CHARLIE LEDUFF TALKS DETROIT SEE FEATURES, PAGE 6
JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END
DETROIT ICONS KILLED PAGE 2
WSU JAZZ STUDIES PAGE 5
D-TOWN VS. CHI-TOWN PAGE 2
JULY 31 - AUGUST 7, 2013 | WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1967 | THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU | DETROIT, MICHIGAN | FREE
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‘Dreadlock Mike’, James Van Horn killed Perpetrator sought in hit-and-run case
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEITH BROWN • EG4659@WAYNE.EDU MANAGING EDITOR JILL LUBAS • JILLELUBAS@GMAIL.COM DESIGN & MULTIMEDIA EDITOR JON ADAMS • ED6239@WAYNE.EDU NEWS EDITOR WISAM DAIFI • WDAIFI@GMAIL.COM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR JAMILAH JACKSON • JAMILAH.JACKSON@WAYNE.EDU SPORTS EDITOR FUAD SHALHOUT • DW8385@GMAIL.COM
SHAFFWAN AHMED Contributing Writer Detroit lost two iconic citizens this weekend. Around 2:30 a.m. July 27, a hit-and-run driver
CORRECTIONS
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PUBLICATION
The South End is published Wednesdays during the fall and winter semesters by Wayne State University students. Copies are available free of charge at various locations throughout campus. The Student Newspaper Publication Board, established by the Wayne State University Board of Governors, acts as the publisher of The South End. The board establishes and ensures compliance with publication, editorial and news reporting guidelines. All complaints, comments and suggestions concerning the student newspaper should be directed to doso@wayne.edu.
Michael “Dreadlock Mike”
cated to finding their killer.
men, along with pictures and
Alston, who was known for his
Exactly 12 hours after the
intense eyes, thick dreadlocks
page was created, there were
and amputated feet.
more than 8,000 “likes” on the
ing for the killer. Any people
“Find the Hit and Run Killer of
with information are asked to
Some may look at them as
videos. Detroit Police are still search-
just panhandlers that were
Detroit Icons” page. To date,
notify Detroit Police or Crime
sadly killed, but there has been
the page has over 17,000 “likes.”
Stoppers at 800-773-2587
up Tigers” chant, and another
an outpouring of sympathy on
Followers of the page are
(SPEAK UP).
A&E
War of rhythms
MUSIC
ADVERTISING MANAGER NATALIE DIXON • NDSOUTHEND@GMAIL.COM
The South End welcomes letters to the editors regarding all inquiries and concerns from the Wayne State community. Please limit letters to 500 words. All submissions are subject to editing and may be published. Please email eg4659@wayne.edu.
sharing their memories of the
Horn, known for his “Eat ‘em
COPY EDITOR SYDNEE THOMPSON • THOMPSONSYDNEE@GMAIL.COM
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
the Facebook page that is dedi-
struck and killed James Van
FEATURES EDITOR ELI HOERLER • ELIHOERLER@GMAIL.COM ONLINE EDITOR VALERIE SOBCZAK • VALERIE.SOBCZAK@GMAIL.COM
mainstay in downtown Detroit,
Detroit, Chicago battle for best electro music title KATHERINE ADDY Contributing Writer
House and techno music are similar in many ways. However, they are characterized as
Detroit has paved the way
Electronic Music Festival,
stretch, and Wavefront was
respectively.
still working out new-festival
Artists and fans from
kinks. However, despite its
separate due to techno music’s
around the world agree that
fledgling status in the festi-
for musicians from a multi-
characteristic instrumental
without competition, music
val community, Wavefront
tude of genres, making music
repetition and high-hat usage,
would not continue to prog-
managed to draw an impres-
synonymous with the Motor
as opposed to house music’s
ress and improve, as is neces-
sive 72,500 fans, according to
City. However, Detroit is not
synthesized baselines and use
sary for long-term success.
Plexi Public Relations.
the only city where this is
of the kick drum.
true.
