King Sunny Ade To Transform Midtown With Magical Juju Music At 24th Concert of Colors
9th Don Was All-Star Revue reveals Detroit’s 10 greatest songs chosen by Detroit Free Press readers
10-time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri, and all-time greatest calypsonian The Mighty Sparrow light up assembled world music royalty
Women of world music bring impressive cultural impact to the forefront
Legendary children’s entertainer Fred Penner makes Concert of Colors his place
Dearborn, Mich. (May 31, 2016) – The magic of Nigerian Juju music will entrance listeners when King Sunny Ade, the greatest living African bandleader, headlines the 24th Concert of Colors, July 14-17, 2016, presented by the Ford Foundation, in Midtown Detroit.
Ade has been listed as a Top 100 influential musician of all time who brought modern instruments into traditional music. This is a gathering of world music royalty with 10-time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri along with his Salsa Orchestra, and all-time greatest Calypsonian The Mighty Sparrow completing this royal court.
This festival is Midtown’s most fun midsummer event, a family-friendly festival of live music, film and dance – and lots of great food and drink — at our most cherished cultural institutions.
The Concert of Colors has the whole world in its bands. Curated by its founder, Ismael Ahmed, the festival celebrates the diverse global origins of metro Detroiters, the indigenous sounds of our musically rich hometown, and the accessibility and unifying power of music at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History, the Scarab Club, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Max M. Fisher Music Center. All festival performances are free and open to the public and take place on both outdoor and indoor stages at venues on or near Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit.
The 9th Don Was All-Star Revue, featuring some of the metro area’s best vocalists, will perform Detroit’s 10 Greatest Songs as chosen in a Detroit Free Press poll. Don Was, a three-time Grammy Award winning producer, a founder of the band Was (Not Was) and president of the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records, maintains his strong commitment to his hometown music scene through the Concert of Colors with this Meijer Main Stage presentation, always a standing-room-only event.
Women of world music
Women of the world bring their nurturing music and cultural impact to the forefront at this year’s festival with Malaysia’s Yuna, Indian born Kiran Aluwalia, Sudan’s Alsarah & the Nubatones, Flint’s Mama Sol and Tha N.U.T.S., Mexico’s Astrid Hadad, Japanese expatriates Cibo Matto and others. From rock and pop to traditional Punjabi and Nubian sounds these ladies widen the scope and impact of the Concert of Colors with their unique presentations.
Water is life
The Forum on Community Culture & Race kicks off the Concert of Colors Thursday, July 14 with the program Artists Speak: Water is Life. The Forum takes place at the Annex @ Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn, starting at 6:30 p.m. The Forum has a history of addressing how the arts can impact social issues. This year, water is at the center of community concerns in Detroit and Flint. These presentations from artists represent how they address these concerns.
DIA goes all in
The Detroit Institute of Arts extends its Concert of Colors participation with music, film and dance parties scheduled July 15-17, as well as the DIA Away truck, a creative exploration space, which will be on site on Parsons Street, alongside the Max M. Fisher Music Center, July 16-17. Finding Fela, a documentary on the making of the stage show Fela!, Mexican culture and music from Dos Santos and cabaret singer Astrid Hadad, and a “Dixie” remix listening party explores blues, samba, hip hop and other interpretations of the old Confederate anthem in popular African American music styles.
DIA Away is a vibrantly designed double-expendable trailer that extends a rich educational program beyond the museums walls. Participants explore the artistic creative process at digital and hands-on stations to discover their own creative thinking. Using touchscreens, sliding panels and lift labels explorers will imagine news ways to combine everyday objects in unexpected and creative ways. DIA Away allows the museum to share its resources in an informal and accessible manner within the community.
The Wright pumps it up
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History expands its Concert of Colors offerings and brings it outdoors this year on Friday, July 15, with the hip hop program Warrior’s Rhythm with Mike Ellison and organic roots reggae from the Brooklyn-based Brown Rice Family. Also, a group of accomplished local poets organized by host Joel Fluent Greene will present their words.
Fred Penner’s Place is right here
Fred Penner, the 12-year host of the Canadian children’s television show Fred Penner’s Place and Juno Award-winning children’s musician will bring the cat and other creatures back in his fun and entertaining program.
The complete festival lineup can be found at www.concertofcolors.com. In coming weeks, the festival will also release news about the lineup for the 9th Don Was Revue and RSVP information for the festival’s annual Forum on Community, Culture & Race. Please note: the festival schedule is subject to change; the latest information is available at the website above.
Build Bazaar, a pop-up marketplace celebrating emerging entrepreneurs from Build Institute will be in the Max M. Fisher Music Center Atrium Sat.-Sun, July 16-17. From artisanal candles and soap, to fresh baked goods and handmade wares, Build Bazaar will feature an exciting and diverse range of local vendors. Entrepreneurs from the ACCESS Growth Center will offer their wares outdoors. Shop and support the small business economy in Detroit!
WHFR-FM will broadcast all acts on the Comerica Diversity Stage on July 16-17. A Food Truck Rally and outdoor BBQ and Biergarten will feed the hungry and sate the thirsty on Parsons Street. The DIA Away mobile art experience and Detroit Arts & Scraps featuring crafts for kids and grownups will be there too. New this year are carnival games from Theatre Bizarre, set up on Parsons Street
The 24th Concert of Colors, presented by the Ford Foundation, is produced by the Arab American National Museum with its partners Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Charles Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Institute of Arts, University of Michigan – Detroit Center and ACCESS.
The Concert of Colors is made possible by many generous, community-minded businesses and organizations, led by presenting sponsor Ford Foundation, longtime Main Stage sponsor Meijer and returning sponsors Ford Motor Company, Comerica (Diversity Stage), DTE Energy, Knight Foundation, University of Michigan – Dearborn, among others. Media sponsors include Michigan.com (parent of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News), CBS62/The CW50 TV, Metro Times, WDET-FM, WHFR-FM and CJAM-FM.