The Top Of The Live Music Scene

The Top Of The Live Music Scene

The three basic components of any active musical scene are: (1 ) the musicians, (2) the people who want to hear the music, and (3) the places where the musicians and the folks can get together. Detroit's legendary music scene has seen hundreds of places for every different kind of music come and go over the years. In the forties r&b and blues kept them jumping in the Black Bottom clubs along Hastings Street, then called "Paradise Valley" - Hastings has since been obliterated by the Chrysler Freeway. During the fifties, some of the finest jazz musicians of the era jammed after hours at the West End Hotel in the shadow of the Cadillac Fleetwood plant in Del Ray. In the sixties the college crowd gathered at the Chessmate coffeehouse to hear Detroiter Joni Mitchell and the likes of Jesse Colin Young, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and John Lee Hooker. And then, in the second half of the 60's, the Grande Ballroom showcased the hottest local, national, and international rock & roll talent on a weekly basis.

There is, of course, a whole new set of hot spots to go to nowadays. As a guide to what's happening now and where it is, we're spotlighting here the most dependable places in town to visit for good music and a good time. Please check the map on the left for locations, and check our calendar in every issue for up-to-date info and details on just about every "edutainment" spot in town.

OK. it's Friday night, you've got a few bucks in your pocket, and the car is gassed up and ready to roll. Take your pick:

"Popular Music" Clubs- Detroit has several fine clubs that specialize in "popular" stuff, also known as soul, r&b, rock and roll, jazz-rock, etc. Cover charge is usually $4 to $8:

HENRY'S COCKTAIL LOUNGE (Fenkell near Livernois) Located on the "Soulful Strip" (Fenkell west of Livernois), Henry's currently has the most big-name recording stars the most often. Recent examples are Theodore Pendergrass and the Bluenotes, The Dells, the Chi-Lites, David Ruffin, and The Main Ingredient.

WATTS' CLUB MOZAMBIQUE (Fenkell and Northlawn) Watts' is the other main attraction along the Fenkell strip. It tends toward the jazzy end of the popular music spectrum, with recent attractions including Grant Green, Jack McDuff, Ronnie Dyson, and Damita Jo. They also run Jazz West (right next door) as an all-night "disco" lounge.

THE ROOSTERTAIL (Marquette near East Jefferson) Jerry Schoenith's riverside night spot continues to hang in there, currently with a booking policy that mixes black rock and roll with its white counterpart, and lots in between. Recent shows featured The Four Tops and Della Reese.

KING'S ROW (Chicago and Meyers) King's Row is one of several clubs that only opens occasionally- but when it does it's usually well worth checking out. They've had B.B. King, Billy Paul, and Esther Phillips.

Jazz Club - Jazz continues to be heard regularly in at least three clubs in metro Detroit. Cover runs $3 to $6:

BAKER'S KEYBOARD LOUNGE (Livernois near Eight Mile) Baker's  is one of the oldest clubs still running in Detroit and is the most reliable as far as scheduling is concerned. It's also the smallest (capacity is about 100). but it's usually cozy rather than cramped. Clarence Baker brings the best small jazz groups he can get his hands on, including people like Pharoah Sanders, Elvin Jones, Les McCann, and Earl Klugh.

JAZZ EAST (Gratiot near Van Dyke) is a relatively new operation run by drummer James Brown and featuring Brown's excellent unit, Thrust, plus other east side and Detroit-based jazz artists.

THE PERFECT BLEND (Northwestern and Ten Mile) Formeily a "disco" spot, the Blend now specializes in local jazz sounds, and happily so. Recent bands have included Sam Sanders and his exciting Visions, and Cordova. While you're there, check out the restaurant.

"Coffeehouses"- All of these places don't necessarily serve coffee, but they are part of the traditional "coffee-house" scene made up of intimate, non-alcoholic clubs which generally charge less than the nightclubs but give you plenty of music nonetheless. Each of these four has its own, rather unique, character:

THE MUSIC STATION (Trapper's Alley in Greektown) Probably the most exciting new night spot in Detroit, The Music Station is tucked into Trapper's Alley on Monroe near Beaubien and is under the watchful eye of master percussionist Roy Brooks. It features jazz stars like Eddie Jefferson, James Moody, and Betty Carter. Open from 9 PM to 5 AM Thursday through Sunday.

