is one of his classic Impulse LPs), Sanders would later play and record with the tenor giant.

Interestingly, it was more of a mutual collaboration, with both men drawing inspiration from each other.

Pharaoh began the set by kicking over a music stand, a metaphor for his radical approach to the tenor as an instrument, and his entrance on the jazz scene in general.

On Saturday, he played a blend of straight ahead, tender ballads and the fire music that made him famous.

His quartet was rounded out by Joe Farnsworth on drums, Nat Reeves on bass and William Henderson on piano. They kicked off an uptempo swinging number, and Pharaoh hit a few foghorn low notes in the midst of his rapid runs.

Nat evidently had some problem with his hand after the first number, and as it was being addressed Pharaoh hit the first few notes of Coltrane’s ballad, #8220;Naima”.

One of the cool things about the Detroit Jazz Festival is watching the artists check each other out. Trombonist Steve Turre listening to Pharaoh backstage, or vocalist Kevin Mahogany acting like a wide eyed fan shooting pictures from the lip of the stage.

As the last note of the famous coda for Naima was played, Pharaoh burst into a series of furious shrieks that set off “Freedom”, a wild foray that inspired the tenor player to engage in leading the audience in clapping and call and response vocals. He even began a kind of marching/shuffling dance step that included some deep squats.

These three extended numbers would have made for a satisfactory set, and had already included two standing ovations by the audience, when Pharaoh played the opening notes to “The Creator Has A Master Plan”.

Sanders has a deeply spiritual perspective, encompassing something boundless, and this piece is one of his most deeply felt compositions. And he still wasn’t done.

A piece that featured a Calypso riff, a ballad the included the line, “Save our children, they’re dying… Now’s the time for inspiration.” And he finished with another Coltrane composition, “Giant Steps” (once described as the Sistine Chapel of BeBop).

There is something in Pharoah’s musicianship that defies the ability of linguistics. Maybe it’s (in the words of Joshua Redman) the ‘breath and depth’ of the music he presents. The tenderness of his ballads, the anguish of his shrieks.

He’s one musician who really changed what the saxophone can encompass. And his music, rather than being evocative of a specific era, sounds today to be timeless.

Mike Stratton is the author of the novel Everybody Dreams. He hosts the jazz radio program The Vinyl Side of Midnight on 89.7FM WLNZ, LCC Radio.

For more information, the full list of performers and performance times, after hours jam session schedule and more, please visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.