JazzEd Festival Program 2026

in Old Ma | 6 2 0 2 4.25.

sity Univer e t a t S e - Wayn

FESTIVAL FESTIVAL

Celebrating High School Jazz Bands @jazzeddetroit

@jazzeddetroit

jazzeddetroit.org

Schedule of Events Morning

Warm Up Room 2380

Adjudicator Clinic Room 2414

Performance Room 2402

Student Lounge 2223

Workshops Schaver Hall

7:45 - 8:15 am

Check-In

8:15 am

Welcome - Schaver Hall

8:30 am Music Hall 9:00 am 9:30 am

MSU CMS-D

10:00 am 10:30 am

DSO 11:00 am 11:30 am Student Mixer 12:00 pm - John Coltrane - PC

- Detroit School of Arts

- Miles Davis - PC

- U of D Jesuit

- King

- All

Afternoon

Warm Up Room 2380

Performance Room 2402

Adjudicator Clinic Room 2414

Workshops Schaver Hall

1:15 - 1:45 pm

Check-In

1:45 pm

Welcome - Schaver Hall

2:00 pm

Student Lounge 2223

JazzEd Detroit

2:30 pm 3:00 pm

Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation

3:30 pm 4:00 pm

The Carr Center

4:30 pm 5:00 pm

Student Mixer 5:30 pm - Grosse Pointe North

- Duke Ellington

- Cass Tech

- Farmington

- All

Workshop Information Music Hall Big Band Balance - Presented by Steve Wood

Explore how to create a balanced and cohesive big band sound across sections. This session focuses on blending saxophones, brass, and rhythm section while refining phrasing and articulation to achieve an authentic swing feel. Students will work directly with ensemble passages and gain practical tools to bring clarity, precision, and musicality to their performances.

MSU Community Music School - Detroit Building Basie Riff Backgrounds - Presented by Trevor Lamb

Discover how to support soloists with effective and stylistically appropriate riff backgrounds. Centered in the blues tradition, this workshop explores dynamics, timing, and improvisation techniques that strengthen ensemble interaction. Students will learn how to listen, respond, and contribute to a more engaging and supportive group sound.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Rhythm Section Chemistry: Let’s Groove, Let’s Speak, Let’s Support Presented by Darell “Red” Campbell

Learn how to communicate and connect within the rhythm section to build a unified groove. This session focuses on listening, interaction, and stylistic awareness to help musicians support one another and elevate the full ensemble. Students will leave with strategies to deepen musical collaboration and strengthen their role within the band.

JazzEd Detroit Digital Tools for Jazz Students and Educators - Presented by Kris Johnson

Explore practical digital tools designed to support practice, creativity, and growth as a jazz musician. In this interactive session, students will engage with free JazzEd Detroit resources, including play-alongs and online materials, while gaining insight into effective ways to build skills using technology. Ideal for both students and educators, this workshop offers accessible strategies for modern musicianship.

Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation The Sounds of Detroit - Presented by Marion Hayden

Discover the music and artists that define Detroit’s unique jazz legacy. This session highlights influential composers and styles across generations, connecting jazz to broader musical movements including hip-hop. Students will explore how Detroit’s sound continues to shape modern music and gain a deeper appreciation for its cultural impact.

The Carr Center Roots and Rhythm - Presented by Laura Simone

Experience the foundations of Black musical traditions through rhythm, movement, and interactive learning. From work songs to jazz, this workshop connects historical context with hands-on exploration. Students will engage directly with rhythmic concepts while discovering how music expresses culture, history, and identity.

Adjudicators Timothy Blackmon, Jr. - Trumpet As an educator and artist-in-residence, Blackmon has taught masterclasses at The Florida State University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Alabama (Birmingham), University of Vermont, and The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, Canada. As a performer, Blackmon is a member of The Modern Jazz Generation led by Marcus Roberts, a member of The Rodney Whitaker Sextet, a member of The Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra, and as a Geri Allen fellow and member of the Gathering Orchestra of Detroit. He has also appeared alongside a diverse list of great artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Joan Rivers, and Savion Glover.

Willie J. McAllister, Jr. - Educator Willie J. McAllister, Jr. retired as Director of the Office of Fine Arts Education for the Detroit Public Schools Community District. A native Detroiter, he is a graduate of Northwestern High School and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wayne State University. As a music educator in both private and public schools for over 40 years, his teaching experience includes seventeen years as the Director of Bands and Orchestra at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Michigan, where he established the Jazz and Marching Band programs. Mr. McAllister has served as a clinician at the Michigan Music Conference and as an adjudicator for Solo and Ensemble competitions. Mr. McAllister has been recognized as the Michigan Band and Orchestra Association Teacher of the Year and received the Detroit Public Schools Community District Administrator of the Year award. He was also recognized as the Detroit Public Schools Foundation Champion of Education and the Detroit Jazz Festival Guardian of Jazz. Mr. McAllister is passionate in the support and educational development of fine arts students as well as the career paths of educators. Mr. McAllister currently serves as a Board Member of the Detroit International Jazz Festival, and as a Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Orchestra Conductor and Scholarship Representative.

Jonathon Neal - Trumpet Jonathon C. Neal is an artist-educator devoted to the advancement of Black American Music and creative improvisation. A graduate of Howard University and Tennessee State University (TSU), he has taught at TSU where he served as Adjunct Professor of Trumpet and Grambling State University where he served as Upper Brass Instructor, Director of Jazz Ensembles, and instructed courses in improvisation, harmony, and ear training. He is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan, where his research explores consciousness in performance, noetic musicology, and the role of Black spirituality in the improvising traditions.

Adjudicators Kaleigh Wilder - Baritone Saxophone Kaleigh Wilder is a multi-instrumentalist improviser based in Detroit, Michigan. Combining classical, Black American Music, Ghanaian music, and the avant-garde, she translates bodily and ancestral memory into sound to communicate viscerally. She hopes to amplify in the listener their own understanding of music and Self.

Nate Winn - Drums Nate Winn is a drummer/educator from Detroit, MI with a bachelor’s degree in music from Wayne State University, and master’s degree from Berklee College of Music. He is on faculty at the University of Michigan’s jazz department teaching drums/percussion.

Welcome Performance Evening Star Evening Star (Trio) presents a refined and intimate iteration of the ensemble’s jazz-centered artistry.

Drawing from a contemporary jazz vernacular enriched with neo-soul sensibilities and a subdued lo-fi aesthetic, the trio exhibits a cultivated balance of precision and spontaneity. Their performances unfold with nuanced interplay, elegant phrasing, and a deep sense of musical rapport—offering both reimagined standards and thoughtfully crafted original works. With an emphasis on tonal sophistication, dynamic restraint, and conversational improvisation, Evening Star curates an atmosphere that is at once distinguished, immersive, and quietly transcendent.

Tariq Gardner's Evening Star

Tariq Gardner

@eveningstarmusic

itseveningstarmusic.com/

PHOTOGRAPHS & VIDEO WILL BE TAKEN AT THIS EVENT We will be documenting the activities of the day to be used in marketing materials and social media. If you have any questions, please talk to one of our staff members. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Participating Bands Cass Technical High School Andrea Holley Detroit School of Arts Victoria Fernholz Duke Ellington Conservatory of Music and Art Sean Patton Farmington High School Zulnie Floreska

Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School Lamar Phillips Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Marcus Miller University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy Joshua James

Grosse Pointe North High School Tom Torrento

Additional Festival Resources Nearby Restaurants Within walking distance of Wayne State University.

Grab a bite after your events!

Venue Map Don’t know where to go? View a map of the event space.

Each floor has its own map!

JazzEd Festival Website Visit our website for additional festival information.

Check out the JazzEd resources while you’re there!

Our Partners’ Jazz Programs MSU Community Music School Detroit Spartan Youth Jazz Elective Series Spartan Adult Jazz Ensembles Jazz Education Workshops & Concerts Detroit Jazz Festival New Jazz Infusion Program Youth Vocal Jazz Competition Collegiate Combo Competition Jazz Goes to College Scholarship Detroit Symphony Orchestra Civic Jazz Orchestra Civic Jazz Band Creative Jazz Ensemble

The Carr Center The Gathering Orchestra Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts Performance Workshop Jazz Jams Jazz Vocal Instruction & Choir at The School at Marygrove Instrumental Instruction & Jazz Concert Band at The School at Marygrove Introduction to Music Course at The School at Marygrove Guest Artists / Lectures at The School at Marygrove Jazz Vocal Education at Detroit School of the Arts Jazz For Young People

FREE JazzEd Detroit Resources JazzEd Tracks: Your Ultimate Play-Along Practice Tool Explore our new JazzEd Tracks, designed to help master five essential jazz standards. Professionally recorded play-along tracks are available in multiple versions, allowing you to practice various rhythm sections and enhance your skills.

JazzEd Masterclasses: Play Alongside Detroit’s Top Musicians!

Our FREE online masterclass videos deliver ready-to-use skills from Detroit’s top jazz performers. Each video features a faculty member from one of our 5 partner organizations. Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, you can easily find new ways to grow your skills.

Our Partners The Carr Center leverages the essence of the African American cultural experience to inspire, entertain, challenge, and educate.

It is a place where artists, from all disciplines and communities, come together to enjoy jazz. thecarrcenter.org

@thecarrcenter_detroit

TheCarrCenter

MSU's Community Music School - Detroit is an outreach division of the MSU College of Music that cultivates a diverse and connected community by providing opportunities for lifelong education, college and/or career readiness, mentorship, and belonging. cmsd.msu.edu

MSUCommunityMusicSchoolDetroit

@cmsd.msu

For nearly 40 years, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has celebrated Detroit’s rich history of jazz music by providing yearround concerts, educational programming, and organizing the world’s largest free jazz festival. detroitjazzfest.org

DetroitJazzFestival

@detroitjazzfest

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, America’s fourth-oldest, has a history as varied and exciting as that of its hometown. The DSO has been at the center of Detroit’s musical heartbeat for more than 130 years. dso.org

DetroitSymphonyOrchestra

@detroitsymphony

Music Hall stands as Detroit’s premier venue for jazz, theater, and dance. Its productions provide southeastern Michigan with high-quality performing arts programs and education that reflects the diverse mix of cultures. musichall.org

MusicHallDetroit

@musichalldetroit

Funding for JazzEd Detroit is made possible through a grant provided by the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to supporting a culturally vibrant metro Detroit, specifically continuing Detroit’s strong jazz tradition and Fred Erb’s legacy of jazz patronage.