Ron Brooks Quintet

Ron Brooks has been a major presence and influence in the Detroit jazz community since the 1960s. He played bass alongside piano greats like Bob James and Stanley Cowell, was part of the Contemporary Jazz Quintet recording for Blue Note Records, and co-founded the 1970s group Mixed Bag. He opened the Bird of Paradise jazz club in Ann Arbor in 1985, anchoring the jazz scene there for over two decades, and founded the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association. The association even named an award after him recognizing key contributors to Detroit jazz. At the Blue LLama Jazz Club, Brooks delivered two sets to the audience on this special night.