In the afterglow of another exceptional closing weekend at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival we took advantage of an opportunity to witness the progress of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music the Monday after Jazzfest. Earlier that weekend we had chatted with Ann Marie Wilkins, the driven and industrious woman who manages Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., the Marsalis Music record label, and most important to this conversation is board chair of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a jewel of a 17,000 square foot facility.

You may recall this ambitious post-Hurricane Katrina, Ninth Ward redevelopment project. In the wake of the devastation of what New Orleans residents simply refer to as “The Storm”, Branford and Harry hatched a plan to salvage at least part of the storm’s Ground Zero, the Ninth Ward – the part of New Orleans with the highest storm-delivered misery index of all. Their idea was to develop the Musicians Village to house a percentage of the musicians who had been driven from the Crescent City in the horrific wake of the failure of the federal levees. Part of that development would be an arts-based community center to be named after Branford’s father and Harry’s mentor, Ellis Marsalis.

To get you up to speed on the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, we followed-up our tour with some questions for the Center’s executive director Michele Jean-Pierre.

Please give a quick sense of the backstory behind the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
After Hurricane Katrina, Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. wanted to find a way to help musicians come back to New Orleans. They joined with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to create the Musicians’ Village, a residential community primarily for musicians with a community center as its focal point. Ellis Marsalis, father of Branford and teacher of Harry, is also an internationally respected jazz musician and educator. The Center would appropriately be named the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music
to honor an individual they both love and respect.

Much beloved New Orleans drummer and WWOZ radio show host Bob French sitting amidst the post-storm devastation in the Lower Ninth Ward. French was one of the initial residents of the subsequent Musicians Village development.

Who do you hope to serve with the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, what is your core constituency?
The core constituency of the Center are the residents of the Musicians’ Village and the children who live in the 9th ward, the largest of the 17 wards of New Orleans. We will also make the Center available to other members of the New Orleans community on a space available basis.

What is Ellis’ ongoing relationship to the Center?
Ellis is the visionary behind our music education program and he advises our Director of Music Education, Daryl Dickerson. He is
actively involved with music instructor selection and guides us on matters related to curriculum and instruction.

What kinds of daily activities happen at the Center?
During the school year, we run an afterschool music education program Mondays through Thursdays. Students attend twice
a week for 3 hour blocks. Each enrolled student takes one hour of their selected instrument, one hour of Piano in our Piano
lab where Music Theory is being taught and reinforced through piano instruction and one hour of Homework Assistance and or
Computer Lab. Our Computer Lab work focuses on strengthening Music Theory lessons in a fun and interactive way.

We also offer vocal and dance classes.

We also feed the children an assortment of fresh cut seasonal fruits, yogurt, granola bars, raw veggies, multi grain crackers and
cheeses before they head to their first class. They also have the option of returning after their last class to obtain more snacks to keep them
until they go home.

On Saturdays, the focus is our Strings program. Children may register for Violin, Viola, Cello, Upright Bass and guitar classes.
On Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, we also offer an adult piano class. Classes start early so once again, we provide
healthy option breakfast foods.

We also have occasional master classes for our students held in our Performance Hall. Students have an opportunity to hear professional musicians, ask
questions and learn first- hand from them about their journeys in becoming professional musicians.

This summer, we will implement our Audio/Lighting/Video Production Intern Program. We have partnered with the City of New Orleans and the NOLA Works
Program and 14 youth between the ages of 15 – 18 will participate in this 6 week summer experience and receive a paycheck for their learning experience.
We will also offer our regular Music Education Program Mondays through Thursday to over 100 beginner and intermediate youth of the 9th ward. On Saturdays, we
will offer our regular Strings Program with the capacity to reach an additional 45 students.

How has the Center been funded thus far?
The Center has been supported through the generous donations of people throughout the world, who in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina and the near destruction of important institutions of learning, saw the importance of their continued donations of funds to assist
in the rebuilding efforts. Branford and Harry engaged people worldwide in their crusade to develop this Center and continue their untiring
efforts of enlisting the help of others to support the mission of the Center.
[Editor’s note: It should be added here that both Branford and Harry have contributed significant sweat equity and financial support – including concert fees – to this project; their respective involvement goes far deeper than simply lending their auspicious names to this project.]

How does the Center interface with the surrounding Musicians Village, and what’s been the response to the Center thus far of the occupants of the Musicians Village?
Prior to the completion of the construction of the Center, focus groups were conducted with residents to get their input of how the Center could best serve their needs.
The information from these focus group discussions played an important role in the planning for which services the residents identified as priorities. Currently, the
Center offers extended hours for the residents to use practice rooms, the computer lab, obtain administrative support, attend exercise classes as well as adult piano classes.

