Mark Stryker
@markstryker.bsky.social
Author, Journalist, Critic, Filmmaker.
Books: “Jazz from Detroit”; “Destiny: 100 Years of Music, Magic, and Community at Orchestra Hall in Detroit.”
Film: “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit.”
Former Detroit Free Press arts reporter/critic, 1995-2016
Books: “Jazz from Detroit”; “Destiny: 100 Years of Music, Magic, and Community at Orchestra Hall in Detroit.”
Film: “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit.”
Former Detroit Free Press arts reporter/critic, 1995-2016
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Wonderful film.
January 14, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Wonderful film.
Many thanks for your support!
January 14, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Many thanks for your support!
Fair warning to folks in or near the Hudson Valley north of NYC: "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" is screening at the indispensable Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, on Thurs, Jan. 15. Doors at 6, film at 7. Q-and-A follows. Tickets/info: jazzforumarts.org/event/34001/
January 14, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Fair warning to folks in or near the Hudson Valley north of NYC: "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" is screening at the indispensable Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, on Thurs, Jan. 15. Doors at 6, film at 7. Q-and-A follows. Tickets/info: jazzforumarts.org/event/34001/
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Please watch this beautiful clip. Terry lost her husband last year, jazz critic Francis Davis. She & Colbert discuss grief; he talks about his mother. They interview each other, which is to say they are having a REAL conversation of the type you hardly ever see on TV. m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkg...
"I Wanted To Share A Piece Of Him" - Terry Gross On Sharing Her Husband's Work After His Death
YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
m.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Please watch this beautiful clip. Terry lost her husband last year, jazz critic Francis Davis. She & Colbert discuss grief; he talks about his mother. They interview each other, which is to say they are having a REAL conversation of the type you hardly ever see on TV. m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkg...
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Thanks for sharing, Mark
January 10, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Thanks for sharing, Mark
Please watch this beautiful clip. Terry lost her husband last year, jazz critic Francis Davis. She & Colbert discuss grief; he talks about his mother. They interview each other, which is to say they are having a REAL conversation of the type you hardly ever see on TV. m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkg...
"I Wanted To Share A Piece Of Him" - Terry Gross On Sharing Her Husband's Work After His Death
YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
m.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Please watch this beautiful clip. Terry lost her husband last year, jazz critic Francis Davis. She & Colbert discuss grief; he talks about his mother. They interview each other, which is to say they are having a REAL conversation of the type you hardly ever see on TV. m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkg...
Jan. 8=good Karma for @bluenoterecords.bsky.social.
Taped this day in the early '60s were Jackie McLean's Bluesnik (1961), Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue (1963), Andrew Hill's Judgement (1964). Burrell's title track is heard in The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5xh...
Taped this day in the early '60s were Jackie McLean's Bluesnik (1961), Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue (1963), Andrew Hill's Judgement (1964). Burrell's title track is heard in The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5xh...
Midnight Blue (Remastered 1999/Rudy Van Gelder Edition)
YouTube video by Kenny Burrell - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Jan. 8=good Karma for @bluenoterecords.bsky.social.
Taped this day in the early '60s were Jackie McLean's Bluesnik (1961), Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue (1963), Andrew Hill's Judgement (1964). Burrell's title track is heard in The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5xh...
Taped this day in the early '60s were Jackie McLean's Bluesnik (1961), Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue (1963), Andrew Hill's Judgement (1964). Burrell's title track is heard in The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5xh...
Happy birthday to the great but often underappreciated drummer Sam Woodyard, born on January, 7, 1925, and gone too young at age 63 in 1988. A few years ago I wrote about Woodyard and Sonny Greer for JazzTimes under the banner of the Ellington Drummers.
jazztimes.com/features/col...
jazztimes.com/features/col...
Chronology: Sonny Greer and Sam Woodyard Drum for the Duke
Mark Stryker examines the work and respective playing styles of Duke Ellington's longest-tenured drummers, Sonny Greer and Sam Woodyard.
jazztimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Happy birthday to the great but often underappreciated drummer Sam Woodyard, born on January, 7, 1925, and gone too young at age 63 in 1988. A few years ago I wrote about Woodyard and Sonny Greer for JazzTimes under the banner of the Ellington Drummers.
jazztimes.com/features/col...
jazztimes.com/features/col...
Reposted by Mark Stryker
An insightful, extremely well-written new review of "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" by Tony Asankomah (GhMovieFreak). As the writer and co-producer of the film (and an author/journalist/critic myself), it's gratifying to get such a sophisticated response. ghmoviefreak.com/documentary-...
Documentary Review: ‘The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit’ – A City and Its Sound, Its Legacy and Its Resistance
There’s a certain kind of weight a city carries when its story has been told too often in fragments. Certainly, you can say that Detroit is a place that knows this weight. ‘The Best of the Best: Jazz ...
ghmoviefreak.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:55 PM
An insightful, extremely well-written new review of "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" by Tony Asankomah (GhMovieFreak). As the writer and co-producer of the film (and an author/journalist/critic myself), it's gratifying to get such a sophisticated response. ghmoviefreak.com/documentary-...
An insightful, extremely well-written new review of "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" by Tony Asankomah (GhMovieFreak). As the writer and co-producer of the film (and an author/journalist/critic myself), it's gratifying to get such a sophisticated response. ghmoviefreak.com/documentary-...
