- [Narrator] Coming up on "One Detroit."

We'll talk with the Detroit Jazz Festival's 2025 Artist-in-Residence, pianist and composer, Jason Moran.

Plus, we'll delve into the history and culture of Southeast Michigan's Arab-American community.

Also ahead, Michigan's new poet laureate discusses the power of poetry.

- Even when I'm writing prose.

- [Narrator] And we'll have some suggestions on how to spend this last weekend of April.

It's all coming up next on "One Detroit."

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- [Announcer] DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

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(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Just ahead on "One Detroit," we're celebrating several April observances.

It's Arab American Heritage Month.

We'll have a "Destination Detroit" story about Arab Americans who came to our area.

Plus, it's National Poetry Month.

We'll meet Michigan's new Poet Laureate.

And we'll share some of the arts and culture activities taking place in Metro Detroit this weekend.

But first up, April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Detroit Jazz Festival recently announced its 2025 lineup, and welcomed this year's Artist-in-Residence, pianist and composer, Jason Moran.

The preview event took place on the Wayne State University campus, where Moran held the workshop for music students.

"One Detroit" contributor, John Penney, of 90.9 WRCJ, sat down with Moran to talk about his advice for aspiring musicians and his plans for the Detroit Jazz Festival.

(jazz music) - [Jason] What's happening on the bass?

- Yeah.

- Oh.

(musician speaks indistinctly) - Yeah, it's like a- - Make that sound now.

- Okay.

- [Jason] Yeah.

(jazz music continues) - I'm here this afternoon with the Artist-in-Residence for the 46th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival, Jason Moran.

- It's a pleasure and honor to be back in this city, and also to be here to share more music with this city.

So, I'm completely honored.

- Well, talk a little bit about what this city means to you, and what the festival means to you.

- I grew up in Houston, Texas.

And when I was in high school, I went to a performing visual arts high school, and there was a band of students who came from the New School in New York City to try to recruit people.

- Yeah.

- And in this band, was a young piano player, named Carlos McKinney.

And Carlos McKinney is of the famous, what I learned, famous McKinney family of musicians.

And I remember meeting him and being like, "Oh my god, who was that?"

And it was something about meeting a musician from Detroit.

He was like the first musician I met from Detroit.

And then, every musician I met from Detroit, they told me they were from Detroit.

And you heard it in the way they sound.

You heard it in the way they talked.

And you heard it in the way they played.

And so, I know this city creates such an environment that it sprouts all these musicians, all these really creative thinkers, who think about history, they think about progress, and they make it.

So, when I come back here, I feel like I'm playing to the community that creates these great musicians.

And it's always an honor to be in front of a Detroit audience.

- So, really, when you say that you can "hear Detroit" when you're listening to these Detroit musicians, what exactly are you hearing?

- You know, like, let's say a certain bounce.

(laughs) There's a certain bounce that Motown has.

There's a certain bounce that techno has.

There's a certain bounce that Geri Allen had when she sat at the piano.

- Yes.

- Right?

The bounce is like inherent to the nature.

And every city has a different lean on the bounce, you know?

And, it's a texture of the rhythm.

And when I think about the saxophone players, I'm thinking like James Carter and JD Allen, like, they play with such broad tone, you know?

And also, broad spectrum about what they think music is, too.

And so, this is an open city, you know?

It's an open city.

Is it a metaphor that it sits at the border, you know?

Like, it sits on the water, you know?

There's so much about the fabric of this city that gets met in these musicians.

But that bounce is one thing that I always kind of love.

And of course, I couldn't come to Detroit without saying J Dilla and what he meant to kinda revolutionizing the feel of a rhythm.

And it's a thing that has impacted the world.

(Jazz music concluding) Right, okay, good.

For me, sometimes, when I hear like sections like that, then just as an experiment for me in my process, I want to hear what happens when we leave the logic of like, harmony having its own momentum.

What if we disrupt that logic?

It's important to test, just to make sure that you're kinda out here feeling the music and learning it in a way that you also know that you can adapt it, right?

