‘The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit’ screening

Based on the award-winning book by former Detroit Free Press writer Mark Stryker, “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit” proves conclusively that you can’t tell the story of jazz without telling the story of jazz from the Motor City. The lively, probing documentary searches for the elusive alchemy by which Detroit’s brilliant jazz musicians have distilled the struggles and triumphs of the city’s industrial, political and cultural life into an astonishing variety of musical forms and styles. From legends like Elvin Jones, Yusef Lateef and Ron Carter to contemporary creative forces like Karriem Riggins, Regina Carter and Kenny Garrett, Detroit has turned out jazz musicians as if from an assembly line, bearing out the words of Michigan State University’s own jazz studies director, Rodney Whitaker: “We make cars, and we make jazz musicians.” Is Whitaker in the film? Need you ask? “Jazz From Detroit” has been shown at festivals across North America and Europe, winning awards and garnering rave critical reviews. Stryker will be on hand at a screening Friday in East Lansing to introduce the film and answer audience questions. Tickets are $10 for students and $25 for general admission. Proceeds will support East Lansing’s annual Summer Solstice Jazz Festival.