11th annual JAMM tribute concert hits UrbanBeat

The Jazz Alliance of Mid-Michigan will pay tribute to Mike Stratton for his 20-plus-year career cultivating Michigan’s jazz scene. 

Since 1997, Stratton has been the volunteer producer and host of WLNZ’s “Vinyl Side of Midnight,” a weekly radio special and one of the longest running jazz programs in Michigan. As a DJ he pays homage to the big cats such as Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Billie Holiday while opening audiences’ ears to current acts like Dianna Krall and Dave Douglas, according to Stratton’s website. 

Stratton’s presence in the scene has extended past the airwaves and taken him to jazz festivals  across Michigan as an emcee. He’s addressed audiences at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts through several lectures over the years. 

A local pioneer in communication arts, in 2014, Stratton led an informal series of museum tours at the Broad Art Museum, fusing jazz improvisation, dreams, creativity and healing as a basis for guiding guests through contemporary art exhibits.

The tribute show will include performances by Rodney Whitaker, Betty Joplin, Randy Gelispie, Jeff Shoup and other local hot shots Stratton interviewed on his radio show. 

The JAMM Scholarship Band will be under the direction of Doug Fritch, which will share the line up with Jim Alfredson, Gene Rebeck, Sunny Wilkinson, Ron Newman, Betty Baxter, Jeff Kressler, and more. Student tickets available at the door for $5. Advanced tickets can be found at jazzjamm.com.

JAMM

Sunday, Nov. 10, 2-5 p.m.

$20 general admission, member $15,

UrbanBeat Event Center,

1213 Turner Road, Lansing

(517) 331-8440