Like, you all should all have different versions of the way you hear this song, and say, "Oh, if I was gonna do this song, I'd try it like this."

- And you made a very clear point of it during the workshop today about listening to music.

And almost all of the great musicians who I've talked to over the years say the most important lesson you learn in schools, everybody wants to be a soloist and be out front, but the most important thing you have to learn is when to lay out.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - And when to listen.

- Yeah.

Yeah, it's a practice, as we say.

It's a practice.

If you wanna know what you sound like, you gotta record yourself.

You gotta spend time and listen back to it.

You gotta critique yourself.

The reason it came up is we were talking about guitar stuff.

And I asked him if he recorded his solos, 'cause I thought they were great.

But he would hear some things.

It's a thing we do.

We're here to study music, not play it.

We're here to study it.

And we're trying to study intuition.

That's not written anywhere.

That like comes from you all.

These decisions you make in the moment, they happen like (snapping).

That's your mind working.

- So, I gotta ask you about the workshop that you just did with Wayne State Kids today.

You're a renowned educator.

When come to a workshop like that, how do you approach it?

And what do you hope that those kids take away?

- I want students to know about flexibility.

I think, you know, we're studying this music because there's a certain inherent nature that allows you to be flexible, to be responsive, and to respond, and act, you know?

To take something in, digest it, respond.

And then, the quicker that gets, I wouldn't say "the better you get."

(chuckles) But at least you get that practice in.

And so, sometimes, with a ensemble like this, which is working in a big band environment, it can get very into habit.

And so, I wanna make sure that they notice their habits, that they listen to them, but they're able to adjust them, too.

And that adjustment is kinda like, it's actually what you get hired for.

It's in our attitude.

It's what do we think is fresh, you know?

How do we try to make sure that we keep it fresh?

I still feel like the way the backgrounds come, they sound like a broken record after three times of hearing the backgrounds come in behind every solo.

I don't think they should be behind every solo.

I think one solo should be with, I actually think one solo should be a totally new form.

The second solo should be on a new form.

- So as the Artist-in-Residence this year, what are you bringing to the festival?

- I'm excited because a few things I feel like, I kinda know I wanna bring my friends back, who I've come here frequently with.

Nasheet Waits, the great drummer, and Taurus Mateen, the great bassist.

They have been my Bandwagon band for now 26 or 27 years.

And we're bringing along with the Bandwagon, Meshell Ndegeocello, the great singer and bassist, along with Akili Bradley, a young trumpeter, and she's from Monterey, California, who's been playing with the Bandwagon recently.

So we're bringing that ensemble, which is quite exciting.

- That's very exciting.

- The second is a group dedicated to Duke Ellington's big band music.

And I've spent the past year traveling a Duke Ellington show around the world, pivoting between sometimes solo, sometimes big band show.

But the big band shows allow me to meet musicians who are local.

And so, I'm playing this show with people who are here in the city.

And like, I get to meet 17 new people and play with them.

And pull Duke's music forward, and learn how to play it together.

And then, we will present that.

That's gonna be a nice little fun night.

And I'd say the third event is a tribute to techno music of Detroit.

And I've invited the great musician and techno artist, Jeff Mills, to do a duet with me.

And Jeff Mills has worked with many improvisers.

He has a certain kinda sensitivity in making music on the spot.

And I saw him perform in France maybe 10 years ago.

And I've been stuck with how he makes sound.

And to join our duet is the great poet, Jessica Care More.

- Oh wow.

- And so, we will be three JMs: Jason Moran, Jeff Mills, and Jessica Care More.

(chuckles) - Oh, that's awesome!

- Presenting a trio.

And so, I'm excited about that, because that will be brand new for me.

(drum fill) (music concludes) - [Announcer] April is also Arab American Heritage Month, and the Detroit area has long been a destination for Arab Americans seeking new opportunities.

"One Detroit" producer, Sarah Zientarski, visited the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn to learn more about the history and legacy of the local Arab American community from the curator of education, David Serio.

- The spot to go.

(gentle piano music) At the Arab American National Museum, we focus on different time periods of Arab immigration to the US, dating back to the 1880s.