“It doesn’t take one person
Both festivals boasted wa-
It takes a keen ear to hear
or one city change (to) make a
terside venues, though in very
Each region in the United
the difference immediately,
scene. If it wasn’t for Chicago,
different ways.
States has its own unique and
but that is exactly what the
for Detroit, and for the rivalry,
indigenous type of music. The
fans of electronic music have.
things wouldn’t be as good
as a venue, just steps away
The rivalry between Chi-
production, distribution —
Movement used Hart Plaza
as they are,” Gary “Caspa”
from the Detroit River, but
and henceforth — evolution of
cago house and Detroit techno
McCann, London native and
Wavefront put attendees’ toes
this kind of music has created
began in the mid-80s and has
Wavefront headliner, said.
right in the sand, with the
an exciting dynamic within the
snowballed into a fantastic
“Without those two cities,
stages placed directly on Mon-
music community, spanning
one-up-driven feud.
there wouldn’t be dance music
trose Beach.
across many genres. Much like rivalries that exist
Beyond the music itself, the nightlife communities
in America.” When comparing Detroit
Regardless of any one person’s opinion on the matter,
within the world of sports,
have been a prelude to much
and Chicago in terms of the
in a rivalry that only drives
music is no exception to one
disagreement; which city does
two festivals, it is important
advancement and originality,
thing: success breeds competi-
dance parties better?
to understand that Movement
everyone is a winner.
tion. With Chicago recognized as
Chicago and Detroit are
celebrated its fourteenth year
Chicago and Detroit both of-
home to thriving under-
in 2013 and Wavefront only its
fer distinct and irreplaceable
the birthplace of house music
ground, and more recently,
second.
contributions to the electronic
and Detroit recognized as the
mainstream music scenes,
father of techno, a relentless
and both Chicago and Detroit
each festival had to over-
and both cities will continue
battle has erupted over which
hold weekend-long electronic
come its fair share of issues;
to lead innovation and creativ-
city does electronic music
music events: Wavefront
Movement battled relentless
ity in an already flourishing
better.
Music Festival and Movement
rain throughout its three-day
sub-culture.
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Despite the age difference,
music community as a whole,
A&E REVIEW
Darker side of West New album brings shock value TIMOTHY BYES Contributing Writer
There was plenty of public outcry once Kanye West revealed the title of his latest work, “Yeezus,” trying to draw an obvious parallel to the Christian figure Jesus Christ. There was even more outcry when possible choices for the album’s cover began to surface online. One cover depicted a distorted Jesus necklace medallion, and the other featured West on a cross. The eventual product was actually a blank CD with a red tag. West told fans he wanted them to write graffiti on the cover, which is an interesting and smart choice. The music, however, is anything but simple or boring. Fans were allowed to hear two tracks from the album during his performance on Saturday Night Live — “New Slaves” and “Black Skinheads.” It was clear from his performance that he was opting for a darker, angrier and more innovative sound.
COMMUNITY
I will take time now to say that the content of the lyrics in these songs are as equally shocking as the audial value. In “New Slaves,” West angrily explains over a simple but eerie beat how African-American consumers are now slaves to designer clothes, cars and material things instead of white men like not so long ago. He sounds even angrier on “Black Skinheads” as he screams and encourages a revolt. There was chatter over the controversial title of his track “I Am A God” weeks ago, and like the title implies, he literally explains how he is a god, sitting in a Parisian restaurant, waiting on croissants. He follows up with Chicago native Chief Keef on “Hold My Liquor” and label mate Kid Cudi on “Guilt Trip.” He even samples Nina Simone’s cover of Billie Holiday’s haunting classic “Strange Fruit” on “Blood on the Leaves.” There is uniformity found throughout this body of work because of the shock value of the sirens, screams and scathing lyrics on every track. West set out to shock, and succeeded.
