This was the Detroit International Jazz Festival‘s most diverse year. People heard hard bop, avant garde, Latin jazz and smooth jazz. The festival had a few performances that were weak. Take 6 with the Mulgrew Miller Trio was flat. The a cappella sextet performed some compositions trumpeter Miles Davis put his stamp on. The sextet strayed too far away from its gospel roots....
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THE BEST SO FAR The consensus among writers covering the Detroit jazz festival who caught the Maria Schneider Orchestra is that it was the best festival performance so far. That is a major complement given that Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller, Trio M, the Defenders of the Groove featuring Ernie Andrews and so many others...
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THE FIRST LADY Tia Fuller, the first lady of Mack Avenue Records, is a bona fide jazz saxophonist. Her current album, Decisive Steps, is her best so far. Saturday afternoon at the Absopure Riverfront stage, her quartet gave an outstanding performance, playing selections from the new album. Fuller showed that she is a democratic...
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As the first half of  Eminem and Jay-Z’s four night “Home & Home Tour” wrapped up last night here in Detroit, we here at The Metro Times Music Blog bring you some photos from the groundbreaking hip-hop showcase. Fans flocked to the city from all over the globe, Norway, Miami and Afghanistan…and that was...
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GOSPEL CUTTING CONTEST SUPER BAD During the Tower of Power set, the man seated to my immediate right tapped me on the shoulder. Then he whispered in my ear Tower of Power was not playing jazz but they were definitely super bad. That statement pretty much summarizes the funk ensemble’s performance, which almost had...
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• In between the European and U.S. legs of his gig in Eminem’s band, Luis Resto slips into the Majestic Café to make the CD release of his solo disc, Combo De Momento. Resto was rocking it a few weeks ago when he performed as a key part of the Don Was-led all-star revue...
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For seven of the last nine weeks, Eminem has sold more albums than anyone to sit atop the national sales chart heap. He’s numero uno again, selling 117K since last Tuesday. Recovery sold 2.3 million copies since June 21. More  … Ass-magnet crooner Kem, our very own heir to old Marvin Gaye, has entered the album sales...
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Many of us at MT are excited for Black Milk’s Album of the Year to drop later this summer. Everything I’ve heard off it thus far is strong and this latest video keeps the momentum moving. Even though our emcee pool in Detroit is insanely talented, having Black Milk, Royce, and eLZhi on the...
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Eminem probably doesn't get the chance to jump into many battles at St. Andrew's Hall anymore, but that's not to say he's forgotten that freestyling catapulted him to stardom. On Thursday, Em will judge the final battle of Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile, a three-round freestyle competition featuring eight emcees from...
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Few emcees display as much charisma on the mic early in their careers as Jonathan “Cope” Copeland did in his debut mixtape, 21, which dropped June 24. The 23-year-old Ann Arbor native raps in a confident, conversational tone on his tracks, making the effort one of Michigan’s best this summer.
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