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LABOR DAY FUN

The “Yacht Race” at the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival

knew Bernstein and provided him with
“Breakthrough,” Daniels’ first recording.
Bernstein’s written response, posted on
Daniels’ website, reads: “Eddie Daniels com-
bines elegance and virtuosity in a way that
makes me remember Arthur Rubenstein. He
is a thoroughly well-bred demon.”
Daniels especially appreciates the com-
ments as he considers Bernstein an amazing
icon of our society and one well deserving of
the anniversary tributes being scheduled at
festivals around the country.
“Leonard Bernstein wrote songs that
are part of our culture,” says Daniels, who
highly values Bernstein’s television program-
ming that taught viewers about music. “He
brought the music alive.”
Daniels, comfortable playing classical
works as well as jazz, first was drawn to the
saxophone. There was one at home, saved by
his father who had played it in younger years,
and Daniels’ asked for private lessons that
began when he was 9.
“I wanted to be a musician from the first
time I started playing,” says Daniels, 76, mar-
ried to jazz vocalist Mirabai Daniels. “I prac-
ticed, and here I am.”
That practicing, which led to a varied stage
and recording career interspersing his own
compositions, also included mastery of the
clarinet, defined as an “add-on” at 12, and the
flute after that.
He studied and performed in bands and
orchestra at the High School of Performing
Arts in New York and went on to earn a
bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and
a master’s degree at Juilliard. While earning
classroom credits, there were professional
bookings with notable appearances at the
Village Vanguard.
“In my early days, I played bar mitzvahs
and weddings,” says Daniels, who has cel-
ebrated his roots by performing klezmer with
Giora Feidman, an Argentine-born and later
Israeli clarinetist with a career that includes
concerts arranged by the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Daniels, whose early work with the Thad
Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra remains
important to his career, has another recent
— this one updated — recording, “Just
Friends.” It remixes and remasters Village
Vanguard numbers that include composer-
pianist Roger Kellaway, who has appeared
with Daniels at an earlier Detroit Jazz
Festival.
Between appearances, Daniels accepts pri-
vate students and holds master classes.
“I practice, meditate and play tennis,” says
the New Mexico resident who relocated from
New York to experience a different environ-
ment. “I’ve been able to have a career wher-
ever I’ve lived.” •

Stepping out on Labor Day
weekend can take Metro
Detroiters to live music, car-
nival rides, eating specialties,
original art, even walking chal-
lenges planned for exercise
enthusiasts who want to share
the Mackinac Bridge momen-
tum without traveling far north
in Michigan
Among the walking destina-
tions are the South Lyon Labor
Day Bridge Walk (southlyonmi.
org) and the Paint Creek Trail
Labor Day Virtual Bridge Walk
and Run in Rochester
(paintcreektrail.org)
Festival-goers — and walk-
ers — can enjoy one or more
events beyond the Detroit Jazz
Festival.
• The Michigan State
Fair, Aug. 30-Sept. 3 at the
Suburban Collection Showplace
in Novi, adds a Drone Light
Show and Shrine Circus in
addition to animal attractions
as part of the country-based
setting. Michiganstatefairllc.
com.
• Arts, Beats and Eats,
Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in downtown
Royal Oak, showcases various
media and musical entertain-
ment as visitors sample foods
from popular restaurants
and relax at a yoga station.
Artsbeatseats.com.
• The Hamtramck Labor
Day Festival, Sept. 1-3 along
Joseph Campau, has a so-
called Yacht Race, a fun event
involving pushcarts that look
like canoes on wheels, among
the traditional foods, music, art
and carnival fare. Facebook.
com/hamtownfest.
• The Romeo Peach Festival,
running Aug. 30-Sept. 3 in
Romeo, gives foodies a chance
to enjoy peaches in all kinds
of creative ways with plenty of
sports competitions — tennis,
running, golf, softball — to
offset the calories. Music, arts
and carnival rides also are
offered. Romeopeachfestival.
com.
• A one-day experience, the
Franklin Roundup and Art
in the Village on Sept. 3 has
food, music, art and children’s
activities for a Labor Day tra-
dition in the center of town,
near to the Franklin Cider Mill.
Franklinartinthevillage.org.

Note: It is advisable to check event
updates before stepping out.

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August 30 • 2018

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