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Detroit
Jazz
Festival,
City of
Detroit
Unveil
Plans
for
Festival
to Go
Virtual
Rocket
Mortgage
Returning
as
Presenting
Sponsor
DETROIT
– Chris
Collins,
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
president
and
artistic
director,
in
conjunction
with
Detroit
Mayor
Mike
Duggan,
Rocket
Mortgage
Director
of
Community
Sponsorships
Jasmin
DeForrest
and the
City’s
Director
of Arts
and
Culture
Rochelle
Riley
today
announced
the 2020
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
presented
by
Rocket
Mortgage
will be
streamed
and
broadcast
“live”
for free
this
Labor
Day
weekend.
The
Festival
begins
on
Friday,
Sept. 4
and runs
through
Monday,
Sept. 7.
The
Festival,
which
will be
held
without
audiences,
will
offer
this new
virtual
format
in
recognition
of
current
city,
state
and
federal
safety
guidelines
for
public
gatherings
during
the
pandemic.
All
performances
will be
streamed
or
broadcasted
live (no
replays
or
on-demand)
from
indoor
sound
stages
at the
Detroit
Marriott
at the
Renaissance
Center
and
closed
to the
public.
“The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
is one
of our
city's
most
popular
events,
and
we're
thrilled
to know
that
this
41-year
tradition
will
continue
this
summer
--
safely
and with
a
spotlight
on our
world-class
local
artists,"
said
Mayor
Duggan.
Jazz
enthusiasts
will be
able to
view or
listen
to
performances
for free
in a
number
of ways
including:
Channel
22, the
city’s
new Arts
and
Entertainment
Channel;
the
Festival’s
web
page; on
public
radio
and
television
stations;
and on
the
DetroitJazzFest
LIVE!
app.
“The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
is
taking
health
and
safety
and the
use of
technology
to a new
level of
excellence
this
year,”
said
Collins.
“Working
with
City,
State
and
Federal
authorities,
we
evaluated
several
contingency
plans to
ensure
the
health
and
safety
of our
extensive
audience
during
the
pandemic.
After
much
consideration,
it was
decided
to
create a
virtual
performance
environment
that
will
duplicate
the
“live”
performance
experience.
We are
also
pleased
to
announce
Rocket
Mortgage
as the
Festival’s
2020
Presenting
Sponsor.
They are
overwhelmingly
supportive
and
enthused
about
this
unique
and
health-conscious
format.”
“This
virtual
format
marries
convenience
with the
excitement
of a
live
performance
that
embodies
the
constant
innovation
in
Detroit,”
said
Jasmin
DeForrest,
Director
of
Community
Sponsorships
at the
Quicken
Loans
Community
Fund.
“JazzFest
will be
paving
the way
and
reaching
jazz
lovers
on a
worldwide
scale
through
this
virtual
format.
Once
again,
we are
pleased
to
highlight
the
festival
and
Detroit
as a
whole
through
music,
art and
celebration.”
Details
of the
new
format:
• The
2020
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
presented
by
Rocket
Mortgage
will
take
place on
the same
dates
(Labor
Day
weekend,
Sept.
4-7) on
three
indoor
large
sound
stages
set up
at the
Detroit
Marriott
at the
Renaissance
Center.
Each
stage
will
mimic
the
size,
sound,
lighting,
crew and
gear of
our
traditional
Festival
stages.
•
Each
soundstage
will be
shot
with
three
cameras
in HD
audio/video
with
broadcast
specialists,
directors
and
specialized
crews
maintaining
the
excellence
in
artist
and
audience
experiences
for
which
the
Festival
is known
and what
Detroit
and jazz
audiences
around
the
world
deserve.
•
The
programming
includes
opening
night
followed
by 8-10
hours
per day
of
live/real-time
continuous
jazz
performances
and
programming
streamed
to
various
formats
including
a free
public
video/audio
stream,
maintaining
our
mission
to keep
the
Festival
free and
available
to
everyone.
•
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
presented
by
Rocket
Mortgage
will be
available
free-to-the-public
through
our
internet
channel(s).
The
Festival
is also
coordinating
with the
City of
Detroit
to show
the live
performances
on
Channel
22. Live
performances
will
also be
carried
by
Detroit
Public
Television,
WRCJ
90.9 FM
and WDET
101.9fm.
In
addition,
as
always,
the
entire
festival
programming
will be
available
on the
proprietary
DetroitJazzFest
LIVE!
app.
•
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
presented
by
Rocket
Mortgage
will
showcase
mostly
Detroit
area
artists,
highlighting
Detroit’s
incredible
jazz
talent
to the
world,
on the
Festival’s
stages.
An
exciting
new
virtual
lineup
will be
announced
soon.
There
will be
open
submissions
for
Detroit
area
jazz
artists
through
July 15.
To apply
and for
more
information,
please
go to
our
Website
at
detroitjazzfest.org.
“We
have all
felt the
pain of
all the
cancelled
festivals
and
experiences
around
the
globe,”
stated
Collins.
“The
sheer
financial
strain
the
pandemic
has put
on
artists,
agents,
crew and
indeed
the
entire
musical
industry
is epic.
