Detroit closes out Black History Month by honoring iconic legends of jazz and blues

Voices honoring female jazz and blues legends Billie Holiday, Phyllis Hyman, Nancy Wilson and Bessie Smith drifted through Aretha’s Jazz Café, in Detroit’s Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, on Monday, transporting guests to another time.

Adorned with feathered headpieces, strings of pearls, bright lipstick and custom-made wigs and satin dresses, flecked with jewels and gems, Detroit’s finest jazz vocalists — including Veronique Musique as Nancy Wilson, Lady Vonne as Phyllis Hyman, Thornetta Davis as Bessie Smith, and Sky Covington as Billie Holiday — celebrated the jazz and blues icons onstage, performing in Covington’s “Satin Doll Revue” to close out Black History Month in style and grace.

“It’s very important to me that we keep jazz alive, because to me, it’s the only music that has kept a pure reputation,” said Covington, the 53-year-old vocalist and founder of the “Satin Doll Revue,” which is in its seventh and final year. Covington has been performing at Aretha’s Jazz Café and other venues across the city for over 20 years and recently gained a residency at the cafe and produces a Preservation of Jazz Monday night music series called “Tributes” honoring jazz icons.

“We’re a part of a movement here in Detroit and part of the Black history in Detroit,” Covington said. “It makes me feel proud and it inspires me to want to do better for the community.”

Backstage in the dressing room, laughter and conversation flowed as singers applied eyeliner, adjusted wigs, chatted about their children and grandchildren, and exchanged words of encouragement while helping each other zip into their dresses before the show.

The show opened with a tribute to the history and impact of jazz from Lucretia Sain, who had donned a white gown and feathered headpiece embodying Lottie “The Body” Tatum-Graves-Claiborne. The tribute carried on throughout the night through local host and comedian Mike Bonner. Stories of grief, love, heartbreak and loss echoed through the venue, bouncing off its wooden walls lined with Aretha Franklin memorabilia and framed black and white portraits of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Ray Charles.

Thornetta Davis, the 61-year-old singer-songwriter known as “Detroit’s Queen of the Blues” and a 10-time Blues Music Award nominee, brought Bessie Smith, a Blues singer from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s, back to life onstage.

“Blues is … I call it the first American music. It’s my heritage,” Davis said. “And I would like to pass it onto the other generations and let them know, keep this alive. Because you cannot kill the roots.”

Lady Vonne, a native Detroiter and well-known jazz singer in the city, honored the late Phyllis Hyman through her enchanting, timeless vocals with emotional renditions of “Why Not Me” and “Living All Alone” that elicited a standing ovation.

“Her music tells the story of me and so many others,” Vonne said.

Billie Holiday’s spirit holds a special place in Covington’s heart, inspiring her to embody Holiday, as a performer, for years. “What I fell in love with Billie is that she gave everything to sing a song — that was what her gift was … that was what her destiny was.”

The backing band, featuring Gerard Gibbs on piano, Ibrahim Jones on bass and Terrance Neal on drums, kept the energy flowing and enhanced the performances throughout the night, evoking a sense of Black pride, joy and community in the crowd of Detroiters in attendance.

Darlene Calloway, 68, a lifelong Detroiter and singer herself, closed her eyes reverently as she swayed to Covington’s interpretation of Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and cheered and clapped with her friends to the vibrant lyrics of Smith’s “Send Me To the ‘Lectric Chair,” as it was embodied by Thornetta Davis.

“To have these ladies’ lives articulated like this is beautiful,” Calloway said. “They need to be glorified for what they went through in the past, and it’s amazing to see it brought to life.”

For the performers, the opportunity to join together and express their appreciation and love for jazz while performing in such a historic venue creates a strong sense of community.

“There’s a true sisterhood, a love for each other, and we support one another, which makes it that much better,” said Veronique Musique, 56, a jazz vocalist and keyboardist who describes music as her first love and gave an energetic rendition of “Save Your Love for Me” as Nancy Wilson.

“More than the actual performance, the camaraderie, the togetherness when we come together is the energy that I enjoy,” she added.

Friends, family and strangers embraced and congratulated the performers at the end of their performances. Singers and band members scooped out bowls of homemade cabbage soup that Covington had cooked up for the crew, which she often does before heading out for the night.

“I just feel blessed to be able to wake up and do this,” Davis said. “I’ve had people tell me I’ve lifted their spirits when they weren’t feeling right, and that’s what I’m here to do. And pass on the legacy, too.”

Though the “Satin Doll Revue” will soon come to a close, its impact is felt by the city’s jazz community and performers.

“It’s been a delight to sing with them. Everybody brings it to life, and it’s just an amazing, revealing show,” Lady Vonne said. “I’m so grateful that Sky is preserving jazz so that those that are coming along get to appreciate the music.”

“I’m happy and I’m grateful for this show,” Covington said, her eyes shining with tears at the end of the night. “I wanna love my people.”

Sylvia Jarrus is a photojournalist based in Detroit, Mich. You can see more of Sylvia’s work on her website, SylviaJarrus.com, or on Instagram, at @sylviajarrusphoto.