Detroit’s Young Lions of Jazz: No. 1 – Photographs by Rod Arroyo, Portraits By Rod.
I did not coin this term, but there is a recognized group of talented young jazz musicians in Detroit that have taken the music scene by storm, and they are making waves not just in Detroit, but nationally. I have been following many of these musicians for years – since they were teenagers. Most of them are now in their 20s, and many of them are leading their own jazz groups and recording important work. Many of them have benefitted from educational resources from the Detroit Public Schools, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Carr Center, and more. They have also been taught and mentored by local Detroit jazz legends, many of whom have invited them into their homes for jam sessions and brought them on the stage to perform.
A few years ago, my wife and I created a room in our home where I feature jazz photographs that I have made over the years. The anchors of this room are two large photos, one of Roy Hargrove and one of Pat Metheny. There is a Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe wall, with nine photos from this great club featuring artists such as Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, Steve Turre, Thornetta Davis, Christian Sands, Gayelynn McKinney, and more. I have a Detroit Jazz Festival wall with photos of Dee Dee Bridgewater, Danilo Perez, and Rudresh Mahanthappa.
Recently, we decided to add a collage of Detroit’s Young Lions of Jazz. The nine artists that were selected are the ones I have followed for the longest time. It doesn’t mean this is the definitive list. There are many more that could be added, and that may come in a 2nd edition. Here are the cats that made the cut for No. 1:
Top row (l to r): Allen Dennard, Kasan Belgrave, Trunino Lowe. Second row: Louis Jones III, Jonathon Muir-Cotton, Tariq Gardner. Bottom row: Ian Finkelstein, Trevor Lamb, Jeffrey Trent.
Photographer: Rod Arroyo. Find more jazz photography on my Instagram.
