Talk About Detroit

Here We Go Again?

Buckwheat

I recently figured out how to get back into my blog "Talk About Detroit." So, I am practice blogging again and re-learning my posting and blogging skills. I'm not sure where I'm going from here, whether to start again, and if so, what direction to take. This began nine years ago as a place on the Internet to cover social, political and economic issues concerning the city of Detroit. The effort proved to be a formidable task for several reasons. First, the responsibility of blogging on a regular basis can be daunting. I have noticed that even professional news editors have difficulty keeping their blogs fresh. Second, it's difficult to let your feelings or positions on personal and political issues "hang out there on the Internet" for the world to see if you have personal or professional ties that can be affected by what you write. If you're not willing to take that risk, this leaves you with the option of writing down the middle -- a little to the left, a little to the right -- so nobody is offended (too much). I had an earlier false start at this in 2010, and I can hear the tentativeness in my voice as I contemplate what to do. What I love most about this is that it keeps your writing and photography (and video-taking) sharp.

Woodward Dream Cruise

August 16

Click here for Website

M-1

Heading for Midtown: Can you dig it?

M1 Rail Progress

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August 29-September 1 in downtown Detroit

Detroit Jazz Festival Coming Up

August 29-September 1

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Click for Great Piece with Lem Barney

In his third year as the Detroit Jazz Festival Artistic Director, Chris Collins has cultivated another amazing lineup for this year’s Labor Day weekend performances. The vision for 2014 is to continue to create musical experiences and collaborations that articulate “Jazz Speaks for Life,” the important words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. Once again, musicians from around the world and right here in Detroit as well, will come together to weave deep, meaningful stories through their music that are at the very root of what makes jazz an art form that imitates, creates and expands our collective musical and life experiences.

2014 Artist in Residence Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman is the one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the decade of the 1990s. Born in Berkeley, California, he is the son of legendary saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff. His self-titled 1993 album earned Redman his first Grammy nomination. Over a series of celebrated recordings including Spirit of the Moment/Live at the Village Vanguard, Freedom in the Groove and Timeless Tales (for Changing Times), Redman established himself as one of the music’s most consistent and successful bandleaders. The Grammy nominated 2005 release Momentum with Redman’s Elastic Band was his first with Nonesuch Records.

In May 2013, Redman released Walking Shadows (Nonesuch), a collection of vintage and contemporary ballads produced by his friend and frequent collaborator Brad Mehldau and Redman’s first recording to include an orchestral ensemble. About Walking Shadows, The New York Times said "there hasn’t been a more sublimely lyrical gesture in his 20-year recording career."