The Center will also provide facilities for Village residents to record CDs and plans to offer a Village resident performance series in the near future. Quarterly the Center
holds a public community event. These have included: Christmas children’s movie night and toy distribution by Santa, a Good Friday Fish Fry with outdoor activities
for the family and a visit from the Easter Bunny, and a special Night Out on Crime Event which included a community Barbeque and access to community resource information.

The residents response has been extremely positive. This is evidenced by the number of resident children who attend classes in our afterschool and Saturday programming at
the Center. The residents also enjoy accessing the classes offered at the Center.

When I visited there you and Ann Marie mentioned a project underway – or in the planning stages – to record the occupants of the Musicians Village; please tell us more about that project.

It is our intention to allow Village residents to record CDs at the Center – the Performance Hall was designed to double as a recording studio (Ellis Marsalis and Japanese Jazz Pianist,
Makoto Ozone recorded the first CD in the hall in May). Thanks for your inquiry about all of the current activities at the Center. We have just started on our journey but remain excited about the potential for growth of not only our students but the residents who choose to utilize the many offerings at the Center.

The beautiful concert hall at the Ellis Marsalis Center.

Amidst all the various perceived “ills” prescribed to jazz by its enthusiasts – young musicians failing to “advance” the music stylistically; the younger generations of musicians arriving on the jazz scene simply pale next to the founders and the masters; lack of enough venues fostering jazz performance opportunities; the dwindling jazz radio universe; the holistic, big umbrella approach of so many jazz festivals which invite other music under the big tent and still call the event a “jazz” festival; the “cookie-cutter” view of jazz education, despite the fact that it is perhaps the healthiest sector of the so-called jazz community; jazz somehow being “taken” from its originators, the African American community, etc., etc. I have long maintained that the biggest issue facing jazz and other creative music forms is audience: lack (of sufficient) thereof, lack of substantive numbers of “new” audience, the graying of the creative music audience… The fact remains that there are more than sufficient numbers of young people who still desire to make creative music arriving on the scene daily. Whether there will be sufficient audience to enjoy, nurture, and appreciate the efforts of those young (middle-aged and old for that matter) musicians is another matter entirely. Audience development remains job #1.

The main point here is that we need to get back to the old fashioned ways of turning people on to good music using the amazing technology of today. I have seen kids enjoy jazz when it is shared with them, but it needs to be shared with them in a way where they too will start”speaking the language” and begin to share with their friends.

What also intrigued me about Shoshana’s comments is that she signed off representing what to me was a new entity: Audience Development Specialists (http://www.buildmyaudience.com based in Boulder, CO). Clearly some follow-up questions were in order; I asked, Shoshana agreed…

Shoshana Fanizza, Audience Development Specialists: sfanizza@buildmyaudience.com

I’m intrigued by your organization title, Audience Development Specialists; tell us more.

Back in 2006 I went through an audience development initiative hosted by our local arts alliance, Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA). After these sessions, something clicked with me. I began an audience development plan for the second half of my season with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, and it made a huge difference! We increased audiences until we sold out the last event of the season. A sold out show had not happened in 7 years. In 2008 I opened Audience Development Specialists to help a variety of artists and arts organizations to build their audiences with audience development. Each artist and organization is unique. I help each one to discover who they are, research and find the right audience matches, and design a plan with them that they can begin to implement. During this 3-step method process, which I also like to call The Matchmaker Audience Development Program, my clients become educated about audience development and eventually learn a new philosophy for how to manage their arts businesses. When the audience development plan has all the right elements, I have seen increases in audience and resources of 30-50% within one concert! Audience development works when you put the time and effort into implementing a thoughtful plan.

In your work with Audience Development Specialists, have you done any specific work to address the jazz audience? If so, what have you discovered?

I have yet to work with a jazz artist/organization, but I am most welcome to the opportunity. I lived in the Chicago area for about 28 years, and my parents did listen to jazz in our household. I was a music major at Northern Illinois University, which has a focused jazz program. Many of my friends were jazz majors, and despite being a horn student, I did learn the basics on how to improvise and transcribe through my jazz history class. Through my experiences of being in touch with jazz musicians and being a member of the jazz audience, I do have some insight.

