Terry Jean Pollard was known in the Detroit jazz community as “the queen of the vibes” for her mastery of the instrument. A Detroit bred pianist/vibraphonist, Pollard was a powerhouse performer who started out playing at jazz clubs around the city including a famous stint with the Billy Mitchell band at the Blue Bird Inn […]
I’m Sidne and I am one of the new graduate students working at the Detroit Sound Conservancy on the Graystone Collection. I am a graduate student at Wayne State University pursuing a master’s degree in English and in Library Science with the intent to one day complete a PhD in English. For one of my […]
Alia Benabdellah, music scholar, volunteer, and Paris-native, shares her thoughts on the attacks of November 15, 2015 in Paris.
This is an update from our ongoing engagement with the Blue Bird Inn. You can read more about our efforts here. Blue Bird Inn exterior today By C. Lorin Brace VI and Samantha Ellens The Blue Bird Inn, located at 5021 Tireman on Detroit’s West Side was at one point the most prominent and important […]
The Detroit Sound Conservancy has set up an exhibit at the Detroit Public Library to honor the Graystone International Jazz Museum! I hadn’t heard of the GIJM or any of the history behind the place before helping out with the display. The museum was founded in 1974 by James Jenkins to fulfill an ongoing aspiration: to house […]
I am currently the Head of Education at the Detroit Institute of Education (DIME) but also a Lecturer at Oakland University. It was in that latter capacity that this past Fall I created, curated, and taught a class called “Detroit Music Heritage: Sounds of the City” in the Oakland University Honors College. The syllabus for […]
Michigan Sound Conference 10 am – 8 pm, Friday May 22, 2015 at the Detroit Public Library. Music, Arts & Literature Department, Third Floor This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP and / or donate here. Call for Papers The Detroit Sound Conservancy (DSC) will host our second annual conference on […]
Photo above: DSC Vice Presidents LaVell Williams and Denise Dalphond in front of the Blue Bird Inn, Detroit. Conferences are not just for talking heads and academic circles. The conference can be a primary method of telling musical stories and documenting oral histories. The conference is also an effective tool for public exploration of themes […]
What ever happened to the Graystone Ballroom? For those who remember, or were lucky enough to be around during the heyday of the vibrant, African American community known as Paradise Valley, they know how important the Graystone was to Detroit. It was one the area’s main attractions. The Graystone Ballroom was a famous Detroit entertainment venue […]
We are pleased to announce the First Annual Detroit Sound Conservancy Conference on Detroit Music. CONSERVING SOUNDS: TELLING STORIES Friday May 23, 2014 at the Detroit Public Library. Our goal is to increase knowledge of Detroit’s vast musical legacy through education and reflection. The presenters and panelists are encouraged to explore a wide range of […]