About Us

Opened in 2006 as the Jazz Café, the space was re-christened in 2019 as ‘Aretha’s Jazz Café’ – honoring the Queen of Soul’s wish for a central downtown venue that bears her name, and carries on her legacy of commitment to up-and-coming Detroit talent.

The Café offers Detroiters and visitors alike a steady yet very diverse sampling of the sounds and the vibes that make Detroit a global music city. It’s a space for jazz but also for blues, soul, and rock ‘n roll. Poetry, hip-hop, and funk co-exist with periodic theatre, musical theater, and dance performances. Local artists have always been (and will continue to be) the primary focus.

Known in its early years as the city’s ‘best-kept secret’, the Café’s presence in the downtown scene has grown exponentially, yet it remains one of the best places in town to ‘practice your cool’. Its opening benefited from excellent timing, coinciding with the early wave of Detroit’s revitalization. Fifteen years on, that promise continues to be fulfilled, developing and evolving in rhythm with the city’s renaissance. Our base is and has always been the African-American majority population that calls Detroit home. Within that framework, there is a dazzling mix of cultural influences that mix and mingle in the venue, juxtaposing and erasing boundaries. The venue is open 5-7 nights a week with full restaurant and bar service.

Aretha’s Jazz Café is key to Music Hall’s community impact – as directed by our non-profit, mission-driven work. An important facet of this work is the creation of a corps of Resident Artists – comprising musicians of various genres who hone their craft through regular weekly appearances – which has deepened our connections to the Detroit community of artists and audiences. The venue also serves our performing arts education portfolio, hosting our vocal and instrumental students for their culminating performances, as led by our teaching artists who work in Detroit schools. Approximately once a month, we present a national or global artist. These have recently included Tuck & Patti, Bettye LaVette, Omar Sosa & Yilian Canizares and in not too distant history, prior to his engagement with Stephen Colbert -- Jon Batiste.