And the reason a lot of folks initially came to the metro Detroit area was really because of jobs.

Money and economics really drives everything.

A lot of the early immigrants that came to the US were mostly Lebanese and Syrian, mostly Christians, and mostly men, although not exclusively.

You do have some folks coming from like Egypt, and Yemen, and Morocco, and many other places.

One of the big reasons is a lot of missionaries from the US were going over to this part of the world, and they were interacting with these Christians, and they were saying, "Hey, fellow Christians, why don't you guys come to the US," where, you know, really selling the American dream of money growing on trees.

And that was kinda that direct connection, which is why you see larger Christian populations, because they were kind of enticed or sold on that.

The reason that a lot of folks immigrated, specifically to Dearborn, was the automotive industry.

Like, following wherever Ford would open up a factory.

And so, you have folks that would settle in Highland Park.

And then, when he would open up another factory in River Rouge or in Dearborn, the community would kind of pick up and go there.

And so, really, it's just kinda the same story of the automotive factory opening up in Dearborn and people staying.

Ford actually sent people to recruit the Arab, and Arab American community, to work in the auto industry.

Henry Ford actually sent people to some of these countries, like Yemen, Lebanon.

And these workers from Ford would knock on these doors and say, "Hey guys, why don't you come to America?"

There's, you know, again, here are these selling points.

"We can get you a great paying job.

You can make a lot of money."

These Arab immigrants kind of dove in, and became a part of American society, and contributed massively to, again, the economic force in this region, setting up restaurants and shops.

What's interesting, too, is if you look at like the history of Dearborn, in the '50s, '60s, '70s, kind of around that time, the city was not as economically robust as it is today.

And then, Arab folks started coming in and buying up some of the shops, and opening up more restaurants, and more stores, and clothing stores.

And that really revitalized Dearborn to what it is today.

The neighborhood here, I think, was very comforting for a lot of Arab immigrants.

You know, you go where you know people, right?

And this is again, a story that a lot of other communities can relate to, definitely.

But you go where you know people, you go where you have family, right?

So, if I have the choice to go somewhere, I'm gonna go where I already have a community that's set up, where I know family members, friends.

Or even if I don't know anybody, I can still feel the comfort of home by shopping at all the Arabic stores, going to Arabic restaurants, suites, religious institutions, and even people that just speak Arabic can be very, very comforting.

So, that's why Dearborn has continued to grow as this like vibrant Arab American community.

I love when people reference Dearborn as like the spot to go.

For me, it creates a lot of pride.

There's all these stereotypes that exist, but so, when people are coming to our city, coming to the Arab American National Museum, engaging with the restaurant scene, the coffee scene has exploded in the best possible way, it makes me feel really proud that like our community is able to offer something that's connected to our culture and heritage, but then also share those gifts with the rest of our community.

So, our family came from Lebanon to Michigan in the 1910s.

We came in the first time period of immigration, and we came directly to Michigan.

And one of the reasons we came here is because we had family already in the area.

My great-grandfather came over and settled right in Michigan.

He was actually looking for his mother, who had left like years ahead of time.

And eventually, they were able to be reunited.

But yeah, they came right to Michigan, and like fully immersed themselves into the community.

My family never ended up coming to Dearborn.

My family ended up going to, in Detroit, kind of on the east side of Detroit.

And then, eventually kind of made their way north into like Macomb County.

And we found a bunch of other Lebanese Christians that were kind of in the Detroit area.

We kind of like meshed with them, I guess.

And so, we stayed more on the east side of Detroit.

My great-grandpa, initially, came to Michigan.

He found work as a gardener.

And back home in Lebanon, our family were kind of gardeners, farmers.

And so, that was something that he knew.

And even though he wasn't like fluent in English, it was a very easy thing, 'cause he knew that from back home.

There were also some other Lebanese family members of mine who had their own like little markets out of their own home.

And so, like even generation to generation, this idea of like entrepreneurship, and being within the community and providing services, is very much a part of our family story.

My dad was a teacher for a little while.

