As I headed out to hear some music last weekend, the many closed down industrial plants scattered everywhere saddened me. On top of that, at dinner, there was a televised auction of thousands of homes in the area that had been foreclosed upon. So many families have suffered through this economic upheaval. No, I wasn’t in Chattanooga - I was in Detroit for the International Jazz Festival. Times are tough up there. My wife’s daughter told us of one community in Detroit of 10,000 households, about the size of Red Bank or East Ridge, that had over 4,000 foreclosures. That’s horrible. I was glad to see that Detroit’s International Jazz Festival brought together a community for a few nights and helped them forget their woes, albeit for even a little while.

While Detroit may not be on everyone’s vacation destination hot-list, I had fun. The Detroit metro area is actually a lot like Chattanooga. They have a river going through downtown, have made over the downtown area and riverfront, and have nice people that live there, working and playing just like us. They just fell victim to having all their eggs in one basket; manufacturing, especially the auto industry, drives the economy of Detroit. When it caved in, the town went with it.

I am very excited about the new VW plant coming to Chattanooga; don’t get me wrong. But, we have tourism and the insurance industry in our economic basket, so if one fails, the city won’t collapse. That’s the way it needs to be. Now, we have a VW plant coming, but let's keep on adding to other sectors, as well.

Let’s get back to the Jazz Festival. Detroit has been hosting this festival for 29 years. It’s similar to our Riverbend, but it focuses on Jazz and Blues. It’s a four-day festival, with six stages located right in the middle of downtown. They block off the streets, like we do for nightfall. They didn’t have the big crowds like Riverbend, but there were thousands in attendance. From what I saw, everyone behaved and had a good time. I read some of the opinion columns in the local papers, and they even have the same complaints we do. Too much traffic, the music isn’t good enough, it’s too loud, too crowded, the cops were too mean, the cops were too nice, the vendors were too expensive, they don’t allow dogs, they do allow dogs, and the like. And, like Riverbend, most of the complaints came from people that don’t even attend, or hadn’t attended in 15 years because someone stepped on their toes in the crowd in 1992. At least they couldn’t say it was too expensive, as the Detroit Jazz Festival was $28 less than Riverbend, which makes it free.

I heard some great music. Trombone Shorty, a Riverbend favorite for 2008, was there. A band called Bugs Beddow was great. They even had the legendary Count Basie Orchestra there. I looked for Thibadeaux’s Chicken On A Stick, but didn’t find them among the hundreds of tents set up by vendors. It was a fun time, and I am glad we went.

Live! In Chattanooga

Thursday, September 4

T-Bones – Pee Wee Moore

The Palms at Hamilton – Bud Lightning Acoustic Group

Midtown Music Hall – Channing Wilson

Rhythm & Brews – Life & Times of Norman Blake

JJ’S Bohemia – Leticia Wolf

Buds – Channing Wilson

WAWL 91.5 Radio – Chattanooga Live, with host Bob Payne at 6 p.m.

Friday, September 5

Nightfall – Blue Mountain, Uncle Lightnin’

Rhythm & Brews – Breakfast Club

Blue Orleans Creole Rest on Amnicola – Matt Turnure Trio

Table 2 – Live Jazz by the Ben Friberg Trio

Blue Orleans Downtown – David Anthony Blues

T-Bones – Black Rose

Midtown Music Hall – Crawfish Gordon

JJ’S Bohemia – The Nobility, Uncle Lightnin’

Club Fathom – Hard Hippie Project (CD Release Party)

Buds – Jumbo Deluxe

Blues Train Café Dalton – Tommy Crain and the Crosstown AllStars

Saturday, September 6

Riverfront Nights – Carolina Rain, Cornmeal

Dalton Depot – Bud Lightning

Blues Train Café Dalton – Buckner Bros.

Blue Orleans Creole Rest on Amnicola – Robin & Donnie

Rhythm & Brews – Five 2 One (Doors tribute band), One Shot Down

Midtown Music Hall – 17th Sun, Unsatisfied

Charles & Myrtles Coffeehouse – The Starlings

Snow Hill Jamboree - corner of Snow Hill Road and Mahan Gap Road in Ooltewah from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bluegrass jam sponsored by Hwy 58 Fire Department. For info contact wilson_gerald@bellsouth.net or jerry50sdj@bellsouth.net. No charge for admission.

Sunday, September 7

Chattanooga Market – 12:30 p.m. Miche Fambro, The Starlings

Monday, September 8

Rhythm & Brews – Monday Night Big Band

Tuesday, September 9

Rhythm & Brews – Tift Merritt, with Matthew Ryan

Table 2 – Live Jazz by the Ben Friberg Trio

Wednesday, September 10

Midtown Music Hall – The Mighty Sideshow

Market Street Tavern – Live Jazz by the Ben Friberg Trio

Blue Orleans Downtown – Roddy Noll Jazz Trio

Info on the upcoming Chattahippie Music Festival can be found at click here.

Tickets to The John Hiatt Concert at the Tivoli are on sale at click here.

Info on the Pirates of the Caribbean Island Benefit Party at Island Cove Marina on September 13, 2008 can be obtained by at info@caribbean-sea.org. The Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance (Caribbean SEA) is teaming up with the River City Parrothead Club to put on the event, which is to raise money and awareness for Caribbean SEA's projects as well as also benefiting the Alzheimer's Foundation, the Humane Society, and the Community Kitchen. Live music will be provided from Jeff Pike and The A1A Band from Atlanta and K.D. Moore and Greg "Fingers" Taylor from the original Jimmy Buffett band.

To have your venue’s live event listed, just email us at davrik@aol.com