Yusef Lateef

Today on Stateside, an alleged plot from an anti-government extremist group to kidnap Governor Whitmer and take hostages at the state Capitol has been foiled by federal investigators. We'll talk about what we know about this case so far and how it ties into a broader discussion about the rise of violent alt-right movements in America. Plus, we talk about the life and legacy of the late Detroit native and jazz legend Yusef Lateef ahead of his 100th birthday. 

Yusef Lateef – a master musician, composer, writer and artist – died in 2013. However, his history lives on in Detroit, the city where he came of age musically and otherwise. He went on to become one of the first artists to combine jazz with world music.

This Friday, an exhibition called Yusef Lateef: Towards the Unknown will open in the Trinosophes art space on Gratiot in Detroit. It will run through May 10. 

Rebecca Mazzei, co-owner of Trinosophes, thinks the exhibition will be important for all people to see – whether they’re familiar with Lateef’s work or not. She said the exhibit will speak to “why he was so important to the city and why the city was so important to him,” though she added that he also brought some “important cultural movements to the national scene as well.”