KANYE WEST, “YEEZUS” 2013, ROC-A-FELLA/DEF JAM
More than meets the eye Artist repurposes everyday objects
HANNA GUIDO Contributing Writer Humans have the need to define and interpret the natural world around them through a continuum of extremes — the stringency of religion or reliance on the lens of humanist ideals. Ellsworth Kelly, an American painter, print-maker and sculptor, gives voice to the natural world and ordinary objects but does not appear to fall on this continuum. His work is currently on display at the Detroit Institute of the Arts in the “Ellsworth Kelly: Prints” exhibit until Sept. 8. Kelly strives to capture the most fundamental understanding of a subject. Creating what that is, however, may be a departure from its representation in the material world. This technique is a function of ab-
stractionist art. It also quaintly falls in line with a more scientific or Aristotelian mode of thought by demonstrating an object’s parts on a page rather than its holistic depiction. One way of looking at it is the contour of the vase, the exploration of a semi-cylindrical form rather than the vase depicted with flowers. Where it departs from a scientific lens is through a counter focus placed on the subject’s “telos” or ultimate purpose. Instead of that purpose being figured as innate, he depicts its meaning based on the discerned use and manipulation via humanity and the natural world. He then illustrates this understanding in its most concentrated form, making its “everyday” form virtually unrecognizable, or “abstract.” In these sorts of prints, there is humanity-deprecating irony wrought throughout.
The mystery of what you’re looking at is symbolic of the manipulation man has placed on the subject, like the work “Green” from his “Suite of Twenty-Seven Color,” which depicts, through lithography, a piece of unalloyed gold as a human thumbprint. Gold’s association with man has shaped human history thus to convey that its fundamental understanding is to mark the mark of man on it. More generally however, the “reduction” of an object’s “everyday” form is a tenet of reductionist art, a school of approach that definitely informs Kelly’s work, although not entirely. This artistic style aligns itself with geometry, precision, limited color, repetition and unsophisticated materials. These kinds of characteristics are evident in Kelly’s series called the “Suite of Twenty-Seven Color” (196465) as well as his “Curves Series” done in 1976, both represented at the DIA
exhibit. The DIA is also showcasing Kelly’s black-and-white prints. Two-thirds of his 300 prints are done in black and white and bring greater tension to his work’s appearance. The rigors in the preciseness of his geometric shapes seem desperate to buckle under the gravitas of the abyss of black they appear in. They function as a notational device for what the colorful prints make you think but not feel. Also not to be missed are pieces from his “River Series”: three emotionally massive prints that hang on the same floor as the black-and-white prints. Throughout these series of prints and the whole of the exhibit, Ellsworth Kelly manages to dismiss paradigms and frustrate intellectual boundaries with simplicity. My comfort orientations certainly weren’t pacified and yours shouldn’t be either.
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A&E COMMUNITY
Where art and science collide Program gives youth practical, creative skills
TAHMEED KAHN Contributing Writer In a city so rich in mechanical ingenuity but lacking culture and arts programs in the public education system, how can opportunities be provided to youth to help them adapt practical skills they can utilize through creativity? Well, the 5e gallery has an answer to this, and it’s called the Sonic Maker Space. The Sonic Maker Space is a program designed to provide the youth
with technologies that will enable them to create musical beats as well as teach them robotics. Throughout the course of the program, students will learn how to utilize cutting-edge software and hardware tools through the use of mathematics and science. The program is made to be an intensive summer workshop. Students are mentored by community members who have expertise on beat making and robotics. “The kids are learning robotics from me, but I am equally learn-
ing just as much from them,” said James, a robotic instructor passionate about teaching kids. Students are provided with equipment that most people would not see unless they’ve become a sound engineer or music producer. Sicari Ware, one of the founders of the gallery, has high hopes for developing some well-rounded individuals. “The program is very intense but the kids seem to be picking things up quickly,” he said. “They’re learning to familiarize themselves
with technological equipment and strengthen their mathematical, scientific and creative abilities.” The program currently has 25 students enrolled and will carry on through the course of the summer. The members of the gallery encourage all dance, arts, music, poetry and hip-hop enthusiasts to visit them at their new location on Cass and Warren. Anyone interested in helping or donating to the gallery to fund more programs for kids can visit the website at www.5egallery.org. COURTESY MARILYN ZIMMERWOMAN
COMMUNITY
Zimmerwoman leaves fingerprint Exhibit to honor WSU teacher who helped students find vision HANNA GUIDO Contributing Writer In a world where everyone is a photographer, Marilyn Zimmerwoman is an icon. One of my favorite teachers once said that each body of literary and artistic work will find reference and community in each other, whether that is in a literal way or a practical way. In the latter, she was suggesting the premise that one work may stretch your horizons to inform the experience of another. I believe this interpretation of inter-connectedness also describes what a good instructor accomplishes. He/she weaves the awareness of their discipline into
the larger fabric of knowledge, whether that is history, biology or photography, to confront the boundaries of our beliefs. Like physicians of the mind, teachers palpate the accumulation of knowledge and incise student’s world perception all in the hopes that their pupils may make the world a more salutary macro-organism. After all, if violence was a measurement of “heart rate,” the world would be hyperventilating. With the significant amount of import and responsibility teachers have in shaping their students, it is glorious to see a woman who demonstrates the talent of both widening personal horizons and helping students find their “vision.”
