The Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah will be played in its entirety.
Music has always loomed large in the life of Don Was. Born in Detroit in 1952, he has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker, and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as President of America’s venerated jazz label, Blue Note Records.
Read more about Don Was here.
THE PAN-DETROIT ENSEMBLE
Don Was’ latest group, The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, features top-tier jazz musicians from his hometown. “There’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe,” says Was. “There’s a rawness, a lack of pretension, and an unmistakable underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire city.”
The band includes longtime collaborators such as Blue Note artist Dave McMurray on saxophone and Eminem’s Oscar-winning collaborator, keyboardist Luis Resto. Additional members include trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canaday, percussionist Mahindi Masai, guitarist Wayne Gerard, and vocalist Steffanie Christi’an.
“When the opportunity came to put together a new band, the message was clear: go back to Detroit where I came from, be who I am, play like who I am, and team up with like-minded individuals,” says Was.
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble debuted in 2024 and 2025 and will continue touring the U.S. and select international markets in support of their forthcoming debut album, Groove in the Face of Adversity, to be released October 10 on Mack Avenue Music.