Documentary Review: ‘The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit’ – A City and Its Sound, Its Legacy and Its Resistance
There’s a certain kind of weight a city carries when its story has been told too often in fragments. Certainly, you can say that Detroit is a place that knows this weight. ‘The Best of the Best: Jazz ...
ghmoviefreak.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:55 PM
An insightful, extremely well-written new review of "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" by Tony Asankomah (GhMovieFreak). As the writer and co-producer of the film (and an author/journalist/critic myself), it's gratifying to get such a sophisticated response. ghmoviefreak.com/documentary-...
Coda: Special thanks to jazz department chair Tom Walsh
at IU's famed Jacob School of Music for partnering with IU Cinema to bring the film and the creative team to campus.
at IU's famed Jacob School of Music for partnering with IU Cinema to bring the film and the creative team to campus.
January 6, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Coda: Special thanks to jazz department chair Tom Walsh
at IU's famed Jacob School of Music for partnering with IU Cinema to bring the film and the creative team to campus.
at IU's famed Jacob School of Music for partnering with IU Cinema to bring the film and the creative team to campus.
Alert
Beyond thrilled to announce that :The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" will be screening at Indiana University in my hometown of Bloomington at 7 p.m. February 21 at IU Cinema. My coproducers and I will be there for a post-screening Q-and-A.
cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-fil...
Beyond thrilled to announce that :The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" will be screening at Indiana University in my hometown of Bloomington at 7 p.m. February 21 at IU Cinema. My coproducers and I will be there for a post-screening Q-and-A.
cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-fil...
The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit, Saturday, February 21, 2026 7:00 pm
IU Cinema presents The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit on Saturday, February 21, 2026 7:00 pm. A landmark double portrait of Detroit’s extraordinary jazz legacy and the dynamic city that produced ...
cinema.indiana.edu
January 6, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Alert
Beyond thrilled to announce that :The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" will be screening at Indiana University in my hometown of Bloomington at 7 p.m. February 21 at IU Cinema. My coproducers and I will be there for a post-screening Q-and-A.
cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-fil...
Beyond thrilled to announce that :The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit" will be screening at Indiana University in my hometown of Bloomington at 7 p.m. February 21 at IU Cinema. My coproducers and I will be there for a post-screening Q-and-A.
cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-fil...
Reposted by Mark Stryker
A pleasure speaking with a true pro, Dave Drexler of
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
www.jazz88.org
January 4, 2026 at 6:03 PM
A pleasure speaking with a true pro, Dave Drexler of
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
A pleasure speaking with a true pro, Dave Drexler of
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
www.jazz88.org
January 4, 2026 at 6:03 PM
A pleasure speaking with a true pro, Dave Drexler of
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
KSDS Jazz 88.3 in San Diego, about "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit." Here's our 30-minute conversation. Check it out, and remember that the film is streaming on Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Google Play. www.jazz88.org/MP3/IA010426...
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Wow… Awesome… Just finished watching. Read your book a few years ago, saved the documentary for tonight. Thanks for the passion that drove your effort. Love learning more about the city I grew up in (near, actually, but who would quibble?)
January 1, 2026 at 3:20 AM
Wow… Awesome… Just finished watching. Read your book a few years ago, saved the documentary for tonight. Thanks for the passion that drove your effort. Love learning more about the city I grew up in (near, actually, but who would quibble?)
A thousand thanks. So glad you enjoyed it.
January 1, 2026 at 3:21 AM
A thousand thanks. So glad you enjoyed it.
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Happy New Year from the team behind "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit."
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
December 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Happy New Year from the team behind "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit."
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
Happy New Year from the team behind "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit."
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
December 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Happy New Year from the team behind "The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit."
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
Roberta Friedman, producer
Daniel Loewenthal, director, editor, and producer
Mark Stryker, writer and producer
E.B. White, The New Yorker, 1934.
December 31, 2025 at 3:14 PM
E.B. White, The New Yorker, 1934.
Reposted by Mark Stryker
It's great, Mark. And what a great tribute to Barry Harris.
December 31, 2025 at 5:18 AM
It's great, Mark. And what a great tribute to Barry Harris.
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Excited for this *and* the new edition of the book!
In this homestretch of 2025, please consider streaming The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit on Prime Video. Management knows you'll dig it for the musical fireworks provided by some of the greatest jazz musicians America has produced and the cultural history of the country's most soulful city.
December 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Excited for this *and* the new edition of the book!
Hope you enjoy it!
December 31, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Hope you enjoy it!
Reposted by Mark Stryker
Watching this tonight and I cannot WAIT.
In this homestretch of 2025, please consider streaming The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit on Prime Video. Management knows you'll dig it for the musical fireworks provided by some of the greatest jazz musicians America has produced and the cultural history of the country's most soulful city.
December 31, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Watching this tonight and I cannot WAIT.
I'm holding out on this -- I hardly ever even write the "1800s"or "1700s," preferring the 19th/18th C. I'm away from my books for a few days, but I am guessing that critics in 1925 were writing 19th C far more often than 1800s.
December 30, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I'm holding out on this -- I hardly ever even write the "1800s"or "1700s," preferring the 19th/18th C. I'm away from my books for a few days, but I am guessing that critics in 1925 were writing 19th C far more often than 1800s.