Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center to open this week, just in time for Detroit Jazz Festival

Detroit has a new mecca for jazz lovers, and it’s opening just in time to take advantage of this weekend’s Detroit Jazz Festival.

The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, a state-of-the-art performance venue located at 4715 Cass Ave. on Wayne State University’s (WSU) campus in Midtown Detroit, is a partnership between WSU and the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation (DJFF).

“The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center will enhance Wayne State’s Department of Music and local community, while welcoming national and international jazz artists to a state-of-the-art facility designed for music performances, livestreaming and recording,” said Hasan Elahi, dean of WSU’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. “This will provide a unique opportunity for the university to continue its contribution to the rich musical legacy of our city and widen its impact for current and future generations.”

An invite-only grand opening reception will be held on Thursday from 5:30-9 p.m., with special performances from 7-9 p.m. simulcast onscreen in Campus Martius Park for a community watch party. Scheduled performers include the Brandee Younger Trio with a tribute to Wayne State alumna and groundbreaking jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby; Grammy- and Tony-winning singer Dee Dee Bridgewater with the Wayne State Legacy Big Band; the Alvin Waddles Trio; the Cliff Monear Duo; and the Wayne State Jazz Vocal Quartet.

Thursday’s performances will also be live streamed on the Detroit Jazz Festival website and social media.

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'The angel of jazz'

Gretchen C. Valade, the Carthartt heiress who died aged 97 on Dec. 30, 2022 , was a passionate jazz lover who grew that lifelong passion into an enormous investment in the city’s jazz culture. Until her passing, Valade chaired the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation Board of Directors and was the owner of Grosse Pointe’s Dirty Dog Jazz Café and the national Mack Avenue Music Group record label.

Valade also promoted the musical careers of many Detroit and international jazz musicians and wrote songs herself, which have been recorded by Shirley Horn and others. Her leadership gifts to WSU over the years total $9.5 million, and her name will now be honored for future generations at the Valade Center.

“The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center will supercharge Wayne State's ability to recruit talented students interested in an array of musical fields, including jazz performance, music business, and music technology,” said Dr. Jeffrey Sposato, Department of Music chair. “And this wonderful new performance space will contribute greatly to our mission of serving as Detroit’s Music Department by providing our community with access to professional-quality performances not only in jazz, but also everything from classical to hip-hop.”

A look inside

Located at the corner of Cass Avenue and Hancock Street on Wayne State’s campus, the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center houses two venues — the Detroit Jazz Hall and Dee Dee Bridgewater’s. The Detroit Jazz Hall, a 325-seat venue with VIP seating options, is specifically designed acoustically and logistically for jazz in all its forms and well-suited for other creative and interdisciplinary activations.

The second venue, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s, is an intimate, jazz club-style venue featuring 120 seats.

“It’s a huge honor that our beloved Gretchen Valade saw a specialness in me, in my work championing young musicians, and elevating the importance and stature of women in jazz,” Bridgewater said. “She is our angel and heroine, bringing harmony to all things jazz-related, including heralding the Detroit Jazz Festival through her sponsorship and creating the jazz label Mack Avenue Records, my new musical home. May Dee Dee Bridgewater’s be a space that fosters creativity and equality, with abundant spirituality — a safe space for all who enter its domain.”

The venue will also be adorned with historic memorabilia from the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and includes overflow capacity, along with a Detroit Jazz Festival Café.

Jazz Fest 'after hours' concerts

Chris Collins, professor and director of jazz studies at WSU’s Department of Music as well as DJFF president and artistic director, called the venue “a really joyous kind of vibe” and said the space will host community events and many opportunities for people to take in live jazz at an affordable price.

He also said the venue will open to the public Friday, Aug. 30, and will host “after hours” concerts after this weekend’s Detroit Jazz Festival. On Friday, music at the Valade will kick off at 10 p.m. with the Flash Point Quintet, Srisley, The Birdman Sextet and the Jauron Perry Quintet playing until 1 a.m.

Saturday, the Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio will play from 10:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. and on Sunday, a special Jon Cowherd solo piano performance will take place from 10:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. These acts and player configurations will not be seen onstage at the festival itself, instead offering a chance to extend the Jazz Festival experience into late night with a location change.

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Like the festival itself, the after hours performances will be free to attend.

“It is an investment in jazz, music education and the future of jazz at Wayne State, and forever links the Jazz Festival Foundation with a home on campus,” said Collins, who is also the Valade Endowed Chair in Jazz at WSU. “Due to her singular commitment, Gretchen has rightfully been dubbed the ‘Angel of Jazz’ by the global jazz community. Her passion, commitment and vision are, in and of itself, a legacy.”

When Collins says “global,” he means it. He recalled a time he visited Japan to play a concert and was greeted by fans wearing homemade t-shirts with Valade’s face emblazoned upon them.

“They gave me buttons with the Detroit Jazz Festival and her picture on it,” Collins said. “Her name is recognized around the world. And once people see what we did in respect to Gretchen, they will want to be a part of this.”

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center to open this week, just in time for Detroit Jazz Festival