The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has announced a new addition to its 2026 festival lineup, introducing Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Jazz Club, a late-night performance series at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University.
Named for Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, the series will feature late-night performances intended to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional jazz club. The concerts will run concurrently with Detroit Jazz Hall performances at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center (4743 Cass Ave.) during Labor Day weekend.
The inaugural Jazz Club schedule includes performances by LoEnd Quintet, a group from Berklee College of Music in Boston that won the Detroit Jazz Festival’s annual Collegiate Combo
Competition presented by Central Michigan University.
The performance schedule includes:
- Saturday, Sept. 5, 10:45 p.m. to midnight: LoEnd Quintet
- Sunday, Sept. 6, 10:45 p.m. to midnight: LoEnd Quintet with guest vocalists
The Collegiate Combo Competition recognizes excellence in college and university jazz programs across the country, highlighting student musicianship and ensemble performance.
The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center will serve as a key venue during this year’s festival, complementing the three main stages at Hart Plaza.
“This addition brings a unique late-night energy to the Festival and the Gretchen C. Valade Center, highlighting the depth of talent within Detroit’s jazz community,” said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Jazz Club offers audiences an opportunity to experience world-class jazz in an intimate setting and venue that reflects the music’s roots.”
The 2026 Detroit Jazz Festival will take place Sept. 4-7 over Labor Day weekend. Organizers say the festival remains the world’s largest free jazz festival, attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually and reaching additional audiences through its livestream broadcasts.
Festival activities will be centered at Hart Plaza, where all three downtown stages will be located. Additional performances, including Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Jazz Club, will take place at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center in Midtown.
Organizers are encouraging attendees to arrive early for performances and review festival guidelines ahead of the event. The festival’s updated guest policies include a prohibition on coolers inside Hart Plaza.
In addition to in-person performances, festival programming will be livestreamed free on the Detroit Jazz Festival’s website as well as on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Jazz Club debuts at Detroit Jazz Festival
