Detroit Jazz City-Swingin’ For a Worthy Cause December CD of the Month

We close out 2015 with a CD that not only has great music, but is an album with a mission. We all know that the once great city of Detroit has been facing some very tough times over the past 20 years due to many factors. Therefore, we are very proud to have chosen Blue Note Records Detroit Jazz City, a compilation recording that simultaneously spotlights the past and present of one of America’s great jazz cities while also serving as a benefit album for the organization Focus: HOPE. All proceeds from the album will be donated to Focus: HOPE to aid in their on-going pursuit of intelligent and practical solutions to the problems of hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education, and racial divisiveness in Southeastern Michigan.  Detroit Jazz City was produced by one of Detroit’s native sons, Blue Note Records president Don Was. Mr. Was assembled the album by selecting catalog tracks by Detroit jazz legends from the Blue Note vaults, and alternating them with new recordings that he produced featuring many of the city’s current jazz elite including vocalist Sheila Jordan (who recorded her debut album Portrait of Sheila for Blue Note in 1962), bassist Marion Hayden, saxophonist James Carter, and the recently departed trumpeter/educator Marcus Belgrave who served as a mentor to so many Detroit area jazz players currently on the scene.

“All of us at Blue Note Records are excited by this opportunity to shine a light on the rich musical legacy of Detroit and on Focus: HOPE who have done so much to help the city’s less fortunate residents,” says Was. “The generosity of everyone involved—from the musicians to the label executives—makes a very powerful statement about the potential of great music to impact lives on a grass roots level.”

A heartfelt thank you to all our esteemed members of the CD of the Month Club. I hope that the selections you received meet with your approval and that you will continue to be members of the club through 2016 and beyond. Your support means a great deal to us and KUVO could not survive without your support. If you’re not a member, please consider joining at KUVO.org. May you, your family and friends all have a happy-healthy end of year filled with good times in a musical ambience.