On Sunday April 26 this year’s local celebration of UNESCO’s International Jazz Day will feature a screening of The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit at the Spurlock Museum followed by a discussion with the film’s director, writer and producers. Festivities will continue with an Afterglow Performance of live music at Urbana’s Rose Bowl Tavern.
From legends such as Elvin Jones, Yusef Lateef, and Ron Carter to contemporary stars such as 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.
Inspired by Mark Stryker’s book, Jazz from Detroit, this 90-minute documentary weaves a compelling historical and cultural tapestry through the 20th and 21st centuries. Many in town will remember Stryker, the film’s writer/producer, from his time here in town working as a jazz saxophonist while earning a degree in American history from the University of Illinois.
Joining the film’s writer/producer Stryker for the post-screening discussion will be director/producer Daniel Loewenthal and producer Roberta Friedman. These two bring decades of experience to the conversation. Loewenthal has edited over 45 feature films, having worked for Paramount, Orion, Turner and other studios, while Friedman has worked on such Hollywood blockbusters as Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and her experimental films have been selected to be preserved by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
Moving from Spurlock to the Rose Bowl, the celebration’s Afterglow will feature live performances of Motor City jazz by Joel Spencer on drums, Joan Hickey on piano and Larry Gray on bass.
Both events are free and open to the public. The event sponsors include the Global Arts Performance Initiative of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the UNESCO Center for Global Citizenship, the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, the Conservatory of Central Illinois, the Rose Bowl Tavern, and the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. For further information about the film screening and afterglow performance contact Scott Schwartz at 217-333-4577 or schwrtzs@illinois.edu.