And then, also ended up being, you know, working for like, just different companies, and kind of like a traveling salesman, if you will.

And then, my mom ended up working for like, in the legal field.

My grandpa really kept up the tradition of, you know, being proud of his Arab American roots, just simply by like, anytime we would have get-togethers as a family, we would have a lot of Arabic food.

There's a dish in Lebanese cuisine, called kibbeh nayeh.

It's like a raw lamb dish.

And my grandfather would always, he would teach some of my male cousins how to make the kibbeh, 'cause it takes a lot of strength, and work, and all that.

And so, I remember him like passing that recipe down to like all of my cousins.

When certain things happened, like 9-11, for example, when certain things happened, I received a lot of stereotypes.

And I didn't understand where they came from.

And I didn't understand why people were saying certain things.

My grandpa was like, "Let me tell you more about our history.

And let me tell you more about who we are, as, you know, Arab Americans."

And he kind of undid a lot of the stereotypes that people were trying to stick on me, and, instead, replaced it with pride.

And so, that's really how I found my path into education, and just finding myself at the Arab American National Museum, because I think it's so, so important to educate the public, dispel stereotypes, and, for a lot of Arab American kids, instill pride in them.

The museum also has a lot of really rich oral history collections.

- [Sarah] Hi, my name is Sarah Abuharaz, and I'm currently a student at Hofstra University.

And I'm going to be telling you the story of my parents' immigration to the United States.

- My favorite oral histories that we've collected is something as part of our digital scrapbook piece.

So, it's an oral history, but it's overlaid with photos.

So, the idea is that people would scan their photos, and then, that family member would kind of narrate what they're seeing and their journey here.

My family did it, actually.

My aunt did it.

She took a bunch of photos, and was telling the story about how our family came to Dearborn, and all that.

(piano music) - [Antoinette] My grandfather, William R. George, immigrated to the USA in 1914 from Baalbek, Becca Valley in Lebanon.

The story goes, as he told it, he got his first job when knocking on the mayor of Detroit's office door, demanding a job in his broken English.

The mayor gave him a job sweeping the streets of Detroit with a broom.

Of course, in those days, there weren't any cars; it was a lot of horses.

So, there was plenty of work.

- Even though my experience is very different from somebody whose family immigrated five years ago, there's still that similarity, there's still that commonality.

And to be a part of that really beautiful tapestry is, it's just a big honor, it's really cool.

(piano music concludes) - [Announcer] April is National Poetry month, and Michigan has a new poet laureate to help promote the importance of poetry throughout the state.

Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd is an award-winning author and a retired professor of African American Studies at Wayne State University.

"American Black Journal" host, and "One Detroit" contributor, Stephen Henderson, spoke with Dr. Boyd about her role as the state's third poet laureate.

(airy music) - [Stephen] Let's start by talking about what a poet laureate is, and what that person does.

- Oh, well, let put it like this.

My job is poetry.

- Yeah, right.

- So.

(Stephen laughs) - [Stephen] And to get people to love poetry.

- Exactly.

- Yeah.

- But the point being to, obviously, do poetry readings, workshops with, you know, with students.

All age levels.

To go into libraries in the state, and do readings for the communities.

And to be available, I think, and excited about the opportunity to promote poetry, especially, in a time where there's less reading, and probably, less reflecting, the very thing that poetry will encourage, and also develop.

- Yeah.

- Hopefully, in our young people.

- Yeah.

I mean, you've been doing this for a long time.

And in addition to teaching at Wayne, and in the African American Studies Department.

I wonder what you make of the place that poetry has in our culture right now.

It does seem more difficult to get people engaged, I think, with poetry, than maybe at other periods.

But I wonder what it looks like from your chair.

- Well, actually, I find that, well, poetry is very important to culture, for sure.

It is the, probably the most artistic of all of the, shall we say, verbal forms of artistic expression.

But like the late Naomi Law Magic said, "It's probably the most underappreciated of all the art forms."

- Yeah.

- But I find, at the same time, that people enjoy it.

They respond to it.

Because it is, generally, pretty intense.

At least, the poetry I write is pretty intense.

