Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble

Don Was has deep roots in music and deep roots in Detroit. Born in the Motor City in 1952, he has enjoyed a Grammy-winning career as a musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker, and radio host. Since 2011, he has served as president of America’s jazz label, Blue Note Records.

His latest band, The Pan Detroit Ensemble, is made up of stellar musicians from his hometown, including long-time collaborators like Dave McMurray on sax and Eminem’s Oscar-winning collaborator, keyboardist Luis Resto. Additional musicians include trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer John Canady, percussionist Mahindi Masai, guitarist Wayne Gerard, and vocalist Steffanie Christi’an.

“There is a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates with people all over the globe,” Was said. “There is a rawness, a lack of pretension, and an unmistakable, underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire city. When the opportunity came to put together a new band, the message was clear to me: go back to Detroit where I came from, be who I am, play who I am, and team up with some like-minded individuals.” The band released its debut album in 2025.

For his work as a record producer, Don Was has won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for Bonnie Raitt in 1989 and Producer of the Year in 1994. Records that he has produced have sold close to 100 million albums for a wide array of artists including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Ringo Starr, and the B-52s. He produced and directed the documentary about the life of the late Brian Wilson, I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times, which won the San Francisco Film Festival’s Golden Gate Award. He won a 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Direction for his work on a special about The Beatles, The Night That Changed America.

Talented in so many directions, it is music that ties it all together and all roads lead back to Detroit. As he said, he came back to where he came from so he could “be who I am, play who I am, and team up with some like-minded individuals.”

Come see Don Was and his like-minded individuals. He’ll be who he is and play who he is, and you’ll be glad you’re there to hear it.