By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The hard swinging sounds of Detroit will be featured at the Sunset Jazz & Art Festival Sunday, Aug. 18 from 2 p.m. until sunset on the towpath between the old Miami and Erie canal and the Maumee River.
The headlining act is a jazz piano trio led by Toledo drummer Andre Wright and featuring pianist Keigo Hirakawa and bassist Josef Deas.
They’ll hit at 6 p.m. and play until the sun goes down.
Other performers will be:
- Lake Erie Jazz Band: 2:30-3:15 p.m.
- Morgen Hammer Quintet: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- The 6th Edition: 4:45 – 5:45 p.m.
[RELATED: Sunset Jazz & Art Festival to light up towpath along the Maumee]
Wright, a Toledo native, is proud of his connections to the Detroit jazz scene. His hometown is an extension of the Motor City, which has long been a breeding ground for top musicians.
Miles Davis and others came to city to scout talent, and that continues, Wright said. “There’s a different movement that Detroit has,” the drummer said. “It’s a hub of jazz culture.”
And to his mind that makes it a hub of American music. Whatever the style, hip hop or the whole panoply of American popular music, the roots all go back to jazz.
His website displays his allegiance proudly. He’s an “American Jazz drummer.” And it features photos of him with Detroit trendsetters and famous visitors.
Wright, 54, is dedicated to keeping the tradition going. He curates the music at the historic Peacock Cafe, 2007 Monroe St. in Toledo, welcoming local, national and international artists on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Those performers include national headliners, and even a 14-year-old phenom.
Hirakawa was born in Japan, raised in Ohio and now teaches engineering at the University of Dayton. He and Wright met in Detroit about a year ago. Hirakawa was playing a gig with Deas, who suggested they head out to a jam session after their job.
Hirakawa sat in with Wright on drums. They agreed on the spot that they needed to collaborate more.
“That’s where the stars aligned,” Wright said.
As an outsider Hirakawa is impressed, and even a little envious, of the Detroit jazz scene. Detroit musicians, he said, have a well earned sense of pride, and superiority, about the music that emanates from the Motor City.
“You feel the sense of swing,” he said. “People are committed to that sound. People committed making music collectively. They really want to have that Detroit sound.” It swings hard and”the drummer and bassist and pianist always contribute to that cohesive sound that a horn player can ride on. There’s a sense of commitment that comes with that. It’s a communal thing.”
Hirakawa tapped into that sound when he recorded his debut album “Pixel” for Origin records in 2022.
That included Detroit-native Robert Hurst on bass. Hurst was a key figure in jazz’s Young Lions movement and played in the “Tonight Show Band’ before returning to his home state to teach at the University of Michigan. Deas was the assistant engineer for the session.
Their set in Grand Rapids will include his original compositions from the recording as well as standards.
“It’s a very infectious music,” Hirakawa said. The three musicians love playing together. He hopes that love is infectious.
The musicians communicate that passion for performance among themselves and share it with the audience so “everyone can take a piece of it for themselves.”
