64 | FEBRUARY 15 • 2024 J
N

M

ark Lipson, who built a career 
around social work in the 
Rochester schools, has retired 
from that field and is building pursuits 
around preserving and promoting Detroit 
jazz composers, past and present, along with 
their music. 
A lifelong drummer and composer who 
has appeared with many bands even while 
doing social work, Lipson is now giving his 
attention to recording albums, developing 
sheet music and playing the drums with live 
local performances. 
While he can be seen on stage, his major 
interest is contacting composers and their 
families so works can be recovered, arranged 
in various ways and produced, allowing the 
music specialists and their works to gain rec-
ognition and memory.
His next appearance, Feb. 25 at Aretha’s 
Jazz Café in Detroit’s Music Hall Center for 
the Performing Arts, will feature the talents 
of known jazz instrumentalists and will high-
light numbers from his fourth and recent 
album, Launch Control. 
The recording has been released on the 
Detroit Composers Collective (DCC) label 
and has been featured on national radio 
shows. 
“We’re going to be performing music from 
the new album as well as some numbers from 
the previous albums,
” Lipson said. “Music 
by the late Kenn Cox and Brad Felt will be 
featured.
”
Joining Lipson on stage, as part of the 
DCC Unity Octet, will be Mike Harrison 

(piano), Jeff Pedraz (bass), Jesse Kramer 
(drums), Alberto Nacif (congos), Cary 
Kocher (vibraphone), John Douglas (trumpet 
and flugelhorn) and Vincent Chandler (trom-
bone). Chandler, who teaches at Wayne State 
University, has appeared with Jon Batiste, 
Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock.
“To put this new recording together, I 
asked for compositions from Detroit and 
curated the tunes,
” said Lipson, who led an 
eight-piece group at the 2023 Detroit Jazz 
Festival and is applying to perform in the 
2024 event. “When I got all the tunes I want-
ed to record, I decided on the order of the 
tunes so that they flow correctly, are balanced 
and engage the listeners.
”
Lipson, whose commitment to music has 
been just about a lifelong interest, adheres to 
a philosophy that compositions by Detroit 
jazz composers should pass along to upcom-
ing generations in different ways as is the 
essence of jazz.
Although the songs themselves, as played 
in album four, are not new, the arrangements 
are new in that the music is altered with per-
sonal innovations by the presenters. Lipson 
had to encourage the original composers to 
get copyrights so that their music could be 
recorded. 
Representing Lipson’s writing talents on 
the recording are his songs “The River Runs 
Sweet” and “Nigerian Love Call,
” the latter 
picking up on the rhythms of West Africa. 
The title song, “Launch Control” is by Brad 
Felt. Other compositions include Michael 
Jellick’s “Sgt. Rootbeer’s Float” and Vincent 

Chandler’s “I Can’t Breathe.
”
“In the context of our current social and 
political climate, I believe the arts are more 
important now than ever,
” Lipson said. 
“Music has the power to bring people togeth-
er in peace and harmony. 
“It crosses the boundaries of time, place, 
language and culture and helps us celebrate 
our mutual humanity. Music feeds our collec-
tive soul and provides a collective experience 
in spirituality. We need more music and art.
”
Lipson, who grew up in Huntington 
Woods and lives in West Bloomfield with his 
wife, Susan, credits his late parents, Greta and 
Bill, for encouraging his musical interests. His 
mother, who had been denied studying piano 
in her young years for budgetary reasons, 
earned a doctorate degree in education and 
wrote 27 books. 
As Lipson takes the stage in February, 
he can look back on his work in New 
York in 1973 on a grant from the National 
Endowment for the Arts. He studied with 
Warren Smith and Barry Altschul and 
appeared with Dizzy Gillespie, Dwight 
Adams, Robert Hurst and Wendell Harrison.
Besides playing in local jazz clubs, Lipson 
has set up and participated in concert at 
the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism 
in Farmington Hills, where he has been an 
active member planning various programs.
“This new album is relevant today,
” Lipson 
said. “It elevates locally based jazz musicians 
and immortalizes them through the record-
ings that we produce and performances that 
we present.
” 

Details

The Unity Octet will per-
form songs from the album 
Launch Control 4-7 p.m. 
Sunday, Feb. 25, at Aretha’s 
Jazz Café in the Music Hall 
Center for the Performing 
Arts, 350 Madison, Detroit. 
$20. (313) 887-8501. 
Jazzcafedetroit.com.

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

Mark Lipson’s new 
album Launch Control 
promotes Detroit- 
based musicians.

Keeping Local 
Jazz Relevant

SUZANNE CHESSLER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mark Lipson 
on drums

