Michigan Jazz Festival 2018
The free Michigan Jazz Festival is still going strong in its 24th year. The festival features great music in a very comfortable and friendly environment and you have a choice of listening inside or outside. This year’s festival will be held on Sunday, July 15, at Schoolcraft College in Livonia from noon until 9:00 p.m. There will be music on seven stages inside the VisTaTech Center, including a new one (the Cabaret Stage) in the American Harvest Brewpub. There is also the Open Air Stage in a tent on the lawn, west of VisTaTech. There will be roughly 35 groups performing, including 5 big bands, for a total of around 150 musicians. The complete schedule can be found below.
Among this year’s performers are pianist Terry Lower with vocalist Edye Evans Hyde (left) on the Kehrl Auditorium stage. As always the Johnny Trudell big band will close things down in the DiPonio Room, as they did last year (top).
Schoolcraft College features high quality food services, and plenty of opportunities for socializing. SEMJA will have a table outside the Solo Piano Stage in the Rennolds Room as usual, so please drop by and say hello. SEMJA sponsors the Future of Jazz Stage in Henrys Café, where you will find high school and college bands. When Playing with the Pros finishes at Henry’s, SEMJA has organized a reception for members and guests from 5:30 to 6:30. Please drop by enjoy some refreshments and chat about what you have heard at the festival.
Schoolcraft College is located at 18600 Haggerty Rd. in Livonia. There is plenty of parking. For further information please call 734-462-4403 or go to the festival's website.
| Salden Big Band Stage | Leven Open Air Stage | |||
| DiPonio Room | The Big Tent | |||
| 12:15 | Schoolcraft College Jazz Band | 12:00 | Dave Tatrow's Dixieland All-Stars | |
| 2:00 | Dr. Teddy Harris' New Breed Bebop Band |
1:30 | Rick Roe Trio | |
| 3:45 | Ron Kischuck Masters of Music | 3:00 | Hughes / Smith Quintet | |
| 5:30 | CSO | 4:30 | Dave Bennett Quartet | |
| 7:15 | Johnny Trudell Big Band | 6:00 | Aguanko | |
| 7:30 | Charlie Miller Quartet | |||
| Bill Bolle Presentation Stage | Cohen Rathskeller Stage | |||
| Kehrl Auditorium | Lower Waterman | |||
| 12:30 | 6th Edition - Lori Lefevre | 12:15 | Phil Ogilvie's Rhythm Kings | |
| 2:00 | Terry Lower Quartet - featuring Edye Evans Hyde |
1:45 | Kate Patterson Trio | |
| 3:30 | Jerry McKenzie Just Jazz | 3:15 | Sean Dobbins' Modern Jazz Messengers |
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| 5:00 | Cliff Monear Trio | 4:45 | Demetrius Nabors Quartet | |
| 6:30 | Ursula Walker & the Buddy Budson Quintet |
6:15 | Bill Meyer Quintet | |
| 8:00 | Randy Napoleon Quartet | 7:45 | The Jazz Cycle | |
| Vosgerchian Solo Piano Stage | The Cabaret Stage | |||
| Rennolds Room | American Harvest Brewpub | |||
| 12:15 | Terry Lower | 2:00 | Sunny Wilkinson & Ellen Rowe | |
| 1:30 | Kerry Price | 3:30 | Camille Price | |
| 2:45 | Jeff Kressler | 5:00 | Sandra Bomar & Harvey Reed | |
| 4:00 | Bob Seeley | |||
| 5:15 | Tad Weed | SEMJA Future of Jazz Stage | ||
| 6:30 | Jerry Perrine | Henry's Cafe | ||
| 12:00 | MSU Spartan Youth | |||
| 1:30 | Matthew Dobbins Quartet | |||
| 3:00 | Indigo Jazz Quartet | |||
| 4:30 | Playing with the Pros | |||
| 6:00 | Glendale Groove | |||