arts & entertainment Labor Day Lowdown A Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer Photos by An drean Mang lard l This weekend brings the return of end-of- summer fun fests to southeast Michigan. Introducing a festival within a festival. I n its third year in Royal Oak, the ever- expanding Arts, Beats & Eats festival this year debuts the Deaf Arts Festival. Visitors will find the work of visual artists and listen to musical performers who have moved beyond personal challenges. Jake Bass, who learned to play instru- ments by ear, is the hearing member of a performing arts trio in which two members are deaf and draw sounds from sensibilities outside of hearing. Bass, playing keyboards and keytar (a lightweight keyboard worn with a strap around the neck like a guitar), will be appearing with rapper Sean Forbes and guitarist Mark Levin at Arts, Beats & Eats. They will preview songs from Perfect Imperfection, a new album that features music by Bass and lyrics by Forbes. The three will perform on opening day, at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, on the Michigan Lottery Stage; the four-day festival runs through Labor Day. "It's a fun, quirky, pop album:' says Bass, who also is the producer of the threesome. "Our main goal is to make something that everybody can enjoy." Bass, 22, has written more than 50 songs with Forbes. Their music is accessible to both hearing and deaf audiences through visuals to spotlight the lyrics, including sign language, and Bass says the crowd should expect some surprises. The writing team has been working together since Bass was 15, when Forbes heard music CDs with the teenager's com- positions and suggested that the two should collaborate. Forbes, 30 and a Detroit native, has some hearing — he senses musical vibrations —and can read lips. "The first song we wrote was `I'm Deaf: Sean's first single says Bass, who composes at the keyboard, guitar and bass. "The song is on YouTube with half a million hits." s in years past, the lazy, hazy days of summer draw to a close with a fistful of favorite festivals — Arts, Beats & Eats and the Detroit Jazz Festival, among them — offering many choices in music, art, novelties and foods. What's more, there are new attractions — like the Great Lakes State Fair in Novi, which will provide a re-imagination of a decades-old tradition that offers music and food along with animal pre- sentations, carnival rides and Michigan-labeled products. Meet a few of the entertainers and check out a listing of events. 0 Bass grew up in Oak Park and now lives in Ferndale. He learned about playing music and producing music projects from his dad, Jeff Bass (of the Bass Brothers producing team that was instrumental in launching the career of Eminem). A drum set, given at Chanukah when the younger Bass was 8, helped launch rhythmic tal- ents. "I graduated from Columbia College in Chicago last May, when I got my degree in music composition:' says Bass. The Berkley High School graduate had his bar mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, where he met girlfriend Danielle Klavons. Bass works through his dad's businesses — Jeff Bass Music for the producing and Web Entertainment for the recording. "I work with a bunch of other artists as well and recently got into compos- ing music for visual media," Bass says. "I scored the music for a show called Motor City Rising that was on the Ovation TV network I'm gaining interest in compos- ing for TV, film and video:' Bass met Levin through Forbes. "I am the tour manager, hype-man and stage guitarist," says Levin, 27, in an e-mail interview. He has lived in Hazel Park since moving from Illinois, and like Bass, he is Jewish. "I also work for Sean's nonprofit, D-PAN (Deaf Professional Arts Network), as the tour, merchandise and social media man- ager," says Levin. "I have been with D-PAN since 2008 and try to stay active in the entertainment industry by picking up various jobs, such as backstage supervisor at music festivals." Levin, who like Forbes, has some hear- Detroit Jazz Festival Marking its 33rd year with international headliners. I n the heart of Downtown, this year's Detroit Jazz Festival includes per- formers making their debut appear- ances in the city. They include Chuck Israels, who has not worked in Detroit but has worked with many of the musical art- ists who gained early attention in the city. When he performs at the Detroit Jazz Festival, he will be joined by members of the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra and two preferred singers: his wife, Margot Hanson, and his daughter, Jessica Israels. "I'll be playing with my octet from Portland, and we're playing music that I've written and arranged over the last 20 years:' says Israels, 76, in a phone inter- view from his home. "I've been working on this repertoire of music pretty heavily influenced by my time with the Bill Evans Trio. It will be either my compositions or my arrange- ments of other people's music." The Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, one of 100 acts in the Detroit Jazz Festival, will appear 6:45-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, on the JP Morgan Chase Main Stage. The acts will be divided among five stages to be set up Aug. 31-Sept.3 over several city blocks in downtown Detroit — from Hart Plaza to Campus Martius. Detroit Jazz Festival on page 62 ing, asked for guitar lessons when he was 12. Jamming with family and friends, he moved on to study drums and bass. "When listening to music, I have a hard time differentiating between keyboards and guitars sometimes," says the single Levin, who also graduated from Columbia but specialized in arts, entertainment and media management. "I took piano/ keyboard lessons to help me process and understand the sounds better." Levin, who had his bar mitzvah in Illinois and sometimes attends Temple Emanu-El with Bass, considers himself a very visual person and has watched other musicians as part of his learning process. "I have been working on writing some solo material:' he says. "I left a band behind when I moved from Chicago, and I'm looking to put together another in Michigan." ❑ Mark Levin, with Sean Forbes in background Jake Bass, Sean Forbes and Mark Levin perform at Arts, Beats & Eats at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, on the Michigan Lottery Stage. The festival is $3 before 5 p.m. (free on Friday) and $5 after 5 p.m.