Fortunately,
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
is in an
almost
unique
position
to
produce
a real,
live
jazz
format
this
year,
albeit
in a
virtual
environment,
due to
our
status
as a
free
festival
for 41
years, a
progressive
funding
structure
from
generous
corporate
sponsors
and
private
donors,
and a
three-year
investment
in
year-round
streaming
and
broadcast
technologies
through
our
DetroitJazzFest
LIVE!
App.”
COVID-19
Safety
Precautions
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
has
developed
extensive
health
and
safety
protocols
and
collected
data
from
related
travel
entities
to
ensure
the
artists’
health
is
protected
and
isolation
maintained
throughout
their
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
experience.
Below is
a list
of some
of our
integrated
protocols
and
additional
info:
•
All
Festival
staff/crew/techs/interviewers
will be
in PPE
and
temperature
tested
daily.
•
All
hotel
rooms,
rehearsal
rooms
and
sound
stages
will be
located
within
the
Marriott
complex
further
maintaining
artists’
health
and
safety
by
eliminating
travel
outside
the
controlled
Marriott
environment.
•
Scheduled
rehearsals
and
performances
will be
organized
to allow
maximum
physical
distancing.
Rehearsal
spaces,
green
rooms
and all
artist
contacted
equipment
will be
disinfected
between
each
rehearsal/performance.
•
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
has
established
an
on-stage
plan for
all
performing
bands
based
social
distancing
and
current
industry
health
and
safety
protocols.
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
2020
Poster
Open
Call for
Artists
For the
first
time
ever,
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
will
partner
with the
city to
create
its
iconic
Jazz
Festival
Poster.
The
Office
of Arts,
Culture
and
Entrepreneurship,
Detroit
ACE,
will
issue an
open
call to
identify
an
outstanding
DETROIT
artist
to
create
the 2020
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
presented
by
Rocket
Mortgage
poster.
The
selected
artist
will
receive
a
commission
fee,
receive
media
and
public
recognition
at the
2020
Festival
and join
the
diverse
collection
of
global
artists
who have
created
40 years
of
posters.
The
2020
poster
is
intended
to
capture
the
spirit
of this
year’s
Festival
- the
art of
jazz,
the
Detroit
vibe and
the
defining
events
and
realities
of the
year,
potentially
including
the need
(due to
public
health
and
safety)
to
stream/broadcast
the
festival
in place
of its
traditional
live/outdoor/downtown
Detroit
format,
the
global
pandemic,
the
quest
for
justice,
equality
and
freedom
brought
to the
forefront
by the
Black
Lives
Matter
movement.
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
will
donate
all
proceeds
from the
sales of
this
year’s
poster
to the
Detroit
Arts
Fund,
which
ACE
established
to
support
arts and
culture
in the
city.
About
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
Under
the
leadership
of
President
and
Artistic
Director
Chris
Collins,
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Foundation
is an
independent,
non-profit
organization
that
presents
jazz and
educational
workshops
throughout
the
year.
The
Foundation
produces
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival,
which is
the
signature
event
for the
Foundation
and the
largest
free
jazz
festival
in the
world.
The
Festival
is also
a major
tourist
attraction
for the
City of
Detroit,
with 26
percent
of its
audience
coming
from out
of
state.
For more
information,
visit
detroitjazzfest.org.
The
Foundation
receives
grant
funding
from the
Kresge
Foundation,
Fred A.
and
Barbara
M. Erb
Family
Foundation,
National
Endowment
for the
Arts,
Michigan
Council
for Arts
and
Cultural
Affairs,
Arts
Midwest,
D’Addario
Foundation
and
Carolyn
Wanzo
and the
Purify
Wanzo
CTAA
Endowment
at Wayne
State
University.
Hundreds
of
individuals
also
contribute
to the
Festival
through
membership
and
donations.
Major
corporate
partners
include
Presenting
Sponsor
Rocket
Mortgage,
J.P.
Morgan
Chase &
Co., DTE
Foundation,
Carhartt,
Inc.,
Mack
Avenue
Music
Group,
Absopure,
Dirty
Dog Jazz
Cafe and
Comcast
Cable.
Additional
partners
include
AARP,
AMTECH
International,
Andiamo,
Bedrock
Detroit,
Bingham
Legal
Group,
Central
Michigan
University,
Cliff
Bell’s,
Creative
Day
Technologies,
Detroit
Marriott
at the
Renaissance
Center,
Display
Group,
Domino’s,
Fifth
Third
Bank,
George
Johnson
&
Company,
Giffels
Webster,
Grand
Valley
State
University,
Greektown
Casino-Hotel,
MGM
Grand
Detroit,
Oakland
University,
Pepsi,
Plante
Moran,
SMART
Bus,
Schupan
SustainAbility™,
Steinway
Piano
Gallery
of
Detroit,
Stella
Artois,
Tito’s
Handmade
Vodka,
Wayne
State
University
and
Woodward
Gallery.
Media
partners
include
Fox 2
Detroit,
WJR
Newstalk
760 AM,
WEMU-FM,
DownBeat,
JazzTimes,
Metro
Times,
Michigan
Chronicle,
WDET-FM
101.9,
WRCJ
90.9 FM
and
Detroit
Public
Television.
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