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Such a woman is Marilyn Zimmerman (who began going by Zimmerwoman to reflect her feminist ideals) of the photography department at Wayne State. She has been teaching at the university for over thirty years and is leaving her fingerprints on more than just the camera — so much so that an exhibit has been organized in honor of Marilyn the instructor and Marilyn the activist, feminist and performance artist. Former students of Zimmerwoman produced the pieces that comprise the exhibit, and they showcase the breadth and design of her impact. Highlights include but are not limited to Zimmerwoman in caricature form, in what
can only be described as a dogged Wild West comic panel. The works struck me as so ruggedly fearless, not unlike the stereotype of a cowboy. I found all the works to have such a concise and conscious point of view, not limited by vulnerability but impregnable because of it. The artfulness and productiveness of the vulnerability shown in the works is a virtue without question nurtured by the instruction of Marilyn Zimmerwoman. Ironically, it is not the artwork that expanded my horizons as much as the notion of how such generous inspiration can influence so many. The exhibit is being held at the Community Arts Art Department Gallery until Aug. 9.
FEATURES
LeDuff keeps it real at DPL Controversial journalist talks Detroit, latest book, hope for future
KEITH BROWN The South End Charlie LeDuff is a walking, talking enigma. Part investigative journalist, part class clown and now best-selling author of the critically acclaimed “Detroit: An American Autopsy,” LeDuff may be found hitting the high-brow circuit of local libraries and booksellers or appearing shirtless in a local television news report, wearing only a smile and strategically–placed thatch of leaves to dramatize a disgraced city official who was, literally, caught with his pants down. Whatever the setting, LeDuff projects a volatile, entertaining, yet deadly serious presence. His appearance at the Detroit Public Library, kicking off the “Talk To Me” series of writer/audience interactive forums did not disappoint, as the FOX 2 personality held court in an animated session that was not for the literary faint-of- heart. A Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper reporter, LeDuff left the New York Times, where he chronicled the lives of working people from Bronx barrooms to Ground Zero, for his native Detroit in 2008. He landed in the newsroom of The Detroit News, where he wrote more head-spinning stories, including the vivid depiction of an abandoned warehouse where pick-up hockey games were played around the dead body of a homeless man, whose legs were sprawled akimbo while protruding through a hole in the ice. LeDuff’s 2010 Mother Jones maga-
zine article (included in “Detroit: An American Autopsy”) reported the death of seven-year old Aiyana Jones during a police shoot of a reality television series. It’s a fierce example of his writing style – a mix of blue-collar gonzo journalism and social commentary: The SWAT team tried the steel door to the building. It was unlocked. They threw a flash-bang grenade through the window of the lower unit and kicked open its wooden door, which was also unlocked. The grenade landed so close to Aiyana that it burned her blanket. Officer Joseph Weekley, the lead commando-who’d been featured before on another A&E show, Detroit SWATburst into the house. His weapon fired a single shot, the bullet striking Aiyana in the head and exiting her neck. It all happened in a matter of seconds. As Officer Weekley wept on the sidewalk, Aiyana was rushed to the trauma table, where she was pronounced dead. Her body was transferred to the Wayne County morgue. Dr. Carl Schmidt is the chief medical examiner there. There are at least 50 corpses on hold in his morgue cooler, some unidentified, others whose next of kin are too poor to bury them. So Dr. Schmidt keeps them on layaway, zipped up in body bags as family members wait for a ship to come in that never seems to arrive. The day I visited, a Hollywood starlet was tailing the doctor, studying for her role as the medical examiner in ABC’S new Detroit-based murder drama
