When Bebop Came to Detroit: The Story of a Jazz Revolution
When Bebop Came to Detroit: The Story of a Jazz Revolution, by Rod Arroyo, FAICP As World War II raged across the globe in the early 1940s, something also explosive—though…
Jazz Clubs and Black-Owned Businesses in Detroit’s Lower Paradise Valley
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP The lower Paradise Valley area, north of Gratiot and south of I-75, was an entertainment and business hub with a concentration of Black-owned businesses and jazz…
Detroit’s Black-Owned Businesses in 1952 – Map
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP In the early 1950s, Detroit’s population reached its all-time high of over 1.8 million people, and Black-owned businesses thrived. The Booker T. Washington Trade Association, an…
Freeway Impacts on Black Communities: The Story of Miami’s Overtown
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP As part of my ongoing research of Detroit's Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, both areas severely impacted by freeway construction and urban renewal, I have been…
Dave McMurray and His Grateful Deadication Band
Detroit saxophonist Dave McMurray and his band performed at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan in late August 2022. Dave brought the talented band from his…
Chucho Valdés, Afro-Cuban Jazz Legend
Chucho Valdés has been named the Artist-in-Residence for the 2022 Detroit Jazz Festival. He gave a stirring solo piano performance at the Jazz Fest preview event on April 30, 2022.…