What I have discovered through my jazz experiences is that jazz definitely has similar challenges to the classical music world. The label of “jazz” can be a barrier, since the term has preconceptions attached to it. When the label is dropped, people discover that “jazz” consists of many different styles, and they are likely to find a style that they enjoy.

Other discoveries, audiences attend when they are a fan of the musicians and word of mouth is one of the biggest factors in how they found out about an event and why they attend.

For example, I always enjoyed attending Jazz Combo Night at the university. I found a big difference in audience attendance from combo to combo. These musicians didn’t have the history or the marketing to gain their audience, they had to earn it themselves by building their following. There were musicians that were naturals at building relationships and starting the buzz for word of mouth. These musicians had more of an audience compared to the others. This is what made the difference back then, before social media, and now that we do have social media, everyone has the opportunity and can learn how to master these skills.

Lastly, I have seen how authentic jazz education can help to build audiences. I mention “authentic” because the education needs to be presented passionately and expressed sincerely in a way that is down to earth for people to understand. I do not feel it is about changing the music, but perhaps more about how you present the music. I would love to see more efforts toward programs that ease the potential jazz audience member into learning about and listening to jazz. This means that you may have special concerts for this particular group. Listening to jazz (and classical for that matter) requires building new ear muscles, especially for people that are foreign to jazz.

Some of the best authentic jazz presentations occur at festivals since it is a more relaxed and open atmosphere for both the musicians and the audience. The music offerings at these festivals are more in line with the beginner listener too. For obtaining new audiences, community outreach concerts can make a difference, but they would need to be incorporated on a regular basis. Afterward, continuing a relationship with these people and increasing their jazz listening experiences is recommended.

In addition to your very detailed and thoughtful comment, left in the wake of my jazz audience editorial, there was another comment from a veteran and quite skeptical jazz journalist. He was skeptical about the idea I posited of artists and presenters considering an expanded level of audience-to-artist interaction during a performance as one potential way of demystifying jazz and helping grow the jazz audience. Your comments seemed to indicate that you think otherwise on that subject; please elaborate your take.

I am a big advocate for levels of presentations. I feel that for the beginning jazz audience members, an increase in interaction would be welcome. As an audience member grows into jazz, they will not require as much interaction. This is why knowing your audience is important since this knowledge will be key in selecting which type of presentation would be best. If you are performing in a jazz club where the patrons are already jazz aficionados, you may not need as much interaction. However, if you are performing an outreach concert for newbies, increased interaction is very helpful, especially when carried out in an authentic way as aforementioned. Don’t be shy in asking if there are new jazz listeners in your audience and then cater your interaction to the percentage that is in attendance.

What would you say jazz artists might consider adapting to their performance that could potentially assist in making the music more audience friendly?

It would be best if music sets were selected for the audience that is attending. Again, if you are likely to have more beginner listeners, you may not want to present something that makes the ear do flip flops. Ease the listeners in and then increase their level of listening by adding more challenging sets in succession. Perhaps present a series of performances that will take a group of beginners through this process, or make sure you build relationships with people to keep in touch with where they are in their jazz listening journeys.

Any further thoughts on this subject you’d like to share?

In thinking about building jazz audiences, I do feel it is a matter of exposing more people to the music. More outreach efforts, grassroots sharing and authentic educational programs can be very effective. In general, audience development is about building relationships with your audiences. This means that you are thinking about the audience in conjunction with your music. When jazz was popular, the music was listened to because it was everywhere. Now that jazz is more of a niche in our expanding world of music, building relationships with an audience that would enjoy jazz is the way to increase popularity and build audiences. I do feel that jazz would benefit from more collaborations so it is not as isolated. Jazz can become a part of the community again. Be true to jazz, but also be open to possibilities that will increase jazz awareness.

The legacy of the colored/black/African American (covering the different 20th century racial nomenclature) musicians’ union locals (separate from the “regular” musicians’ union locals by racial segregation) is a rich and vastly under-reported root source for much of the creative music of the 20th century. The bare fact that such racially separate musicians union locals even existed was called into question recently when a book researcher I’ve become acquainted with visited the musicians’ union local in Wilmington, Delaware and was told by an ill-informed young person working there that separate black musicians’ union locals simply never existed(!). This ludicrous scenario came from the researcher in response to a photo I posted on Facebook from this past weekend’s commemorative event in Pittsburgh and served as a reminder of the importance of such legacy preservation activities.

