Karriem Riggins named 2023 Detroit Jazz Festival artist-in-residence

The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation on Tuesday morning announced Detroit native Karriem Riggins as its artist-in-residence for the 2023 event, to be held in downtown Detroit on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-4.

Riggins, a renowned jazz musician, drummer, producer, DJ and Emmy winner, will spend the year supporting jazz festival educational initiatives for students and community engagement activities throughout the year. He will also lead multiple performances of diverse style and sound during the festival on Labor Day weekend. In the nearer future, he’ll host a master class for university and high school students at Wayne State University on April 11 and perform during the following day’s festival preview event, which will also be livestreamed for free at detroitjazzfest.org.

Growing up in Southfield, Riggins was surrounded by jazz; his father, Emmanuel Riggins, played with greats like guitarist Grant Green and Detroit’s own Marcus Belgrave, who would become a mentor to the younger Riggins. By age 20, he was recording with pianist Mulgrew Miller as part of his trio, then logged years with trumpeter Roy Hargrove and bassist Ray Brown. He became close friends with influential Detroit hip-hop producer J Dilla and appeared on his albums, "Welcome 2 Detroit" and "The Shining."

One of the most versatile and innovative forces in modern-day jazz, Riggins has worked alongside some of the biggest names in jazz, hip-hop and beyond, during his two-decade career. In the jazz realm, he's worked with names like Diana Krall, Milt Jackson, Norah Jones, Donald Byrd, Hank Jones, Esperanza Spalding and Cedar Walton.

Outside of jazz, he's done several albums with rapper Common, singer/songwriter Erykah Badu, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and his band The Roots, Detroit singer Dwele, hip-hop producer Madlib and the J Dilla-led group Slum Village. He also found time to appear on Paul McCartney's 2012 album "Kisses on the Bottom."

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“I grew up listening to all types of music,” Riggins said, “from classical to of course jazz, and Afro-Cuban, rock, R&B. These are all the things that I love, so these are the things that I practiced growing up, and I practiced writing and rhythms. (The festival designation) gives me the opportunity to present the music that’s been a part of my soul since I was 4 years old. So, you’ll hear hip-hop, you’ll hear R&B. You’ll hear pretty much everything that I listen to.

“I think music should not have boundaries. Personally, I think when you start to have boundaries is when you hold back the progression of where it can go, in terms of being innovative. There’s no way to be innovative by having boundaries. There are a lot of people now who are open to the idea of blending not only hip-hop, but so many other genres into one and making something that’s special and new.”

Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, said Riggins represents a new generation of jazz leadership "and jazz’s continuous evolution that makes this genre of music so special and eternal."

“His artistry, energy, transcending jazz style and presence will create an exciting showcase of talent and diverse tapestry coming from the festival stages," Collins said.

Following the preview performance in April, Riggins will tour Europe with Krall. He’s also producing for a number of artists, including a recent release by Def Jam Records artist Maxo, and has a few projects slated to drop in the near future.

“I’m very, very extremely honored,” he said of the DJFF designation. “I feel like just being in this position is a blessing, so I want to be able to spread out through the music and present it to my city, Detroit, which I love.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Jazz Festival names Karriem Riggins 2023 artist-in-residence