DetroitSound5: Reimagining the Blue Bird Inn from Detroit Sound Conservancy on Vimeo.

A Night of Jazz / A Day of Connecting

On November 2nd and 3rd, 2018, Detroit Sound Conservancy held its fifth annual conference, #DetroitSound5, at Lightbox Performance on Linwood on Detroit’s Old West Side. The first event on November 2nd featured jazz with the Marion Hayden Ensemble while the second event on November 3rd featured panel discussions, speakers, and more musicians. The event as a whole was dedicated to co-founder, President of our Board, and dear friend, LaVell Williams, who had died on Saturday, October 27th. He was 51.

This event was made possible with support from The Kresge Foundation.

This event was also sponsored in part by Michigan Council for the Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To get involved with our work with the Blue Bird please contact us at info@detroitsound.org or call direct at 313-757-5082.

To see more online posts please see #detroitsound5

CONCERT PROGRAM: November 2, 2018

Above: The Marion Hayden Ensemble. Hayden, a music director, composer, bassist, and generational bridge between the mid-century legends who emerged at the Blue Bird Inn and a newer generation of jazz talent, curated a set culled from the Detroit post-war jazz songbook. Selections included music by Curtis Fuller, Barry Harris, Dorothy Ashby, Donald Walden, Marcus Belgrave, McKinney’s late husband Harold McKinney, Terry Pollard, and Elvin Jones.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM: November 3, 2018

MC Michelle McKinney

COFFEE AND WELCOME


MUSICIANS SET THE AGENDA:
MUSIC MAKING IN DETROIT PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Marion Hayden, bassist
Emily Rogers, bassist
George Troia, trumpeter and President of the Detroit Federation of Musicians
Moderated by Dr. Gholz, Executive Director of Detroit Sound Conservancy


REMARKS
Council Member Raquel Castañeda-Lopez

CITY REPORTS: MEMPHIS

Tonya Dyson, Director, Memphis Slim House

POETRY

Bill Harris with Ronald English, guitarist

CITY REPORTS: DETROIT

Kimberly Driggins, Director of Strategic Planning/Arts & Culture, Planning and Development Department, City of Detroit
Lauren Hood, Board Member, Detroit Sound Conservancy

POETRY

Marsha Music with Emily Rogers, bassist

DESIGN REPORT

Laura Foxman, Architect
Tommy Stephens, Club Owner, The Raven

CITY REPORTS: CINCINNATI

Elliott Ruther, Cincinnati Music Foundation

CLOSING

De’Sean Jones, saxophone

Updated 8 April 2022