Branford Marsalis, John Scofield, Kenny Barron and Maria Schneider are among the musical luminaries slated to perform at the 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival, taking place during Labor Day weekend in downtown Detroit.

The initial lineup announcement was made Tuesday evening, April 15, during a livestream previewed event from the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the Wayne State University campus. Pianist Jason Moran, the 2025 Artist-in-Residence, performed, along with the Detroit Jazz Festival All-Stars Generation Quintet.

The initial lineup announcement was made Tuesday evening, April 15, during a livestream previewed event from the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on the Wayne State University campus. Pianist Jason Moran, the 2025 Artist-in-Residence, performed, along with the Detroit Jazz Festival All-Stars Generation Quintet.

Moran will perform three times during the festival — on opening night, Aug. 29, on Sunday, Aug. 31 and on Monday, Sept. 1. Moran is planning to lead a commemoration of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday with musicians as well as performances with his trio Bandwagon and a jazz-electronic collaboration.

Trumpeter Keyon Harrold will also be part of the opening night performances, promoting his 2024 album “Foreverland.” Other highlights include: pianist/bandleader Schneider and her Orchestra on Aug. 30; the Chucho Valdes and Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet on Aug. 31; Detroit bassist Marion Hayden, this year’s Kresge Eminent Artist Award winner, leading her Legacy Ensemble with Kamau Kenyatta guesting, on Sept. 1; and trumpeter Nicholas Payton joining the John Scofield Trio, also on Sept. 1.

“We’re excited to once again bring an eclectic array of jazz luminaries to the stages of the Detroit Jazz Festival,” president and artistic director Chris Collins said. “We look forward to celebrating our 46th year as a free festival that brings the magic of jazz to our faithful fans in Detroit, around the state and across the globe without any barriers.”

Last year’s edition of the festival offered more than 50 performances on three stages for an audience of more than 300,000 in person and an estimated more than two million unique viewers around the world via the festival web site and social media platforms.

In addition to the initial lineup, the festival is accepting applications from other artists who would like to perform, with a deadline of June 1. Information on that, as well as festival updates and VIP packages, can be found via detroitjazzfest.org.

The 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival lineup includes:

Friday, Aug. 29

• Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran

• Keyon Harrold ‘Foreverland’

Saturday, Aug. 30

• Maria Schneider Orchestra

• Kenny Barron

• Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

• Chris Potter Trio featuring Matt Brewer and Kendrick Scott

• John Pizzarelli

• Endea Owens & The Cookout

• Herlin Riley Quartet

• Tatiana Eva-Marie & The Avalon Jazz Band

Sunday, Aug. 31

• Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran

• Chucho Valdes and Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet

• Branford Marsalis Quartet

• Connie Han Trio

• Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos

• Lakecia Benjamin

• Walter Smith III Quartet

Monday, Sept. 1

• Artist-In-Residence Jason Moran

• The John Scofield Trio featuring Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart with Nicholas Payton

• Kris Davis

• James Francies Trio

• Marion Hayden Legacy Ensemble with Kamau Kenyatta

If Mother Nature was laughing at us most of this supposedly spring week, comedy fans in the metro area will have plenty to laugh about during the weekend thanks to this batch of special engagements …

• “A Prairie Home Companion” regular Erica Rhodes is in residence through Saturday, April 12 at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle, 310 S. Troy St., Royal Oak. 248-542-9900 or comedycastle.com.

• Luenell (nee Campbell), also a veteran of films such as “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “Borat” and more, stands up at 8 p.m. Friday, April 11 at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. Finesse Mitchell also performs. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• The topical podcast duo Watch What Crappens presents its act live on the Mounting Hysteria Tour, stopping Friday, April 11 at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• Katt Williams will be in the big house with his Heaven On Earth Tour at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit.  313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Wes Barker comes from British Columbia with his Funniest Magic Show on Saturday, April 12 at District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte. Doors at 7 p.m. Ray Street Park opens. district142live.com.

• Comedienne and musician Crystal gives fans “More Then the Eyes Can See” at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• San Diego-born Lebanese/American comic Nemr Abou Nassar showcases his international humor perspective on Sunday, April 13 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-399-2980 or royaloakmusictheatre.com.

Phil Elam figures he’s been acting since he was 6 years old, in a church holiday production.

Now he’s making his feature film debut in “Bob Trevino Likes It,” opening in metro area theaters this weekend after winning two dozen awards on the festival circuit, including two top prizes at last year’s South By Southwest Film & TV Festival.

Elam, a Ferndale resident who also performs music under the name Coco Bean, considers the role an arrival, but is quick to note that “so much of it is all (from) the training and classes and studying. I couldn’t have gotten here without it.”

The Florida-born Elam, who moved to Detroit when he was 4 years old, has a number of independent film credits, including his own “Swing Low.” He’s been studying at the 1st Team Actors Studio in Cleveland and filmed his audition for “Bob Trevino” with his partner, in the basement of their house. Director-writer Tracie Laymon chose him from more than 50 finalists and was happy enough with his performance — as “an office manager who’s having a really, really bad day” — that she added another scene for him in the film.

“It was a great experience,” Elam says of his one-day shoot in Kentucky. “The energy and sincerity and the loving vibe on the set was great. You didn’t feel like you were working at all. It felt like you were creating a piece of art.”

The film, based on Laymon’s own life, stars Barbie Ferreira as a woman trying to connect with a distant father (French Stewart) who, in her search for him connects with another Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) for a relationship that’s more genuinely loving and rewarding.

“Bring your Kleenex,” Elam advises.

