This year’s Concert of Colors will pay tribute to “The Scene,” the televised Detroit dance show that caused a scene in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as to event founder Ismael Ahmed, who died Jan. 31 at age 78.
The Larry Gabriel Brass Band will lead “Celebrating Ish,” a public procession and tribute to Ahmed, July 18 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It will be part of this year’s 5-day Concert of Colors celebration, which kicks off July 15 and runs through July 19.
Sheila E, Kronos Quartet and Steel Pulse are among the performers slated for this year’s lineup.
Don Was and his Detroit All Star Revue will honor the legacy of “The Scene,” the local “Soul Train”-like show which aired on WGPR-TV from 1975-1987.
Was will drive “A Salute to The Scene” July 18 at the Detroit Film Theater. It will feature guest hosts Ann Delisi and Nat Morris, and featured performers include Stephanie Christi’an, Carol Hall, Herschel Boone, Mike Ellison, Isis, Sir Harry Bowens, Donald Ray Mitchell, Felix Morris, Phayme and Carson Mac. Dave McMurray, Luis Resto, Jeff Canady, Wayne Gerard, Mahindi Masai, Prof. Vincent Chandler, John Douglas and Brian Roscoe will act as the house band.
Also on the docket at the festival are Miles From India, a musical tribute to Miles Davis through the lens of classical Indian music; as well as performances by Burnt Sugar Arkestra, Dengue Fever, Hassan Hakmoun, Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder, Kasan Belgrave, the New Generation Funk Brothers and more.
Concert of Colors was founded by Ahmed in 1993 as a celebration of global music. The free festival features concerts, workshops and forums focused on diversity and community.
Concert of Colors will be held across 10 venues in Detroit and Hamtramck. A full schedule can be viewed here.
agraham@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Concert of Colors to pay tribute to founder Ismael Ahmed, ‘The Scene’
Reporting by Adam Graham, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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