Marcus Belgrave's tribute to Louis Armstrong's Magical Legacy
Hometown trumpeter Belgrave brings a bunch of jazz talent to the stage in this Satchmo tribute, including the pride of New Orleans, trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton, who, from his first album, Gumbo Nouveau, has been a shining light for young jazzers.
Ron Carter and Peter Bernstein's Tribute to Jim Hall
Ron Carter has his fans in metro Detroit, due in part to his area roots, which likely helped make him the face of the festival, at least in this year's TV spots. But some would say he's the most iconic jazz bassist alive, and he has performed with everybody from B.B. King to Kronos Quartet to Eric Dolphy.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
See the brass band that re-energized the brass band tradition 30 years ago, before a younger generation of players took it up. You could be watching this on Austin City Limits, or right in your hometown.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet
Sanders is probably best known for his wildly evocative free jazz in the 1960s, music that predates the excesses of, say, John Zorn by decades. But this former apprentice of John Coltrane later pursued a gentler style and retained his intensity. Here's a chance to see how he does it.
Cyrus Chestnut plays Dave Brubeck
One of the greats who's played with Aretha, this swinging jazz pianist takes on the work of Dave Brubeck. Brubeck's compositions have such wide currency that even those new to jazz will be tapping their toes when Chestnut tickles the ivories.
Regina Carter
The Great Detroit violinist got her start in Detroit with Lyman Woodard, influenced by everything from jazz to classical to pop. Since then, she's become a worldwide phenomenon and the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.
Tormé Sings Tormé
Steve March-Tormé will sing the classic popular standards his father, Mel Tormé, made famous, in special arrangements by Marty Paich.
Walter White
A scion of a musical Detroit family, Walter White has played trumpet and flugelhorn with Maynard Ferguson, Bob James, and Wynton Marsalis. At this year's jazz fest, he'll head up a quartet consisting of Gary Schunk, Miles Brown, and Sean Dobbins.