RAPA HOUSE (Fisher east of Woodward) Opened by the late great LaJune Rodgers, Rapa House is now run by daughter Rhonda Rodgers and son Ernie Rodgers. Ernie's hot saxophone leads the classic after-hours jam sessions till 6 AM on Saturday nightSunday morning only, and Rhonda's hot Creole cuisine is a special delight.

RAVEN GALLERY (Greenfield near Twelve Mile) The Raven is a suburban Detroit institution, offering a steady diet of folk, folk-blues, and the like six nights a week for well over ten years now. Regulars include Louisiana Red, Josh White, Jr., Chuck Mitchell (Joni's ex), Mike Seeger, and others too numerous to mention.

COMPARED TO WHAT (Woodward in Highland Pk.) Setting up in the auditorium of Highland Park's Trinity Methodist Church on Fridays from 8 to midnight, Compared to What offers a varied, interesting schedule that showcases local folk, blues, and jazz artists. Recent highlights included Ron English and friends and Marcus Belgrave's Jazz Development Workshop big band.

Blues Clubs- The blues is stilt alive on Detroit's funky east side, where the nightclubs are soft and plush but the music is gritty. Cover usually runs $5 or $6:

ETHEL'S COCKTAIL LOUNGE (Mack near E. Grand Blvd.) Ethel's is one of the most active clubs in the city, with a steady stream of blues people mixed in with r&b. Albert King, Little Milton, and Laura Lee stop by often, and Joe Tex and The Fantastic Four have been in recently.

PHELPS' LOUNGE (Oakland near Owen) Another nightclub featuring top talent only occasionally is Phelps', where vocal giant Bobby "Blue" Bland performs on four holiday weekends every year. Phelps' doesn't get too much use outside of that. A recent appearance by former Temptation Eddic Kendricks was an encouraging sign that there will be more action there.

Supper Clubs- Those looking for the conservative, straighter scene can still get it, although this type of nightclub isn't as popular as it used to be several years ago. .

DB's (Mich. Ave.: Southfield) Located in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Henry Ford's glittery Fairlane complex in Dearborn, this is the newest and the swankiest.

THE PLAYBOY CLUB (James Couzens south of Eight Mile Rd.) Yeah guys, real live Playboy bunnies. Plus singers, comedians.

Concerts-A handful of Detroit promoters with varying degrees of skill, competance, and taste produce events whenever and wherever they can manage. Besides picking your favorite artists, two main things to watch for:

BIG CONCERTS-Halls designed as multi-purpose buildings (sports and music) provide maximum profits for super-stars but generally are not conducive to enjoying the music itself because of poor sound quality and distance between the stage and the audience. Pontiac Stadium (80,000 seats) and Olympia Stadium (16,000 seats) both have this problem, and the Cobo Hall Arena (12,000 seats) does to a lesser extent. The big events do make for some interesting crowd scènes, though.

REASONABLY-SIZED CONCERTS-There are several places where large crowds (2,000 to 5,000) can gather in comfort to hear music. By far the most comfortable is the Showcase Theatre (formerly the Eastown). The Showcase is run by an energetic team of east-siders who call themselves Probity Productions, and all their events are usually first-rate, featuring jazz, blues, and reggae. The only other hall exclusively operated by one production company is Music Hall, which has the most varied entertainment program in the city, from theatre to music to dance to children's shows. Other concert facilities are Masonic Temple, Ford Auditorium, and the venerable old Orchestra Hall on Woodward, which is in use while undergoing renovation.

Besides these major night spots, there are scores of other clubs in the area which feature highly talented local artists of all disciplines on a regular basis. Just to mention a few: Little David's, The Bonfire Bar-B-Q, Cotton's Lounge, Murphy's Lounge, The Delta Lady, The Red Carpet, That Gnu Joint, Lorenzo's Cocktail Lounge. A lot of very exciting music happens in these smaller places, so feel free to give them a call (they're all listed in the Music Scene section of the Calendar printed in each issue of The Sun) and go if it sounds interesting.

We should also mention, for posterity anyway, two high-class clubs (that were lost to the scene during the last few months. Chuck Lowman's new West Side Club, which was exceptionally hot last year, has gone out of business. The 20 Grand, which has been a major soul/r&b hangout for over 20 years, was gutted by a mysterious fire and awaits re- building.

 Like the Motor City's master musicians, the top-flight music centers in Detroit are numerous, and they rise and fall, come and go, and keep changing, just like the "stars" do. That's another thing that makes Detroit's live music scene so interesting.

And all you have to do is jump in that car tonight and get out into it.