Something for everyone: 6 acts you may not know, but should catch at Detroit Jazz Fest

NOTE: The first night of the Detroit Jazz Festival – Friday, Aug. 30 – is now virtual-only, due to threat of extreme weather. Friday's acts can be live-streamed at detroitjazzfest.org.

The Detroit Jazz Festival is back for another long Labor Day weekend of free first-class entertainment. It's expected to draw hundreds of thousands downtown across its four-day schedule. Even if some of the performers' names don't look familiar and even if you're maybe not sure you're into jazz, there is truly something for everyone among this year's lineup. Here are six acts you may not know about but should seek out during the weekend.

For Latin music lovers

Latin Grammy-winning trumpeter and bandleader Charlie Sepulveda will perform with his band, the Turnaround, on Saturday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. on the Carhartt Amphitheater stage in Hart Plaza. A towering figure in Latin jazz, he has worked with Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nations Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Hilton Ruiz, Steve Turre, Dave Valentin, Danilo Pérez, Jon Secada and Paul Simon, among others. His band’s deep groove and percolating Afro-Caribbean rhythms are a party all their own.

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For the next generation of swing

The Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet will take over Hart Plaza’s Absopure Waterfront Stage on Saturday from 6:35 to 7:35 p.m. Thompson is the winner of the 2024 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. At only 27 years old, he has become a highly sought-after figure in jazz and has worked with such major artists as Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride and Cécile McLorin Salvant.

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For R&B fans

Drummer, composer and producer Nate Smith, a three-time Grammy nominee, brings his soulful meditations to Campus Martius' JPMorgan Chase Main Stage on Saturday from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Smith fuses his original compositions with an eclectic mix of music including everything from jazz to R&B to hip-hop to pop. He has worked with Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Brittany Howard, Van Hunt, the Fearless Flyers, Norah Jones, Somi and more. In recent years, Smith’s viral videos have been viewed by millions of people, underscoring his popularity as one of the most influential drummers of his generation.

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For metalheads

Pianist, composer and vocalist Cameron Graves calls his recent music “thrash-jazz,” and it will be on full display Saturday from 9 to 10:15 p.m. on the JPMorgan Chase Stage in Campus Martius. After immersing himself in jazz and classical studies for years, Graves found his love of hard rock reignited, and the influence of bands like Pantera, Slipknot and Swedish titans Meshuggah crept in, along with the sounds of 1970s soul music and jazz-rock fusion records. He says his mission is “to continue that legacy of advanced music that was started by bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Return to Forever. That was instilled in us by the masters. Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock — these guys sat with us and told us, ‘Look, man, you’ve got to carry this on.’”

For classical lovers and film buffs

Kyle Eastwood is Clint’s son, but first and foremost, he's a talented jazz bass player and composer of music for movies such as “Gran Torino,” “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Invictus.” His most recent album, “Eastwood Symphonic,” puts a symphonic spin on themes from his dad’s films. He’ll perform selections with the Detroit Jazz Festival Symphony Orchestra on Sunday from 9 to 10:15 p.m. on the JPMorgan Chase Stage in Campus Martius. Eastwood is an unabashed fan of the golden age of 1950s orchestral jazz, and if you love strings with your blue notes, this is a set not to be missed.

For jazz purists

Revered pianist and composer Billy Childs is hot off his sixth Grammy win (from 17 nominations), snagging Best Instrumental Jazz Album this year for “The Winds of Change,” and will perform Monday from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. on the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage in Hart Plaza. He has collaborated or performed with artists as varied as Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, Chris Botti, Renée Fleming, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and many others, but remains firmly rooted in contemplative, dynamic straight-ahead jazz. Artists like Childs are the backbone of the art form. Don’t miss out.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Something for everyone: 6 acts to catch at Detroit Jazz Festival