Detroit has a new mecca for jazz lovers, and it’s opening just in time to take advantage of this weekend’s Detroit Jazz Festival.
The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, a state-of-the-art performance venue located at 4715 Cass Ave. on the campus of Wayne State University (WSU) in Midtown Detroit, is a partnership between WSU and the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation (DJFF).
“The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center will enrich Wayne State’s music department and the local community while welcoming national and international jazz artists in a state-of-the-art facility designed for music performance, livestreaming and recording,” said Hasan Elahi, dean of WSU’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. “This will provide the university with a unique opportunity to continue its contribution to our city’s rich musical heritage and expand its influence to current and future generations.”
A grand opening reception for invitation only will be held Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Special performances will be simulcast on the screen in Campus Martius Park from 7 to 9 p.m. to welcome the public. Scheduled artists include the Brandee Younger Trio, performing a tribute to Wayne State graduate and groundbreaking jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby; Grammy and Tony award-winning singer Dee Dee Bridgewater with the Wayne State Legacy Big Band; the Alvin Waddles Trio; the Cliff Monear Duo and the Wayne State Jazz Vocal Quartet.
Thursday’s performances will also be live-streamed on the Detroit Jazz Festival website and social media.
“The Angel of Jazz”
Gretchen C. Valade, the Carthartt heiress who died on December 30, 2022 at the age of 97, was a passionate jazz lover who parlayed that lifelong passion into a tremendous investment in the city’s jazz culture. Until her death, Valade served as chair of the board of directors of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and as owner of the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Grosse Pointe and the national record label Mack Avenue Music Group.
Valade also fostered the musical careers of many jazz musicians from Detroit and around the world, and wrote songs herself that have been recorded by Shirley Horn and others. Her leadership donations to WSU over the years total $9.5 million, and her name is now honored for future generations at the Valade Center.
“The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center will help Wayne State recruit talented students interested in a range of musical fields, including jazz performance, music business and music technology,” said Dr. Jeffrey Sposato, chair of the Department of Music. “And this wonderful new performance space will go a long way toward our mission to be Detroit’s music department by providing our community with access to professional performances not only in jazz, but in all other fields from classical to hip-hop.”
A look inside
Located at the corner of Cass Avenue and Hancock Street on the campus of Wayne State University, the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center is home to two performance venues – the Detroit Jazz Hall and Dee Dee Bridgewater’s. The Detroit Jazz Hall, a 325-seat venue with VIP seating, is acoustically and logistically designed specifically for jazz in all its forms and is well-suited to other creative and interdisciplinary activities.
The second venue, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s, is an intimate jazz club style venue with 120 seats.
“It is a great honor that our beloved Gretchen Valade saw something special in me, in my work to encourage young musicians and to increase the importance and standing of women in jazz,” said Bridgewater. “She is our angel and heroine, bringing harmony to all things jazz, including the announcement of the Detroit Jazz Festival through her sponsorship and the founding of the jazz label Mack Avenue Records, my new musical home. May Dee Dee Bridgewater be a place that fosters creativity and equality, with spirituality abounding – a safe place for all who enter its realm.”
The venue will also be decorated with historical memorabilia from the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and will feature overflow capacity and a Detroit Jazz Festival Café.
Jazz Fest “After Hours” concerts
Chris Collins, professor and chair of jazz studies in WSU’s music department and president and artistic director of the DJFF, described the venue as “a really joyful atmosphere” and said the space would host community events and create many opportunities for people to experience live jazz at an affordable price.
He also said the venue will open to the public on Friday, August 30, and will host “after-hours” concerts following the Detroit Jazz Festival this weekend. On Friday, music at Valade begins at 10 p.m. with Flash Point Quintet, Srisley, The Birdman Sextet and the Jauron Perry Quintet playing until 1 a.m.
On Saturday, the Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio will play from 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and on Sunday there will be a special piano solo performance by Jon Cowherd from 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. These acts and constellations of players will not be seen on stage at the festival itself, but by changing location they offer the opportunity to extend the jazz festival experience until late at night.
More: At this year’s Detroit Jazz Fest, remember, I’m Duante Beddingfield – not the other guy
As with the festival itself, admission to the after-work performances is free.
“It is an investment in jazz, music education and the future of jazz at Wayne State, and forever connects the Jazz Festival Foundation with a home on campus,” said Collins, who also holds the Valade Endowed Chair in Jazz at WSU. “Because of her unique commitment, Gretchen has rightly been called the ‘Angel of Jazz’ by the worldwide jazz community. Her passion, dedication and vision are a legacy in and of themselves.”
When Collins says “global,” he means it. He recalls a concert in Japan where he was greeted by fans wearing homemade T-shirts with Valade’s face on them.
“They gave me buttons with the Detroit Jazz Festival and her picture on them,” Collins said. “Her name is known around the world. And once people see what we’ve done with Gretchen, they’ll want to be a part of it.”
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at [email protected].