This photo, which depicts what was surely A Great Day in Pittsburgh, was part of a wonderful weekend sponsored by Pittsburgh’s African American Jazz Preservation Society. I was humbled to serve as guest speaker at this Friday/Saturday event dubbed “Dedication To a Legacy”. The weekend served to commemorate the grand legacy of Pittsburgh’s African American Local 471 of the American Federation of Musicians – the separate black musicians union local necessitated by racial segregation that was founded in 1908. Besides surviving members of Local 471, which merged in the 1960s with Pittsburgh’s Local 60 of the American Federation of Musicians with somewhat disastrous consequences (a much longer story for later), and members of the historic Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo, NY, and the Clef Club of Philadelphia – both representing the historic black musicians union locals in their respective communities – participated in panel discussions and a group oral history interview. The panel discussion topics certainly give you the gist of the discussions: Segregated Musicians’ Unions: Significance, Survival and Impact; and Black Musicians Unions: Moving the Legacy Forward.

The core activity of the weekend came on Saturday morning when surviving members of Local 471 gathered on Crawford Street between Wylie & Webster Avenues in Pittsburgh’s historic African American neighborhood known as the Hill District. Surviving members took group photos beneath the shiny new marker; government, arts and labor union officials made glowing remarks, and the beautiful June morning was also enhanced by music from representatives of the next generation of Pittsburgh jazz musicians, led by bassist Miles Jackson.

It should be noted that this official marker is one of several such commemoratives scattered around the city, including one I spotted in front of the house where Art Blakey grew up, in the Hill District. Additionally there’s a condo development whose facade is imbedded with the names of some of the city’s many jazz greats, including Blakey, Ahmad Jamal, Billy Eckstine, Billy Strayhorn, Roy Eldridge, Mary Lou Williams, George Benson; and there’s a city bus emblazoned with the name of Erroll Garner; the list of Pittsburgh jazz greats is quite auspicious.

Last week came the disturbing news that yet another public radio station was about to give up the ghost on its jazz broadcasting responsibilities. WGBH, long a pillar of the Boston radio airways, axed longtime programmer Steve Schwartz program entirely and severely cut-back the nightly programming of its most veteran jazz programmer Eric Jackson, trimming his program to a weekend graveyard shift. Below is an editorial on this subject by jazz radio vet Bobby Jackson. Additionally a petition drive has been started by our web portal Jazzcorner.com. Please read below Bobby’s piece and sign your name to the cause…

Bobby Jackson at the radio console

This current issue with WGBH, Eric Jackson and Steve Schwartz actually is not about them. There is a much more at work here. This is about systematic oppression and privilege of African-American culture. I shared the article about the disappearance of commercial Black radio stations so eloquently pointed out by one of my radio heroes, “talk” show host Bob Law with the recent demise of WRKS. Ed Bride noted that GBH is not an African-American station. For those who did not see the posts, I responded, “They Play Jazz….”

The elimination of jazz on other public radio stations have not helped their numbers. In fact, in many situations, these behind closed doors, board room decisions have put the stations at odds with many supporters in their communities; supporters who have left their ranks. These stations still struggle against the tide of choices audiences possess that year after year, seem to multiply as the technologies to deliver programming becomes more and more facile for them to access. They are no less at risk of survivial than before they pulled the plug. They have also “lost” income because of the exodus of audience numbers that supported them because of the music programming. These stations as so many of you pointed out are now rehashing the same news like a monotone drone in a twenty four hour cycle.

I am incensed that African-American music and culture continues to be marginalized and is the first to be thrown under the bus when there is a “financial” crisis. It is criminal that In this new millennium this pattern continues. We can look at the pattern of stations across the country and see that what I’m saying is real. It is criminal that In this new millennium this pattern continues (my version of a newsie rerun).

One of the reasons public radio exists in the first place was to give voice to the voiceless over the airwaves. There is a rich history surrounding what we do that speaks to affirmation of the true melting pot that America is suppose to be. It is a model on display to share; for all to learn from, how we are able to come together under the magic of jazz, a music that originated in the African-American and is now shared not just here in the United States, but the world over. It is insane that it is being taken off the shelf in so many places in its place of birth. Is Ken Burns the only person who can get funding to talk about the story of how we as Americans come together? He even had the sense to realize that jazz is a major melting pot for this. The opportunities for this story to continue to be heard in the place of its birth are slowly being scraped away. This is not about Eric Jackson. This is not about Scott Hanley, formerly of WQUQ or Chris Heim formerly of WBEZ. This is not about me. This is about all of us. Even those who continue. None of you are safe. If you’re not making the decision in those board rooms, you too are also endangered. They are crunching numbers and they are not talking to you, but ABOUT you. What will they do with you? I think you know the answer to that…..

