Summer tends to be a festive time for music fans in the metro area — and the coming week is one of those reasons why.
Three major annual festivals will be in operation during the next seven days, bringing a diverse array of sounds to theaters, streets and other venues. No event may be all things to all tastes, but these are showcases that actually come close. In other words, if you can’t find something intriguing in these lineups, well, rest assured there’s a treatment to help with that.
For all others, here’s a look at what’s going to keep things rockin’, and all that jazz.
Concert of Colors
You’d be hard-pressed to find a festival — anywhere — more varied than Concert of Colors, with its stated mission of promoting diversity and inclusion via music, dance, films and discussions.
It kicks off on Wednesday, July 16 with the Persian/Turkish/Indian duo Niyaz and wraps on July 20 with longtime hitmaker War playing “Low Rider” on the lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Last year, a $1 million state grant allowed Concert of Colors to get bigger and better, and for this year’s 34th edition, it will return to the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on the Detroit River, which is where the festival began when it was called Chene Park. Mavis Staples tops a four-act bill there on Friday, July 18. Other acts during the five days include Nigeria’s Femi Kuti, Yo La Tengo, Morocco’s Bab L’ Bluz, Mike Ellison of Detroit’s AfroFlow, Wendell Harrison’s tribute to Pharoah Sanders, Ann Arbor blues mainstay Laith Al-Saadi and Mariachi Femenil Detroit.
Grammy Award-winning Oak Park native Don Was presents another Detroit Allstar Revue at 9 p.m. Friday in the DIA’s Detroit Film Theatre playing the blues with Al-Saadi, Mitch Ryder, Chris Canas, Tosha Owens, Steffanie Christi’an and others. Was also will be part of a Beautiful Noise concert at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 17 at Third Man Records 441 W. Canfield St., Detroit. (Following Nebula Sound Ensemble at 8 p.m.)
Other venues hosting events include the Detroit Historical Museum, the Michigan Science Center, the Sosnick Courtyard at the Fisher Music Center, SpotLite Detroit,
The full schedule and other information can be found at concertofcolors.com.
Ann Arbor Art Fair
The Ann Arbor Street Fair takes up 30 blocks of the city’s downtown area and is about more than the paintings, drawing, sculptures and other forms of visual art. It will once again host more than three dozen musical performances over its three days (Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 19) on several stages located around the festival grounds.
Among this year’s headliners on The Ark-curated Stage on Main are Nathan Graham and DuPont Phillips on Thursday, Joe & the Ruckus and Rabbitology on Friday and the Brian Plasticity Ukulele Collective and Bluehouse on Saturday. Also performing during the festival will be vocalists from Detroit Opera, the Saline Fiddlers, Jo Serrapere, Ashley Pyle, Maddy Ringo and Billy King & Friends.
Schedules and other information are available at theannarborartfair.com.
Michigan Jazz Festival
You won’t find more jazz in one place in one day than the Michigan Jazz Festival, which will spread more than 40 bands across seven stages on the campus of Schoolcraft College, 18600 Haggerty Road, Livonia, on Sunday, July 20.
Best of all, it’s free.
Among the artists on the festival’s 30th anniversary lineup are producer Jeff Trudell and his Jazz Orchestra, the Planet D Nonet, the Jeff Haas Quartet, Chris Codish, Jeff Canady & the SoulNyce Band, Third Coast Swing and Barbara Ware. Joshua James will again direct the Michigan Jazz Festival All-Star High School Band for a 2 p.m. performance, while the popular Jazz Talks! room will make a return for interviews and discussions.
Schoolcraft’s award-winning culinary arts program will be providing food and beverages.
The music begins at 11 a.m.
For a schedule and other information, visit michiganjazzfestival.org.
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