25 Detroit Jazz Legends Play for Leukemia

Dear Detroit Bikram community,

I thought some of you might be interested in going to this benefit concert on May 5th. It is a benefit for the Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.

My dad is one of the musical directors and performers of the event.  Some of you may know that my parents are well-known Jazz musicians in the area - Buddy Budson and Ursula Walker.  They have been playing music in this area pretty much their whole lives.  My dad has toured the country and the world with the Four Tops and the Buddy Rich orchestra.  My mom sang on the radio when she was young and also performed on the 1950's children's variety TV show called Auntie Dee and has received many awards (just recently she was named Best Jazz Vocalist by the Metro Times).  They have been involved in countless events, concerts, and benefits throughout their careers.

This event is organized by Doug Halliday, a jazz musician who is suffering from Leukemia (please read the below article), who has brought together some of the best local musicians (my mom too!) to perform at the Max M. Fischer Music Center in Detroit .  It will be a great night of wonderful music and all proceeds go the Leukemia foundation.

Thanks!

~ Erika Budson, Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

25 Detroit Jazz Legends Play for Leukemia

New Beginnings Fundraiser Thursday, May 5 at Max Fisher Music Center to benefit Children's Leukemia Foundation

"In November 2009, I was diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells that started in my bone marrow. After some early rounds of chemotherapy, I decided, along with my dedicated doctors, that a bone marrow transplant was my best option. Fortunately, a search of an international database of donors turned up a match for me and I had a bone marrow transplant in May 2010.

Now that I've had my "new beginning," it's time to give back. So, on Thursday, May 5, 2011, 25 of Detroit's finest jazz musicians will come together at the Max Fisher Music Center ("The Max") to perform some music I've written and raise some money to fight leukemia.

The concert will go from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. followed by an afterglow reception for premium ticket holders.

All proceeds will go to the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.

It's an unbelievable cast of Detroit's jazz legends who will come to the same stage for this one special night. I hope people will come away not only tapping their toes, but also educated about the importance of bone marrow and stem cell donation. Until you're there battling cancer, you never fully understand its impact. Having the support of my family and friends, along with great medical care, has gotten me this far and I intend to go the distance.

Tickets are $35 and $50(includes afterglow) and can be purchased at The Max box office at Orchestra Hall, by phone at (313) 576-5111 or online at www.detroitsymphony.com.

I hope you will join me for this wonderful evening for a wonderful cause."

~ Sincerely, Doug Halliday

Performers at the Concert:
Musicians scheduled to perform include: Dwight Adams, Leslie Adams, Marcus Belgrave, Charles Boles, Vincent Bowens, John Dana, George Davidson, Ron English, Brad Felt, Renell Gonsalvez, Marion Hayden, Bill Higgins, Keith Kaminski, David Koether, Kurt Krahnke, Jerry LaDuff, Gayelynn McKinney, Gary Schunk, RJ Spangler, Ursula Walker, Jim Wyse and musical directors, Buddy Budson and Keith Vreeland. W. Kim Heron is the master of ceremonies.

Sponsors of the Concert:
Henry Ford Health System, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, University of Michigan Health System, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and C.H.I.P. (Creative Healing Initiative Partnership).

Honorary co-chairs:
Nalini Janakiraman, MD, director, Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program, Henry Ford Health System; Charles A. Schiffer, MD, team leader, Malignant Hematology, Karmanos Cancer Center; Marianne Udow-Phillips, director, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan joint venture); Judge Claudia Morcum, board member, C.H.I.P; William Seklar, president and CEO, Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.

About Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan:
The foundation is a statewide agency helping families cope with leukemia, lymphoma and related disorders by providing information, financial assistance and emotional support. In addition, Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan has provided more than $6.5 million in research dollars to Michigan's comprehensive cancer institutes. Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan is headquartered in Troy, Michigan. For more information, call 1-800-825-2536 or visit www.leukemiamichigan.org.