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Detroit 1-8-7. The title is derived from the California penal code for murder: 187. In Michigan, the designation for homicide is actually 750.316, but that’s just a mouthful of detail. “You might say that the homicide of Aiyana is the natural conclusion to the disease from which she suffered,” Schmidt told me. “What disease was that?” I asked. “The psychopathology of growing up in Detroit,” he said. “Some people are doomed from birth because their environment is so toxic.” WAS IT SO SIMPLE? Was it inevitable, as the doctor said, that abject poverty would lead to Aiyana’s death and so many others? Was it death by TV? By police incompetence? By parental neglect? By civic malfeasance? About 350 people are murdered each year in Detroit. There are some 10,000 unsolved homicides dating back to 1960. Many are as f*cked up and sad as Aiyana’s. But I felt unraveling this one death could help diagnose what has gone wrong in this city, so I decided to retrace the events leading up to that pitiable moment. LeDuff is reflective of the violent environs while playing to a near-full house at the DPL. “I have a friend who has an NPR show and says: ‘you’re so lucky, you wake up and have stories lying in the street waiting for you’…the sad thing is - it’s true bodies are laying around for 6 ½ hours. It’s UNACCEPTABLE…I’ve been in war zones that are better than that.”
“ I can’t write another obituary,” he said. Instead, he’s written “Detroit: An American Autopsy,” a work that blends history with shoe-leather journalism and LeDuff’s often harrowing personal story. His father was abusive, his mother worked long hours, and his late sister was a prostitute in the city’s Brightmoor district (“she didn’t make it out,” he said). This night, LeDuff’s demeanor ranges from playful to righteously indignant to glass-half-full optimism, as he ruminates on subjects from comic-to-tragic –sometimes in a single story. After an introduction by moderator and FOX 2 colleague, Alexis Wiley, LeDuff bounds on stage and exchanges pleasantries with the audience, beginning the proceedings by reading “Pants On Fire,” a vignette from his new book. He acts out the story, which chronicles taking his daughter to court to watch an arson trial, using a variety of vocal intonations and physical demonstrations. The piece has a happy ending, which is well-received by the audience. The subject turns to the inevitable question of Detroit’s bankruptcy filing. “We’re bankrupt and everyone is looking at us. Syria, Greece, Brazil… they laugh at us, but they’re all studying us,“ he said. “Simple math - I went to U of M and they taught me how to count -- Chicago, 133 billion in debt; L.A., 40 billion; you think they’re not looking at us? What does he think they’ll find? “We didn’t die, we didn’t quit - we
screwed up, but we’re working our way out of it.” LeDuff worked his way to New York, starting with The Times as an intern and learning the ropes of journalism at, arguably, the world’s most prestigious newspaper. He learned to check and re-check facts, how to read contracts and secure documents “that a lot of people don’t want you to have.” He became known as an everyman reporter, at home in the city’s streets and saloons. Much of his work at The Detroit News, including long sections of covering the Kwame Kilpatrick debacle, is included in his latest book. He left the News to “be a stayat-home dad,” before taking the leap into broadcasting at FOX 2. “This television thing is kind of weird - I was always a newspaper guy,” he said. “But I watch ‘Tosh.0’. I like ‘Jackass’. I like Charles Kuralt and ‘60 Minutes’… and I try to help people.” The approach has worked for ratings, and LeDuff has made the transition to popular television personality. It’s also struck a chord with his family. “When I was on Colbert, my brother had them turn down the sound at the bar, which was a big deal,“ he said. “My mom‘s cool,
she hasn’t read the book or watch FOX 2, but she tells me all her friends at the casino know Charlie LeDuff. I say, “MOM, what are you doing at the casino?” After the conversation lightens somewhat, LeDuff takes questions from the audience, which range from opinions of the mayoral race to complaints about urban blight. He pledges to do a story on one resident’s neighborhood, which she describes as “a war zone” overwrought by vandals who are pillaging abandoned homes for scrap metal. Yet amid the mayhem, LeDuff sees a fleck of light when asked about the city’s prospects. “I see a good future, but it will look different,” he said. “The people are great - we are the nicest group of rough people I’ve ever met. I love it here - we have a really good spirit. There’s gotta be something special to be able to survive and get through it; there’s something strong here.” Asked by the audience for easy answers, the journalist/author/reporter refuses to speak in sound bites. “WHAT’S IT GONNA TAKE? I don’t have the f*%kin’ answer, but I know it’s not in some bullshit press conferences.”
