PRESS
“As thorough and entertaining a documentary on a regional jazz scene as you could ask for, The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit makes a case for the Motor City as a hub for the music on par with NYC, New Orleans, Kansas City and Chicago. … The life blood of the film is its careful and thoughtful dissection of that music community, of its need to carry forward the music through connection and education, and how it continues today. … Director Daniel Loewenthal draws on the traditional documentary paintbox to make his point, with talking-head interviews, news footage and smartly-crafted graphics illustrating the rise of the city during the Great Migration, spurred on by the auto industry.”
—Paul Gaita, The New York City Jazz Record, August 2025 (page 25)
“The film moves at a brisk and engaging pace, taking us through the history of the city and the history of the music. When it gets into general release it will not just be a must-watch for fans, but also a superb introduction to jazz for the uninitiated.”
–Ethan Iverson, Transitional Technology, November 5, 2024
“The Best of the Best is a remarkable documentary that shines a spotlight on a corner of America that is often underlooked for its contribution to jazz.”
--Simone Goldstone, Newport Beach Independent, October 11, 2024
“The film beautifully reflects and balances the city’s fascinating, complex history — through the Great Migration, the building of the black middle class, the 1967 riots and the collapse of the auto industry — while substantiating its deep connection with jazz music.”
—Brandon Berry, Dayton Daily News - October 1, 2024
“The Best of the Best: Jazz From Detroit tells the story of Detroit’s innovative and influential jazz musicians.”
“In the vivid new documentary The Best of the Best: Jazz From Detroit, the Motor City’s musical heritage comes alive.”
—Nate Chinen, WRTI Spotlight - March 13, 2024 (Philadelphia)
“‘The lively, probing documentary searches for the elusive alchemy by which Detroit’s brilliant jazz musicians have distilled the struggles and triumphs of the city’s industrial, political and cultural life into an astonishing variety of musical forms and styles.”
—Lawrence Cosentino, City Pulse, October 10, 2025 (Lansing, MI)
“Jazz and its roots come from the Black community...and as the sound spread throughout the South, the Great Migration and the promise of a better life brought that sound to the North: and Detroit became a mini-haven for jazz and expanding sound…The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit wants to remind audiences and lovers of jazz of the rich history of artists that Detroit has shared with the world.”
—The Metro, WDET - April 3, 2024 - (Interview with Writer/Producer Mark Stryker, beginning at 33:06)