I turned to and became involved in public radio because I believed it was a perfect fit for the talents I began to develop as a journalism major attending The University of Georgia in Athens and even before that at my beloved alma mater, DeWitt Clinton High School. I have something to share and will continue to share it. When I was let go at WCPN in the Fall of 2009 I did not stop my journey to be heard despite the difficulties I experienced to be hired in other markets. Truth be told, I have more listenership today on terrestrial radio stations, in more cities than at any time in my radio career. I find it somewhat amusing that people in Guam can hear my show which I believe is the finest show I’ve ever conceived in all my years in service of this music. Conversely, I have made less money than at any time in my life. It has been a tremendous struggle for me financially but I believe in this struggle with all of my heart, mind and soul. The stations I serve by and large to a man are happy with my show and in a recent conference call, I was told they would help me in any way they could. Finding sponsorship dollars endangers its continued existence but I will fight the fight as long as I can alongside the less than 500 announcers who still can be heard on the radio. It is a noble fight.

What are we going to do about this?
Bobby Jackson
THE JAZZ MIND
www.thejazzmind.com
ftapache1@sbcglobal.net
phone: 216.288.4422
skype: bjackson10106

The Petition
Our goal is to collect 200,000 signatures and send on to WGBH. Please spread the word and discontinue your support until Eric Jackosn is reinstated with his current hours and Steve Schwartz is reinstated completely. Money and action talk. If you have any questions or advice please contact me – Lois Gilbert, www.JazzCorner.com, lois@jazzcorner.com
Jazz programming on WGBH-FM being scaled back, a blow to jazz fans

To the consternation of loyal listeners, WGBH-FM (89.7) is dropping jazz programming on weeknights, moving longtime host Eric Jackson to weekend duties only and eliminating Steve Schwartz’s Friday show.

The changes, which take effect July 2, amount to a serious downscaling of jazz programming on Boston radio, where Jackson and Schwartz have been mainstays for three decades, exposing their listeners to artists old and new and promoting concerts and other events that have been vital to the local jazz scene.

“Jazz on WGBH With Eric Jackson” will no longer run from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, airing instead from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday. Schwartz’s Friday evening jazz show is disappearing altogether, and he will no longer produce live performances for Jackson’s show. The hosts learned of the changes Tuesday from station managing director Phil Redo. As of mid-afternoon, WGBH had yet to release a statement confirming the new programming schedule.

Eric Jackson

Jackson, who celebrated 30 years on air last spring, was told his show was being moved — and cut back to nine hours weekly — to make room for more news and public affairs programming. “The station has been moving in that direction for a couple of years,” he said Wednesday. A month ago, he and Schwartz heard their shows would be cut one hour apiece, he added, but moving his show to weekend nights only was “a total surprise.”

To the local jazz community, “this is major,” Jackson said. “The music has always been there in the evening. To put it on the weekends at 9 p.m., when families won’t necessarily be listening together, is not the same thing. It’s a different vibe.”

Live interviews and shows featuring a single artist may no longer be tenable, he continued. “I still love doing radio, and Boston still needs jazz radio, because jazz is a major part of American culture. Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my show has been a major part of the jazz scene around here.”

Schwartz, who’s been on the local airwaves for nearly 27 years, said change was imminent a couple of years ago, when WGBH shifted its classical programming to another station. Then, “the other shoe dropped,” said Schwartz as he was told that having two jazz hosts no longer fit with WGBH’s plans.

Steve Schwartz

“It wasn’t a total surprise, but it is a loss,” Schwartz said. “The station is losing a consistent format spread across the week. And the Boston jazz community is losing an important venue for musicians to promote their events.”

The moves could also have a negative impact on WGBH membership, Schwartz added, since membership in the WGBH Jazz Club includes access to live concerts that will no longer be produced.

As news of the changes spread, many in the local jazz community reacted with shock and dismay. On Facebook, a “Save Eric in the Evening” page — a reference to the show’s former title — elicited postings ranging from sadness to calls for a protest petition directed at WGBH.

Saxophonist Ken Field noted how well-known and popular jackson has been among artists from all over the area, and the world. “Reducing his airtime is a step in the wrong direction, for people in Boston and people outside Boston,” he said. “Eric has been so supportive of not only international musicians who come to town but also local jazz musicians.”

A lot of people he knows are angered by the news, Field added, and wondering why they should continue to support WGBH if it drops shows such as these.

