28th annual
Michigan Jazz Festival
The Michigan Jazz Festival returns to the Livonia campus of Schoolcraft College on Sunday, July 16, featuring a wide array of performers in a rich variety of jazz styles.
The majority of this year’s performers are new to the Festival, including the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra and Dr. Prof. Leonard King’s Orchestra; vocalists Ellie Martin, Kimmie Horne, Kathy Kosins and Sky Covington; solo pianists Duncan McMillan, William Marshall Bennett, Brendon Davis and Michael Jellick; and small groups headed by Zen Zadravec, Andrew Rathbun, Ingrid Racine, Jonathan Blanchette, Dave Sharp, and many others. Regular favorites will be performing as well, including Bill Meyer, Terry Lower, Cliff Monear, and Dave Bennett. The full schedule can be found below as well as on the Festival’s website.
SEMJA has sponsored the Michigan Jazz Festival every year since 1996. This year we are providing financial support for jazz mentors that are assisting the MJF All-Star High School Jazz Band. As always, SEMJA will be staked out in our regular location in the Livonia Community Foundation’s Jazz Walk; please drop by for a visit.
Schoolcraft’s award-winning culinary program returns this year with great food, wine and craft beer.
It all happens at 18600 Haggerty Road near Seven Mile in Schoolcraft College’s VisTaTech Center. VisTaTech is undergoing an expansion that promises even more excitement in 2024. For this year, however, the construction project has reduced the number of simultaneous stages from seven to six. The festival nonetheless features thirty-five performances from noon to 9:00 p.m. A vocal clinic with Jiana Hunter precedes the festival at 10:30 a.m. All events are free.
Helping to keep the Festival free is the annual Father’s Day fundraiser. The June 18 event features a gourmet buffet brunch prepared by Schoolcraft Culinary and entertainment featuring Barbara Ware and the Cliff Monear Trio. The group will be joined by special guest saxophonist Russ Miller. Seats can be reserved at the Festival’s website.
| Salden Big Band Stage |
Leven Open Air Stage |
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| DiPonio Room | The Big Tent | |||
| 12:15 | Dr. Prof. Leonard King Orchestra | 12:00 | Bill Meyer's SONEO | |
| 2:00 | MJF All-Star H.S. Jazz Band | 1:30 | Sky Covington featuring Club Crescendo | |
| 3:45 | Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra | 3:00 | Aguanko | |
| 5:30 | CSO | 4:30 | Kimmie Horne & Friends | |
| 7:15 | Jeff Trudell Big Band | 6:00 | Dave Bennett Quartet | |
| 7:30 | Zen Zadravec | |||
| Bill Bolle Presentation Stage |
Cotton Club Rathskeller Stage |
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| Kehrl Auditorium | Lower Waterman | |||
| 12:30 | Terry Lower with Edye Evans Hyde | 12:15 | Playing with the Pros | |
| 2:00 | Charles Greene Trio | 1:45 | Detroit Office of Civil Defense | |
| 3:30 | Jonathan Blanchatte's Time-Jump | 3:15 | Ingrid Racine Quintet | |
| 5:00 | Ramona Collins | 4:45 | Aston Neighborhood Pleasure Club | |
| 6:30 | Signal Quartet | 6:15 | Andrew Rathbun Quartet | |
| 8:00 | Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet wsg Elden Kelly | 7:45 | Kathy Kosins | |
| Vosgerchian Solo Piano Room |
Sally Bolle Cabaret Stage |
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| Rennolds Room | Henry's Cafe | |||
| 12:15 | Duncan McMillan | 12:00 | Barbara Ware / Cliff Monear | |
| 1:30 | William Marshall Bennett | 1:15 | Sandra Bomar / Don Barkowiak | |
| 3:00 | Matthew Fries | 2:30 | Marvin Jones / Jay Valle | |
| 4:15 | Rick Roe | 3:45 | Emma Aboukasm / Scott Gwinnell | |
| 5:30 | Brendon Davis | 5:00 | Sunny Wilkinson / Ron Newman | |
| 6:45 | Michael Jellick | 6:15 | Ellie Martin / Mike Harrison | |