Windsor musician Russ Macklem debuts second album with Detroit quintet

Russ Macklem's latest album. (Provided by Russ Macklem)

Windsor trumpeter Russ Macklem is out with a new album — one he says reflects his growth as a musician and his deep connection to Detroit’s jazz scene.

The record, titled ‘Introducing the Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet’, marks his second release in less than two years.

While his record debut in 2023 was a live recording that brought together longtime colleagues from Toronto, New York, and Miami, Macklem said this latest effort represents something different.

“This is my working band. We’ve been playing together for about two years, and I wrote this music specifically for them,” Macklem said in an interview.

Recorded on March 3 at Willis Sound — a former 19th-century church turned studio outside Detroit — the album features familiar faces from the Motor City scene.

The cover itself leans into Detroit iconography, with images of the Spirit of Detroit statue and the Joe Louis fist.

Macklem noted that while he remains rooted in Windsor, most of is work is across the border. He holds a regular monthly gig in Detroit’s Corktown neighbourhood at Motor City Wine and credits the city’s musicians for pushing him to evolve.

“Detroit has been kind of my musical finishing school,” Macklem said.

“I’ve learned so much being on the scene there and being challenged by friends and mentors. In just two years, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of maturity in both my playing and my writing.”

The first album, he recalled, was recorded at a time when the pandemic still loomed large over his career.

“I was still pretty raw. The industry had just come back. But now things feel like they’re going again — and this record is a stronger statement.”

Introducing the Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet is available on vinyl at Windsor’s Dr. Disc and select record stores in Detroit. The album is also streaming on major platforms.

A release party runs this weekend at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Grosse Pointe, Mich., with sets scheduled Thursday night through Saturday.