“That’s some tragic news,” commented pianist Danilo Perez, reached by phone in Colorado Wednesday afternoon. “In a culture where we are so much in need of hope and optimism, that’s what jazz is all about. As long as people listen to radio, it’s crucial to have jazz [featured] there.”

Beyond that, said Perez, “People like Eric and Steve love and know the music. To a listener like myself, it’s almost like having a History of Jazz class on the radio.”
Sign petition:

Last post we detailed the 8th annual DC Jazz Festival, and its admirable outreach efforts that resulted in their building a big tent across Washington that all told encompassed an incredible 21 neighborhoods. One of the key partner organizations in the DC Jazz Festival this year was CapitalBop, the brainchild of two enterprising young Washingtonians, journalist Giovanni Russonello (better known in the jazz community as Gio) and musician and one of my fellow WPFW programmers Luke Stewart. What they delivered to the DC Jazz Festival cannot be discounted; they brought not only a bit of cutting edge music sensibility to the DCJF menu, they also breathed a breath of fresh air into the proceedings by endeavoring to attract a younger demographic component to the festival. They succeeded in attracting a younger audience for often challenging music by establishing an inviting festival atmosphere, including multi-media (an effective panel discussion on the intersection of jazz & hip hop, and a screening of the film “Jazz Icons” which features a number of young heads talking about the current directions in jazz) with food & drink, crafts vendors, and the clever before & between sets audio/video mixology of DJ O’s Cool. The latter component cannot be discounted; the deejay’s irresistible mix encouraged those who wished to dance (for the most part the loft was a stand-up audience atmosphere) and socialize freely to the music, which proved particularly effective in between pianist Marc Cary‘s two kinetic shows with his new ensemble.

You can learn more about their efforts at www.CapitalBop.com. In the meantime a few questions for Gio & Luke…

CapitalBop partners Luke Stewart (left) and Gio Russonello (right) at their June 9 DC Jazz Loft Series event (photo: Jason Crane)

Willard Jenkins: What are the origins of Capital Bop, and what’s the mission?

Giovanni Russonello: I started CapitalBop in 2010 because I noticed a disconnect between the strong, cohesive, prolific and relatively youthful community of artists in town and the city’s populace, which was generally disengaged from the local jazz scene. When I would discuss the music with friends – no matter their age or generation – most would say, “I didn’t realize D.C. had much of a jazz scene.” My first goal was to start a website that would offer a full calendar and listing of all the jazz going on in town, and would also cover and advance the scene by running reviews, interviews, feature stories, videos and the like. On the day that I launched the website, I ran into Luke – whom I’d met before – and he immediately committed to helping out.

Luke Stewart: Capital Bop was started by Gio. He launched it at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival in 2010, where WPFW also was a media sponsor. We were broadcasting the event live, and was one of the highlights of the year for jazz in the DC area. Gio and I had met at jazz shows before, so he was a friendly familiar face when we bumped into each other at the festival. He was passing out flyers and cards promoting the website and asked if I was interested in contributing to the website. Both his and my own original intention was to contribute more audio, but I have since written and helped to organize shows, in addition to contributing audio I recorded at the DC Jazz Loft performances.

The mission of Capital Bop is to promote and enrich the local DC jazz scene, which Gio and I feel is one of the best jazz scenes in the world. We are blessed to have in our midst some incredible musicians from many different approaches in the Music. Also, the city has a deep legacy in the Music from all eras and movements. Unfortunately, many people are not privy to just how rich the DC area is in the jazz scene and in the history. Through our efforts as a website and an event organizing entity, we hope to bring more awareness to DC’s unique jazz community.

WJ: How do you see Capital Bop intersecting with our critical mission to grow the audience for creative music, to further develop that audience in the WDC area?

GR: CapitalBop has always been about reaching out to all present and potential jazz listeners. We truly want to serve as a reliable resource to those with the highest expectations – dedicated fans and musicians who already value jazz for its vitality, its historical significance and its narratives of resilience and joy. But we’re also committed to proving the music’s relevance and its ability to speak vociferous truths about an existence in the present day. (My thinking is, if it’s improvised, it’s gotta be about today.) Luke and I know that the music needs a young, sustainable audience, and we also recognize that – taking it from the opposite direction – our commodified and media-saturated generation secretly craves more raw, earnest art-making. A separate point: The District is gentrifying so rapidly, with so many of the “immigrants” often looking straight past those they are displacing – and so many emigrants understandably wishing they could ignore or avoid the population shift. Jazz speaks of universal truths, and it comes from a particular perspective of resistance and communal investment; it is a music that creates democratic spaces, where listeners of all stripes can share in a dynamic experience. I think jazz concerts have a lot to offer in the way of community building. (Check out the broad audience at Bohemian on a Saturday night, and notice how, by the end of the night, everyone is hollering together at a baying trumpet line.)

