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