Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling and Monty Alexander dig in at Detroit Jazz Fest

The 42nd Detroit Jazz Festival, the largest free festival of its kind, went ahead in a manner, if not as usual, similar to last year: “remotely.” The downtown Marriott was again deployed to host three sponsored soundstages from which 36 shows were broadcast live. Herbie Hancock, playing his first public performances since the onset of Covid, declined photographers, journalists or audience in the ballroom for his opening night concert. Having lost Chick and McCoy recently and with Keith out of commission due to strokes, it was understandable that the 81 years young legend was extra cautious. When Jazzwise spoke to Monty Alexander, 77, before his hit with HKX (Harlem Kingston Express), it was to check on him, since he’d suffered a heart attack onstage in Montreal some years back. “Whatever that was, it’s gone!” responded the bon viveur pianist, impatient at mention of malady. Monty brought an all-star jazz/reggae octet including saxist Wayne Escoffery and guitarist Yotam Silberstein. Breaking schtick, he played in trio with vibraphone to commemorate a residency in Detroit with Milt Jackson back in ’67, after offering a darkly topical rendition of ‘Hurricane’ given recent damage wrought by such, “they used to terrify when I grew up on the island.”

It was the pandemic that put brakes on the launch of Gregory Porter’s 2020 gospel-infused All Rise and he told Jazzwise that Blue Note intends to re-release when time is right. Meanwhile he’d been busy collaborating with Patti LaBelle, Somi and the Zach Brown Band but had faced challenges, including the loss of his brother to the virus. He dusted off the back catalogue as a result, though with an augmented, churchified ensemble, on the JPMorgan Chase stage.

Kurt Elling fronted the most ambitious project of the fest, The Big Blind, a noirish radio drama (penned by himself and Phil Galdston), backed by full orchestra with scores by Guy Barker. It didn’t take this Windy City scribe long to parallel Elling’s character Jack Lewis with comedian Joe E. Lewis, a legend during the prohibition history of Chicago’s Green Mill, who miraculously survived being whacked by the mob. Elling’s confidant in the plot is Eddie Freeman, a composite of jazz mentors Eddie Johnson and Von Freeman, played by Allan Harris. The drama included a lyrical rendering of Wayne Shorter’s ‘The Face on the Barroom Floor’ and Elling croakily attempting to sing again after having his throat cut by his manager/jealous lover, played by DJF artist-in-residence Dee Dee Bridgewater.

In duo with pianist Bill Charlap later, on the more intimate Absopure stage, Bridgewater (below) claimed on-camera that she was nervous, but Charlap urbanely channelled any jitters, eliciting a superb musical simpatico.

Local heroes included bassist Dave Sharpe’s multinational Worlds Quartet (Sharpe also manages Ann Arbor’s Blue Llama jazz club), and Randy Napoleon - yes, he gets shit for his name - who’s upcoming ‘Rust Belt Roots’ release will be a must for fans of midwestern guitar  à la Montgomery, Burrell & Grant Green.

Of many executive saxophonists (festival director Chris Collins included), perhaps Kenny Garrett seemed most gung-ho, battling it out with Thundercat’s brother Ronald Bruner (above) on drums, as if fixated with the texture-and-energy of late period Coltrane; eager to be gigging again no doubt. Was it pandemic fuelled fall-out however that effected Eric Harland’s vibe with supergroup AZIZA? Sporting biblical beard, he blissed out behind hung-high cymbals, yet when a cymbal splash seemed apropos, hesitated. By set’s end Harland was so emotional he couldn’t leave the drum stool and Dave Holland and Chris Potter had to escort him from the room. A side effect of eighteen months of lockdown, perhaps? Potter was none the wiser when later asked for comment.

Detroit did a valiant back-to-back job, safely circumventing the vicious dearth of gigs and festivals to present an undiminished, outstanding four-day jazz bill, but here’s hoping next year applause will no longer need to be canned.