(chuckles) - [Stephen] Yeah.

- But I think it's important to encourage, not just, necessarily, that people become poets, but that they view poetry as a resource to stimulate both creative and critical thinking about the world we live in.

And have lived in.

- That intensity that you mentioned, talk about where that comes from, and what you intend for the reader to draw from that intensity.

- Well, there's a passion, hopefully, when people are writing poetry.

I tend to be motivated by people that I know, people that I have encountered both, you know, in real life, and also in literature.

I'm very much influenced by other American poets, particularly African American poets.

They've had a very strong impact on me.

The intensity comes from the form, itself.

That you've got to say a lot more in fewer words - [Stephen] In a very little space, (laughing) right.

- than if you were, you know, doing writing in prose.

And I do write literary history, and essays, and so forth.

But the intensity, I think, is also the delivery.

It's not just the imagery, it's also the sound.

- [Stephen] Yeah.

- Very much like music.

- Quality writing and storytelling in other forms also seems to borrow from poetry, in terms of structure, rhythm, sound.

I think most writers pay attention to those things when they're writing.

And they're getting it, though, from poetry, whether they might, you know, acknowledge that or not.

- Well, certainly, even when you're writing prose, you want it to have a rhythmic structure.

- [Stephen] Yeah, yeah.

- So that you, in effect, capture your audience, and engage them in a manner, sometimes subconsciously.

And using rhyme, slant rhyme, in order to emphasize a point.

Even when I'm writing prose, if the rhythm's not right, I'm like, "Oh no, do, you know, you gotta edit this.

This is not working."

But yes, but I also feel that, as a poet, I'm very much influenced by other art forms.

- Yeah.

- Certainly, music.

As well as visual arts.

I've written poems in response to artists' work.

So it's, for me, important to be actively engaged in the broader artistic community, because it keeps you sharp, it keeps you growing.

And also, when you're writing about art, you can't let it fall flat, right?

So, it's, you know, it's very important, I think, to do that.

- [Announcer] The arts are well represented this weekend in Metro Detroit.

From music and dance to art and theater, there are lots of events to choose from.

Haley Taylor from 90.9 WRCJ has today's "One Detroit Weekend."

- Hey there!

I'm Haley Taylor from 90.9 WRCJ.

Here are some events for you to enjoy this weekend and beyond.

Now through April 26th, the Corktown Music Festival is taking place in 9 venues in the neighborhood.

The performances will showcase many musical genres, including punk, folk, country, and a lot of rock.

On April 25th, the Farmington players start their production of "Sister Act" at the Barn Theater.

The musical comedy, based on the film, runs through May 18th.

Looking for some art?

Then look amongst the trees in Palmer Park, on Sunday, April 27th, where "Art in the Trees" is taking place.

Artists will bring their creations, and music will play during this one-day event.

Another event taking place in nature, April 27th, is "Whimsical Woodlands" at the Johnson Nature Center.

Wander through the trails of the Forest Ferry village.

Enjoy adventurous activities, face painting, crafts, and delicious treats.

Also, April 27th, the Livingston County Concert Band invites you to dance the night away at an evening of music at the Rod Bushey Performing Arts Center, located within Howell High School.

And there's always so many fun things to do in the area.

Stay tuned and see a few more options.

Have a wonderful weekend!

(airy music) - [Announcer] The funeral for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26th in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.

The pontiff passed away earlier this week at the age of 88.

A special program, titled "In Their Own Words" airs Saturday at 5:00 PM on Detroit PBS.

The program examines the Pope's journey to the highest office in the Catholic Church.

- [Pope Francis] Now is the time.

- [Announcer] That'll do it for this week's "One Detroit."

Thanks for watching.

Head to the "One Detroit" website for all the stories we're working on.

Follow us on social media, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

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Masco, serving Michigan communities since 1929.

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- [Announcer] DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

Among the state's largest foundations committed to Michigan-focused giving, we support organizations that are doing exceptional work in our state.

Learn more at DTEFoundation.com.

- [Announcer] Nissan Foundation.

And viewers like you.

(airy music) (piano notes)