arts&life

music

“My formal education, as such, was by
doing. I had a chance to walk the walk,
not just talk the talk.”

— Adam Nussbaum

Jazz A
Fest
2017

PHOTO BY STEPHEN FREIHEIT

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Drummer Adam

Nussbaum joins

the likes of Herbie

Hancock, George

Benson, Regina

Carter and more at

this year’s festival.

TOP: Detroit Jazz Festival
ABOVE: Adam Nussbaum

46

August 24 • 2017

jn

dam Nussbaum began
learning the drums
while growing up
close to New York City, where
he found work and mentors
to help him advance when
he was still in his teens. One
of those mentors was the
late Elvin Jones, a celebrated
drummer who grew up in
Pontiac along with two broth-
ers who also attained musical
success.
Nussbaum, who has
appeared at the Detroit Jazz
Festival on a number of occa-
sions with different groups,
this year returns on Labor Day
to remember Jones and his hit
recordings.
“I’ll be working in a band
called New Light, and I’ll also
be doing a roundtable dis-
cussion of Elvin,” Nussbaum
says. “New Light includes two
musicians, David Liebman
[saxophone and flute] and
Gene Perla [bass], who worked
with Elvin. Saxophonist Adam
Niewood also will be with us
in place of Steve Grossman.
“David and Gene recorded
a very seminal record in
the early ’70s with Elvin.
It’s called ‘Live at the
Lighthouse,’ and we’re revis-
iting that music. It’s a real
treat for me because that’s
some of the music I became
enamored with when I got
into playing. The band name

comes from that famous
recording.
“Elvin, who got his due
with the great John Coltrane
Quartet, was the baby in his
family. His older brother, Hank
Jones, was an incredible pia-
nist. Another brother, Thad
Jones, was a great trumpet
player, composer and arranger
who worked with Count Basie
for many years and led a big
band with Mel Lewis. “
The festival, in its 38th year,
runs Sept. 1-4 on four stages
spread across Hart Plaza and
Campus Martius as the world’s
largest free jazz festival.
New Light joins a stel-
lar lineup anchored by 2017
artist-in-residence Wayne
Shorter, a revolutionary saxo-
phonist and composer globally
recognized for his contribu-
tions to jazz. Drummer and
producer Karriem Riggins is
the untitled featured artist,
who will appear in two perfor-
mances — one with Common
and a special guest and the
other with singer and bass-
ist Esperanza Spalding in a
unique duo performance.
Also in the headliner spot-
light will be Herbie Hancock,
George Benson, Regina Carter
and the Jason Marsalis Vibes
Quartet. Among the more
than 100 hometown artists
will be McKinFolk, Sheila
Landis Jazz, Marcus Elliot