(upbeat music) - Hello everybody.

I'm Satori Shakoor.

Welcome to Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove, where Detroit's talented artists take the stage and share insights into their performances.

This episode, curated by WRCJ's Cecelia Sharpe and Dave Wagner will take us on a journey of musical genres.

From jazz, to rock music, to classical, it's all up ahead on Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove.

- [Voiceover] Funding for Detroit Performs is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Gregory Haynes and Richard Sonenklar, the Kresge Foundation, the A. Paul and Carol C. Scott Foundation, the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) - Hello everybody.

I'm sitting here with Dave Wagner and Cecelia Sharpe from WRCJ, curators of tonight's episode.

How are you?

- Great.

- Good.

- Out of all the people that you could have brought, what had inspired you to choose these particular musicians?

- Yeah, they're really amazing musicians.

They represent Detroit so well.

- [Dave] Well, the cellists that you're going to hear, I had the opportunity to hear in a concerto competition that I was privileged to adjudicate with some of the members of the faculty at Wayne State.

And I thought, "Wow, this young man can really play."

- [Cecelia] Another Wayne State student, Noah Dakho.

And Noah is so fresh.

The energy that he brings on the stage with his band, Dakho, a rock band, but it's just so invigorating and so delightful to see him perform.

And Saxappeal, another incredible artist from Detroit who, wherever he goes, he always makes Detroit proud.

- Thank you so much.

So now we're going to the stage to see their first curated performance by Saxappeal.

(light airy music) (light airy music continues) (light airy music continues) (light airy music continues) (light airy music continues) (light airy music continues) We are coming back from that mellow, moving groovin' sound from Saxappeal, and now we're sitting down with Saxappeal.

How are you doing?

- Hey, I am good.

How are you?

- Good, good.

- Awesome.

- And what attracted you to the saxophone?

- (laughs) So the funny story about my humble beginnings is I learned, or I was focused on playing from watching The Simpsons.

I was inspired from watching Lisa Simpson play.

- [Satori] And how has Detroit shaped you and then consequently shaped your music?

- [Saxappeal] I think Detroit builds character for anybody who's here, but as a creative, I think it's the pillar of your creativity.

I really feel like this city has not only molded me, but it helps me to create in a very vulnerable mindset.

I am four records in now.

I just put a single out just last year, back in April.

That song was nominated for a Grammy.

So, I was thankful for that.

I was able to have two Grammy nomination categories for that.

So, you know, we're just gonna keep building from there, and just keep moving.

- Well, thank you so much, Saxappeal.

- Appreciate you.

- We are headed to the stage to see Dakho.

(dramatic music) (gentle upbeat music) ♪ I wanna get away from he who pulls the strings ♪ ♪ In almost every way, well I just wanna sing ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Maybe I don't know which streets to walk around ♪ ♪ 'Cause everywhere I've been ♪ ♪ Searching for the ground in my place ♪ ♪ In my place ♪ ♪ Starting and stopping, the world keeps on walking a lie ♪ ♪ Don't you lay down and die ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Don't you ever say goodbye ♪ ♪ Feel the sunshine ♪ ♪ Right here, right now ♪ ♪ Break free from all your chains ♪ ♪ Right here, right now ♪ ♪ Feel it rush into babe ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Will these broken words ever reach your heart ♪ ♪ 'Cause maybe if they do ♪ ♪ You will take me to the sky in my place ♪ ♪ In my place ♪ ♪ Starting and stopping, the world keeps on walking a lie ♪ ♪ Don't you lay down and die ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Don't you ever say goodbye ♪ ♪ Feel the sunshine ♪ ♪ Right here, right now ♪ ♪ Break free from all your chains ♪ ♪ Right here, right now ♪ ♪ Feel it rush into you babe ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ In your life, in your life, it's the summer ♪ ♪ When you know once you go, you'll be gone ♪ ♪ In your life, in your life, it's the summer ♪ ♪ In your life, in your life ♪ ♪ In your life ♪ (gentle music) - And we're back from the stage, from seeing that exciting performance from the band, Dakho.

And I'm sitting here right now with Noah Dakho, the singer and songwriter for the band.

How are you?

- I'm good.

How are you?

- Very good.

Can you tell us about the band?

How did it start?

- So, the guitarist, Nathan, him and I were in a high school band together.

Actually, I was in that band with a drummer as well, Eric.

They kicked me out, (laughs) so that didn't go very well.

(Satori laughs) But a few years later, I reconnected with Nathan and we started playing together, and we went through a few bass players and now we have Hayden, who's a phenomenal musician.

- [Satori] And what kind of style would you say your band captures?

- [Noah] Rock and roll.

It's lighter.

It's not super heavy.

- [Satori] Anything you'd like to leave our audience with?

- I think your voice is just as valuable as everyone else's, so just say what you have to say.

- Thank you very much.

It was a pleasure, Noah.

- Thank you.

It was a pleasure being here.

- And now, we're gonna stay right here in this cozy room and listen to John Pablo with his pianist, Blake.

(dramatic music) (gentle brooding music) (tense brooding music) (gentle brooding music) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) (gentle brooding music continues) Well, we didn't go far.

You heard the beautiful performance here by John Pablo.

And I'm having the pleasure right now to have a few words with you.

That was extraordinary.

- Thank you so much.

It's really a pleasure to be here.

- Yes.

And what inspired you to play the cello?

- Well, it was an option to be in elementary school and it was just immediately a click for me.

And I think a lot of my friends were into the program, but when I started playing, I really thought like, yeah, like this could be something I could do.

- So what did you play for us today?

- I played Elgar Cello Concerto Fourth Movement.

It's a very demanding piece in the repertoire for cello.

It's very famous and tragically, it's one of his last composed pieces.

- [Satori] And your pianist, what's his name?

- [John] Blake Pruneau, a brilliant pianist.

I'm happy to have been collaborating with Blake for a little over a year now.

- It was so enjoyable to hear you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you for joining us at Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove.

That's our evening.

(upbeat music) - [Voiceover] Funding for Detroit Performs is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Gregory Haynes and Richard Sonenklar, the Kresge Foundation, the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Foundation, the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music)