Among the participants in the jazz/hip hop panel discussion were saxophonist-author-educator Will Smith and WPFW programmers Keanna Faircloth and Bobby Hill, along with three members of WPFW’s Decipher Crew of progressive hip hop deejays (photo: Carlyle V. Smith/Capital Bop)

LS: For me as “Avant Music Editor”, it is my own mission to really drive this home. DC has a reputation for being somewhat musically conservative in terms of its jazz audience. However, at the same time, there are many musicians who reside in the area and who have come through the area over the years who are continually pushing the envelope beyond playing 4/4 standards. Even so, we feel that it is important not to be myopic in our musical approach. At any given DC Jazz Loft performance, you will find a straight ahead group playing alongside a free jazz group, or a hard bop group. The goal is to portray that we are existing all within the same continuum, and it is important to expose it all.

Also, one of the strengths of Capital Bop is our success in attracting a younger audience to creative music and jazz. It is this audience which is hungry and open to hearing new music. A lot of our audiences are new to the Music, and are looking for a place to start. We have been able to expose people to a more comprehensive look at the world of jazz.

Young DC saxman Elijah Jamal Balbed performed at the DC Jazzloft Megafest with bassist Taurus Mateen and drummer Kush Abadey (photo: Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop

WJ: In addition to your web site and your various writings, you are also establishing Capital Bop as a presenting entity. How has that been developing, and what kinds of things have you done thus far from that presenting perspective?

LS: That began with the start of the DC Jazz Loft series in December 2010, which took place at the now shuttered Goldleaf Studios.

An aside about Goldleaf – this was a studio which has been in the DC arts/underground music community since 1998. It has been the home to a number of successful bands from DC such as Trans-Am, Thievery Corporation, and US Royalty. It has also been the home for a number of successful visual artists like Joshua Cogan. Through the years, the studio has held underground events under the names “The Hosiery”, “Goldleaf Studios”, and “Red Door”. My band Laughing Man became tennants of the studio in late 2009. We had been practicing there for a time before we started to organize our own shows featuring local underground groups. The name “Red Door” was penned by my bandmate Brandon Moses, in an attempt to differentiate the things that we were doing from the heavy history that the name “Goldleaf Studios” or “The Hosiery” already had accumulated. Also, it was a clever way to let people know how to get to the space, through the Red Door.

So from the DC Jazz Loft series at Red Door, we have been able to present some of the best young musicians in the DC area, in spaces that we and the musicians feel are conducive to creative freedom and musical exploration. The vibe we try to set is always open and engaging. In addition we have begun to present shows outside of the series, such as our partnership with the NYC-based Search and Restore, headed by kindred Adam Schatz.

Bassist Taurus Mateen in performance at the DC Jazzloft Megafest (photo: Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop

GR: In our efforts to accrue broader, younger audiences, the handiest tool has been the D.C. Jazz Loft shows that we present once a month, and in a concentrated series each year at the DC Jazz Festival. We held our first loft in December 2010 at Red Door, aka Gold Leaf Studios, where Luke was renting studio space at the time. In June 2011, we debuted at the DC Jazz Festival with a successful string of four shows spanning three venues, where we paired up local musicians with out-of-town stars. D.C. Jazz Loft shows are low-key, donation-based (except during the festival) and fully focused on music, not commerce. All sorts of people, but especially young people, can get excited about that. At each monthly loft, we present three local acts and end the night in an open jam session. Among performers, we find the shows to encourage experimentation and honest music-making because the audiences end up being delighted to just sit down and let themselves be absorbed by the music.

WJ: Your presentations have been staged in non-traditional venues. Talk about your use of DC spaces.

LS: As before mentioned, we feel that reaching a wider audience has to come through fully engaging with the audience. Through presenting at “Red Door”, the space had already accumulated a loyal audience of young curious listeners, so we were able to get some of that audience to our shows, many of whom had never been to a live jazz show. We feel that presenting at non-traditional spaces attracts a newer audience, one who typically are under-served. That is, non jazz club patrons. Too often 20 somethings who might be interested in the Music don’t want to spend $20 to get in to a Twins Jazz or a Blues Alley, then have to pay a $10 minimum. In these non-traditional venues, the frills are off, and the prices are lower. This doesn’t mean that the crowd gets more rowdy, quite the contrary. This means that the crowd has the opportunity to really engage themselves in the moment, focusing in on the amazing music they are hearing. And that benefits everyone, from the musicians to the audience, both young and old.