PHOTOS BY JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END
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FEATURES
Eastern Market gets new cultural hub Trinosophes boasts cafe, gallery, performances LYNN LOSH Contributing Writer After spending three years searching, Joel Peterson and Rebecca Mazzei finally found the perfect location for their multifaceted business. Located in a spacious old spice warehouse in Detroit’s Eastern Market, Trinosophes is home to a cafe, gallery and performance stage. Peterson, a composer and bassist, ran the Bohemian National Home, a space for experimental music, where Mazzei helped him with art galleries and basic operation. Mazzei and Peterson both have an extensive background of working in the Detroit arts. Pooling together their interests, they created the vision for Trinosophes. “(We) believe in the idea that the people are kind of at the ground level of arts in this city and need their own spaces and control of how things are presented,.” Peterson said. Trinosophes has been open for three months. The cafe offers free Wi-Fi, coffee and baked goods. There are couches and tables for anyone looking to study or just relax. The art gallery is
also open during the day. “Trinosophes has quickly become an important venue for the arts and music scene in Detroit,” said Brandon Walley, a multimedia artist who has produced a show at Trinosophes. The venue hosts diverse sounds and art, allowing artists to showcase and play more progressive music and contemporary art. They have hosted wide-ranging music genres, once having indierock band The Evens and jazz pianist Rod Williams play on the same night. “There’s a really wide range of people that show up,” Peterson said. “Sometimes they aren’t even aware of it because they’ll be coming to different events that intersect and it’s an interesting microcosm of what’s happening around town.” The location is flexible with it’s schedule and attitude. Artists can present their sounds and work with approval from Mazzei and Peterson. “It seems like in a lot of spaces you either have the institutional model where there’s a developed program and they don’t accept solicitations for work, and have more directed visions. Then there’s the space that’s more like the community center model where anyone is invited to
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present something,” Mazzei said. “(Trinosophes) exists comfortably in between. We’re open to accepting ideas from other people, but at the same time have a particular nuance point of view; there’s still quality.” The duo manages and operates Trinosophes themselves, only using help when they need doormen for shows. Time management is tough because they both have other jobs that they work simultaneously. Helping the cultural movement in the city is important to Mazzei and Peterson. With their own artistic backgrounds, they are looking for Trinosophes to showcase artists and become, as well as becoming a breeding ground for new art. “(We want) to not just keep representing what’s happening artistically in contemporary society, but we want to push artists forward to do new work or be the space where people feel comfortable testing out new things,” Mazzei said. “We want to consistently reestablish the importance of more established artists, and represent artists who have been ignored or not properly contextualized, and aren’t getting the chance to perform or show elsewhere as much as they could.” Trinosophes also has plans to
expand the location. They are adding a retail shop and museum in the third store front that is connected inside the building. The museum will be called the Michigan Audio Heritage Society museum, which is a reference to the Detroit record label Mah’s Records. The museum, which will also be moving to Trinosophes will most likely be in the fall andwill be run by Brad Hales of Peoples’ Records. “It’s been an ongoing evolution,” Peterson said. Another goal of Trinosophes is to do more publishing, whether online or in print. “We’ve already done special edition prints and one catalog,” Mazzei said. “There’s an online component to the current exhibition.” Trinosophes’ combination of art, music, food, retail and history is unique and exciting for Detroit’s culture. “With thoughtful programming, you can count on a variety of experiences (at Trinosophes), from avant-garde music performances to contemporary art shows to experimental film screening,” Walley said. “Trinosophes is filling an important role in the growing cultural fabric of Eastern Market and Detroit as a whole.”
