Chances are that, if you’re into Detroit music, you may have heard of Sean Blackman.  In case that you haven’t, then let us school you.

For almost 15 years, Blackman was part of the wildly popular world jazz band Blackman & Arnold. Together they owned Detroit—playing up to 250 shows a year, which sometimes meant three gigs a day.  Blackman, whose playing is characterized by his skill and passion on the acoustic nylon string guitar that incorporates the sounds of West Africa, Brazil, Armenia and Spain and, in the process, has cemented his reputation as one of the Detroit’ best world music guitarists.

Early on, his guitar skills caught the attention of Ismael Ahmed, the founder of the Concert of Colors, Detroit’s leading world music festival, which has more than 100, 000 attendants annually.

“His style, flair and penchant for Latin music reminded me of world-class musicians from Spain and Latin America, but something I hadn’t heard in Metro-Detroit,” said Ahmed.

Blackman honed his skills by visiting Brazil, Peru, Greece and Spain where he planted himself in small towns, eating the local food, meeting the local people, and, most importantly, playing with the local musician.  He spent nearly a year alone on a worldwide musical pilgrimage around the world where his companions were his guitar and backpack.  It was then that he perfected his concept for the CD In Transit.

Blackman has played every major music festival, prestigious cultural event and big event for key movers-and-shakers and  shows no signs of slowing down.  In the past year, he has completed three massive projects that many couldn’t achieve in a lifetime.

He composed the musical score for the documentary feature The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato. Blackman’s commitment to maintaining an authentic sound took him deep into Southwest Detroit’s Mexicantown.  It was there that Blackman combed the nightclubs and music haunts to look for accordion and vihuela players to incorporate Detroit’s ethnic talent into the mix.

Then, he released his most ambitious project to date, his CD In Transit.  For this endeavor, Blackman scoured the planet to find musicians who are experts in exotic instruments.

Senegalese, Armenian and Brazilian musicians convened at the legendary White Room Studio.  In four day’s time, eleven musicians recorded his original compositions that blend old world sounds with Detroit style jazz.  The album was then mastered in London by Grammy Award winning engineer Jerry Boys, known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club, who had Blackman at his side.

This is an album that will not disappoint.  It will bring out the gypsy in you, as you close your eyes so that the music will take you from a café in the Middle East, to a village in Africa, a beach in Brazil and then back to Detroit.  His compositions are anchored by the soulfully smoky vocals of singer, James Wailin, and the jazz skills of legendary clarinetist Wendell Harrison.

Blackman is the center for world music in Detroit.  One of his greatest talents is his skill of bringing musicians from the raw talent of Detroit’s various ethnic communities and bringing them to bigger stages.

“My vision is to share world music with Detroit, incorporating Detroit’s own sound and delivering a mix of cultures on one stage,” Blackman said.  “Expose all of our local ethnic talent and continue to bring world-renowned musicians to the city, turning Detroit into the world music center it’s destined to be.”

The next step, that’s happening now, is bringing the music of In Transit to the stage.  Music without Borders will debut on September 24th at Orchestra Hall.  The same musicians that were on his album will reunite and be joined by dancers from their respective countries for a concert that’s never been done before.

The CD listening party for Sean Blackman’s latest release, In Transit, 8 p.m. Thursday, June 17, at Cliff Bell’s.  Sean Blackman’s In Transit: Music Without Borders, 8 p.m. Friday, September 24, will be performed at Orchestra Hall. For more information visit www.seanblackman.com.