GR: I think the music takes to unpretentious, no-frills spaces. Jazz’s greats – Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler – deserve places in the canon, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the fact that jazz is revolutionary music. It isn’t a commodity, and it wasn’t made to be used as background music on luxury sedan commercials or sultry liquor ads. It has always spoken to a reality (often, one centered in an urban environment) that involves combating oppression, repression or despair with the joy of honest human interaction. What better way to highlight this music, then, than to let people arrive as they wish over the course of a four-hour period; mingle in between sets with other listeners and musicians; pay what they can; and sit up close, face-to-face with the sounds as they’re being created?

WJ: Is it safe to say that as far as Capital Bop presentations, despite the “Bop” in your name, you’ve pretty much specialized in what some might characterize as “edgy”, original music?

The lineup board for the DC Jazzloft Megafest Saturday, June 9, 2012 (photo: Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop

LS: That is safe to say, however as previously stated, we want to present the music in a way that gives a more comprehensive and non-divisive look into jazz. With jazz being essentially a niche already in today’s music industry, there is no room for some of the compartmentalization which exists in some circles. As such we have presented folks like Paul Carr, who few I think would categorize as “edgy”. However, he is an important and influential mainstay of the DC community, and is a great performer who needs to be heard. Likewise, we presented a duo set from Joe Bowie and Nasar Abadey alongside a performance from a group lead by Elliott Seppa, two different worlds completely. So we do try to push the envelope, but the real goal is to try and break the notion that jazz music is or should come from a narrow approach. Perhaps that goal in itself is “edgy”.

GR: The past is prologue, which makes the present a privilege. What I mean is, every action you take has the advantage of building upon the past. All people, artists, thinkers – from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis to Wynton Marsalis to Frederick Douglass to Albert Einstein – are only offering their variations on and reinterpretations of what they have digested. So history is the foundation and the mortar in every bit of competent artistic work. But if you’re expressing something personal, it has to be a variation and a reinterpretation. So yes, we like to highlight artists who we think have something to say in the present moment, and are in full command of their medium. Those people must be pushing their way to the outer “edge” of something. At the last loft, we had alto saxophonist Sarah Hughes, who composes a lot of unusually structured pieces and sometimes uses a looping pedal; rock-jazz fusion steel pan player Jonathan Scales in a friendly “battle” with pannist Victor Provost; and the swingin’ guitarist Rodney Richardson. Every one of them did something different, with varying degrees of separation from the clinically defined “jazz tradition,” but I’d call each one of them “edgy.” The same thing goes for the Jazz Loft MegaFest this Saturday, when we’ll have a quintet of all-star high school students playing so-called straight-ahead jazz (the Jazz Academy Youth Combo, directed by Paul Carr); two saxophone-bass-drums trios that each approach the post-Coltrane small group ideal in a different way (Elijah Jamal Balbed-Tarus Mateen-Kush Abadey, and Lenny Robinson’s Mad Curious); and a renowned band that blends Indian scales, go-go rhythms, Malian vocals, computer music, speech samples and more (Marc Cary’s Cosmic Indigenous, feat. Awa Sangho).

WJ: Talk about your plans for Capital Bop going forward

GR: For Luke and me, the immediate plan after we complete the MegaFest involves beers, books and relaxation. But after a week or so of decompressing, we’re prepared to double down on our efforts to cover the scene (which absolutely continues to grow) and present excellent music in exciting spaces. Can’t give you too many specifics on planned “innovations,” but I can tell you that we’re just getting started.

LS: Going forward, we have plans to officially file as a 501 c3 organization. Through this we will expand our live productions to include more ticketed events in addition to the monthly donation-based DC Jazz Loft performances. Also we plan to add an educational element to the organization, reaching out to different schools in DC to conduct workshops and master classes. We are also looking forward to partnering with more arts organizations to produce more interdisciplinary arts events and showcases like the one we are doing this Saturday at the DC Jazz Loft Megafest. We feel that DC is exploding right now with artistic creativity, and we want to have a part in that as a way to further expand and develop our audience and to introduce our audience to some other aspects of the rich art scene in DC.

Luke & Gio with Elijah Jamal Balbed (photo: Carlyle V. Smith/Capital Bop)

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