As the film opens, however, Elam is on to his next project, another feature called “Last Shop on Walnut” that’s starring Peter Lawson Jones (“A Man Called Otto,” “Detroit 1-8-7”), who’s one of his instructors in Cleveland.

The Midnight Lamp is burning for the Experience Hendrix Tour again.

The all-star package, paying tribute to the music of Jimi Hendrix, returned to the road last fall for the first time since the pandemic pause and is back on the road this spring. According to John McDermott, catalog manager for the family-owned Experience Hendrix LLC, the break gave the outing a chance to refresh itself after 15 years of mostly annual touring.

“It’s been fun,” says McDermott, who curates the lineup and set lists for the tour. “I missed the camaraderie and the hang. It’s a lot of work logistically, but I do enjoy it. I think after the five years off, there was a demand from promoters and interest from the artists and the audience, and we finally said: ‘OK, sure. Let’s give it a go.”

This year’s Experience Hendrix features longtime regulars such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa, Mato Nanji, Ally Venable and Detroit sacred slide pioneer Calvin Cooke with newcomers such as Marcus King, Devon Allman and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. It also features a fresh set of drummers (Tony Beard and Sam Bryant) as well as some fresh songs in the repertoire such as “One Rainy Wish,” Burning of the Midnight Lamp” and “Love or Confusion” alongside well-worn favorites such as “Stone Free,” “Foxy Lady,” “Purple Haze” and the Shepherd showcase “Voodoo Chile.”

“Some of these songs, Jimi didn’t ever play live,” McDermott notes, “so that’s really part of the fun, to sneak that stuff in there, too. So you’re hearing what we hope is a full representation of his legacy.”

Experience Hendrix’s main other project recently was “Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision,” a documentary and box set chronicling what was the first artist-owned recording studio and Hendrix’s work there. The film is headed to PBS, according to McDermott, while the company is starting to consider its next projects.

“Going forward, we just have to look at the remaining music we have and say, ‘OK, how does this add to the story?’ or ‘What does this bring to a fan in terms of understanding why it’s important?'” he says. “I think we’re grateful that we’ve been able to put out all the music we have. I can’t say we’ve got anything immediately on the runway to say, “OK, this’ll be in stores in June,’ but we have a few things we’re looking at now.”

The Experience Hendrix Tour, featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marcus King, Eric Johnson, Devon Allman and more, plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com. For more Hendrix, the Kris Kurzawa Group plays a tribute show at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

Being down with “The Sickness” has been a healthy endeavor for Disturbed during the past 25 years.

The Chicago-formed heavy rock quartet is on the road celebrate its five-times platinum debut’s anniversary, a rare feat that few 21st century albums are likely to achieve in a world of song-oriented streaming. But, as Disturbed proved on Monday night, March 10 at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, “The Sickness” — played in its entirety during the first part of the show — sounds every bit as potent now as it did during 2000, an entirely individualistic display of nu rock established by frontman David Draiman’s jungle creature scats and the instrumentalists’ textured whomp.

The band celebrated in theatrical fashion, too, on Monday. Following tight opening sets by Sevendust and Three Days Grace (reunited with original frontman Adam Gontier after an 11-year break), Disturbed played in front of a tiered metallic backdrop laden with pyrotechnics. Its portion of the evening began with a historical video shown on a white curtain, which rose to reveal a straightjacketed Draiman being wheeled on, Hannibal Lechter-style (a throwback to early Disturbed concerts), and deposited at the end of a ramp that jutted into the arena floor.

After he took of the jacket and mask the group then exploded into “The Sickness'” opening track “Voices” and didn’t take its foot off the pedal as it ran through the album’s hits — “Stupify” and “Down With the Sickness,” usually saved for the end of the night — and brought deep cuts such as “Numb,” “Violence Festish,” “Conflict” and a lumbering cover of Tears For Fears’ “Shout” back into the set for the first time in more than two decades in some cases. For the closing “Meaning of Life,” meanwhile, Draiman and company — guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer (who joined in 2004) — changed into orange prison inmate outfits and staged a mock electrocution of the frontman, who sang with faux blood dripping from his forehead.

A 20-minute break — accompanied by more historic, though largely inaudible, video footage — allowed the crew to set up a new drum kit for Wengren. The eight-song “greatest hits” set that followed included Disturbed’s new single, “I Will Not Break,” while a giant inflatable figure of the band’s mascot, The Guy, hovered at the back of the stage during “Bad Man,” Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” and “Indestructible.” But Disturbed’s massive hit rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” — accompanied by two guest string players — was hampered by technical problems that rendered all but Draiman and one of the acoustic guitars inaudible.

“That was interesting,” Draiman quipped afterwards, acknowledging in comically graphic terms how unsettled he became during the mishap. He filled some time by speaking (correctly) about how rock concerts now provide an antidote to the bitter divisions sweeping the country, and he brought up two young fans — 11-year-old Chase and seven-year-old Hunter, with a parent each — to sit on stage during “The Light.”

“Into the Fire” finished the night with more — duh — fire, a solid close to a show that showed Disturbed is still in top form 25 years later, even when it wasn’t entirely indestructible.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town with special intent this weekend.

The troupe will, for starters, celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ronald K. Brown’s “Grace,” which depicts a journey to the promised land accompanied by Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday.” Also on the docket are three world premiere pieces: “Sacred Songs” by Matthew Rushing, “Finding Free” by Hope Boykin” and “Many Angels” by Lar Lubovitch.

Rounding out the program will be a new production of Elisa Monte’s “Treading” and the company’s signature piece, “Revelations.”

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St. 313-237-7464 or detroitopera.org.