Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble

Don Was is one of the great musical connectors and enthusiasts of the last half-century. He first emerged from Detroit in the early ‘80s, his band Was (Not Was) bridging the city’s funk and soul past to radio’s sleek pop present. But it soon became clear that Was—nicknamed “The Mr. Fixit of Pop” by The New York Times—was bound to be more than a band member and bassist. He produced a string of records by some of the world’s biggest acts, from The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to Elton John and Bonnie Raitt. In 2011, he was charged with the enormous if enviable task of revitalizing Blue Note Records, of bringing it back from the brink of artistic bankruptcy. He has done exactly that for the last 15 years.

Was has finally returned to band life with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble, an uproarious and subversive nonet that throws a party by bending songs from the American songbook, like Hank Williams’ “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time,” to their enthusiastic will. When the great trumpeter Terence Blanchard asked Was if he might like to lead a night of local jazz musicians alongside the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Was agreed before realizing he needed a band and tunes. Building a cavalcade of horns, percussion, and keys, all fronted by the firebrand singer Steffanie Christi’an, Was had such a good time that he continued the project. The Pan-Detroit Ensemble cut 2025’s Groove in the Face of Adversity as a testament to their hometown’s unwavering resilience. It is a riotously fun record and a perfect postcard for what they do live: throw down, right out loud.