PHOTOS BY KRISTIN SHAW/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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FEATURES COMMUNITY
All that Jazz WSU boasts longest running program in the Midwest JESSICA FREEDLAND Contributing Writer Aside from the stuff you see in the university’s brochures – things such as being situated in the heart of midtown, having an extremely diverse student body and a reputation as an elite research university -- Wayne State students can also boast that their school has one of the longest-running Jazz Studies programs in the Midwest. Wayne State’s music department has several concentrations, including Music Business, Music Education, Performance, and Composition, but it’s the Jazz program that really makes itself known. The Director of Jazz Studies Professor Christopher Collins described what it is exactly about the program that sets Wayne’s apart from the rest. “It’s one of the first Jazz degree programs in the entire Midwest,” Collins proudly stated. Wayne State offers both a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance. Additionally, being in Detroit, “we have a close and symbiotic relationship with jazz music.” Collins explained that jazz has been shaped by Detroit musicians and has in return helped shape Detroit culture.
Aside from the important relationship that the city has with the genre, Wayne State’s music program instructors are all active professional musicians – performing and composing music of their own in the community in addition to teaching at WSU. Collins plays in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and is also the artistic director of the Detroit International Jazz Festival – the largest free jazz festival of its kind in the world. “There’s a core curriculum for all music students,” Collins said. “There’s a balance of theory, ear training, music history and piano proficiency.” Students study with a specific piano instructor depending on their concentration so “a Jazz Studies major will study with a jazz pianist where a performance major would study with a classical pianist.” Along with these core classes, students also perform in ensembles for their first semester, giving them hands-on experience in their area of study. Students also take a variety of specialty classes that also afford them experience and training in their specific genre and with their instrument of choice. Collins occasionally encounters students who play instruments not typical of Jazz -- like a violin, for
example -- but most students play “a rhythm section instrument which would be drums, bass, guitar or piano, or one of the jazz horns which is typically saxophone, trumpet or trombone.” Students audition on their chosen instrument when they apply to the program, but must also be able to get into Wayne State’s ensembles on that instrument. Even if a student plays multiple instruments, they must pick one to concentrate on for their work in the program. Denzel Donald, a senior in the Jazz Studies program described a few of the things that he, as a student, finds to be most beneficial about the program. “What I like about the jazz studies program at Wayne State is the number of opportunities this institution gives,” Donald said. “Every week or every other week there’s a new opportunity for pay, exposure, educational, and for networking,” he explained. “I am currently working with the Detroit Jazz Fest Orchestra playing some of the sacred music of Duke Ellington.” What about after graduation? The music industry these days is not a very inviting place, so how does a jazz degree help a graduate break into the competitive world of music? Collins said: “Being a profes-
sional musician in today’s world is very different than 50 years ago. Performing musicians, regardless of whether their jazz or classical artists have to be very versatile.” Denzel described his personal goals, saying he wants to further his education after graduating from Wayne, to play with world-renown musicians, and to write film scores for horror and dramatic films. He also wants to “open up (his) own music stores in many areas around the world.” Along with studying improvisation – an element that Collins feels sets Jazz students apart from other WSU Music majors -- students also focus on musical arrangement and composition which allows them a larger variety of other job opportunities. After graduating, Jazz majors will often spend time recording their own music – both on their own and with other musicians -- as well as performing in the pit orchestras for theater productions and composing music for other performers commercially. “What we’ve really concentrated on at Wayne State over the decades is (creating) a Jazz Studies degree that prepares students to be competitive professional musicians – to be able to earn a living and also to pursue a highly creative artistic career.”
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