As a jazz journalist, attending summer festivals is almost a rite of passage, a journey to a place where so many pieces of the international jazz community are gathered in one spot to sample, or to indulge oneself. Over the years, accompanied by repeated visits, the sights and sounds of the festival locations become clearer and more familiar, the vibe more encompassing. You come to realize that many festival sites become jazz deserts once the festival circus leaves town. They are simply geographic annual event coordinates, a brief gathering spot. There are others however, that rise to international acclaim as an outgrowth of a local scene that includes a thriving mentorship cycle creating a jazz continuum of sorts. A city where music comes first, and generations of talent are produced to inevitably leave and impact the jazz community worldwide. Detroit is such a place. While jazz journalists typically are aware of the city's impact on jazz and pop music culture, few outside of the state of Michigan would ever have ventured there to experience the thriving local scene if not for the annual jazz festival that takes place for four days out of each year.

Detroit saxophonist