Don Was has never strayed far from the music that shaped him, and now he’s taking that connection straight back home. With his new band, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, the six-time Grammy-winner releases Groove In The Face Of Adversity, a debut album rooted in Detroit’s spirit of resilience and groove.

The group brings together some of the Motor City’s finest players, including saxophonist Dave McMurray, keyboardist Luis Resto, trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canady, percussionist Mahindi Masai, guitarist Wayne Gerard, and powerhouse vocalist Steffanie Christi’an. For Was, it’s a chance to celebrate the sound of the city that raised him. “There’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe,” he says. “There is a rawness, a lack of pretension and an unmistakable, underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire City.”

The album draws on Was’ five decades of experience as a producer, bassist, composer, and head of Blue Note Records, but it is also deeply personal. The title itself goes back to a teenage moment when Was, sulking in his mother’s car, turned the dial and discovered Joe Henderson’s “Mode for Joe.” The groove lifted him out of his mood, and he’s carried that philosophy ever since: when life gets rough, you find your rhythm and keep going. Groove In The Face Of Adversity channels that lesson through steamy jazz, juke joint blues, and unfiltered funk.

Was has long been celebrated for his contributions to popular music, producing landmark albums for the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, and Willie Nelson, with sales topping 100 million records. His work has earned him a BAFTA, an Emmy, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. Alongside those accolades, he has led the Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue for more than 15 years, co-hosts The Motor City Playlist on Detroit’s WDET, and since 2018 has toured the world with Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros.