Trumpeter, and erstwhile vocalist/one-man-band, raconteur/social commentator (at least based on his latest release Bitches on the IN + OUT label, which would appear to be the latest advance in his Sonic Trance odyssey) Nicholas Payton has been raising a literal firestorm of conjecture and debate with his recent series of blog posts, Twitter and Facebook rejoinders. The initial firestarter was Payton’s bold broadside “On Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore,” originally posted on November 27. That was followed by such provocative posts as “White Angst,” “Can a White Person Experience Racism,” “On Why Nicholas Payton is NOT a Racist,” and “On Why I Keep Beating This Racist Horse.” Throughout this series of what to some appear to be pugilistic exchanges, Payton has shown no qualms in rather severely taking to task such younger musicians as saxophonist Marcus Strickland and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, each of whom in his own way has criticized Payton’s screeds in cyberspace. Nicholas Payton’s pronouncements and tireless Tweets have spread like wildfire across the ‘net. Frankly I’ve wondered if his tongue isn’t planted firmly in his cheek with some of his declarations.

I can’t tell you how many email forwards-as-chat group postings I’ve received, expressing ye or nay on Payton’s various rants. If nothing more Nicholas Payton has succeeded in ramping up the dialogue on the jazz and black folks question, outright rejecting the term jazz in favor of Black American Music, or BAM for short. Frankly we can go back to the 1920s for variations on the efficacy of the term “jazz.” I for one have grown weary of that bit of nomenclature skirmish. But I do respect Payton’s right to raise these questions, and support his desire to be out front on various issues, in refreshingly abject defiance of any measure of political correctness. Though I cannot say I am in total agreement with Nicholas’ various broadsides, I do see him as serving as a very useful provocateur at best, conversation starter at worst.

I do find something a bit sycophantic about the various Hallelujah Chorus members who’ve served as Nicholas Payton cheerleaders throughout these exchanges. I find myself wondering why the Hallelujah Chorus doesn’t step outside that figurative veil with issues and solutions of their own; and much more of the latter, if you please. Right now the Nicholas Payton cheerleading squad is full-up folks!

My first sighting of Nicholas Payton was as a startling young trumpeter introduced and encouraged onstage by NEA Jazz Master Clark Terry at the last IAJE conference held in New Orleans nearly two decades ago. Clearly this was a budding young trumpet ace to watch. Over the years Payton’s artistry has grown exponentially, and he has shown a healthy eclecticism in his tastes, ranging from his lovely collaboration with the grandfatherly Doc Cheatham, through his Sonic Trance experiments, various trumpet challenges, and now his one-man band Bitches release. Nothing about Nicholas Payton’s demeanor, onstage or off, ever suggested that he’d be the bearer of these current rants, which I suppose makes them all the more startling in their candor.

A dear friend and colleague of mine in music education asked me just the other day in a telephone conversation where I thought Nicholas Payton was coming from, and why all-of-a-seeming-sudden all this righteous internet fire & brimstone. The one thing I know is that Nic comes from the truth, and he’s just speaking the truth as he believes it – whether you’re inclined to swallow it or not. And no, unlike some respondents I don’t believe his truth-telling is self-serving; though I did note with interest the response of another good friend and fellow writer who warned about Payton’s penchant for hard core put-downs of those who disagree, feeling that perhaps Nic is doing himself more harm than good in the long run.

But the one thing I can confirm is that Nicholas Payton is coming from a place of veracity, as he sees it. Nicolas Payton comes from the truth; his daddy, bassist Walter Payton, was one of those hard-working, blue collar jazz musicians who toiled in the vineyards of New Orleans mightily, exhibiting the kind of versatility that is a hallmark of so many musicians from the Crescent City. Payton was raised by musicians of a similar ilk who took no prisoners, people like Ellis Marsalis and the late trumpeter-educator Clyde Kerr, Jr. These are musicians who pull no punches, either on or off the bandstand.

Think about the well-chronicled outspokenness of other New Orleans musicians who arrived a bit before Nicholas. How many times have Wynton or Branford Marsalis gone off and told it like they saw it, only to be taken to task for their bluntness and seeming political incorrectness? Spending a few glorious days in Essaouira, Morocco a few years ago on a spiritual journey with Donald Harrison and his Congo Nation band revealed more than a few truths as well; listening to Harrison pull no punches for instance on those who dismissed his passionate pursuit of the Black Indian legacy he inherited from his father, Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. was quite revealing, particularly when he got around to keeping it real about a certain cowardly trumpeter from his hometown (neither Wynton nor Nicholas, I assure you).

You get the same blunt truths from other New Orleans musicians as well, including some very strong opinions in my various conversations and interviews with friend and flutist Kent Jordan; and if you know his dad Kidd, you know where that comes from. Political correctness is not the nature of musicians from the Crescent City, and I for one have found that refreshing. So agree or disagree, I am in full support of Nicholas Payton telling it like he sees it, and in many cases revealing truths others are afraid to speak.

However, as I’ve told Nicholas in some subsequent communications, one element of his arguments that I find it difficult to support is the contention – veiled or overt – that somehow someone (that royal “someone” I suppose) has stolen jazz – or, ahem, BAM if he prefers – from black folks. Sorry folks but I continue to hold steadfast to the contention that there’s been no theft, black folks have given away the music through dwindling support and abject neglect; abdicated the throne as it were. While African Americans continue to play this music with authority – and yes, there are still young black musicians striving to learn this music in the academy and the corps of 20-something black jazz musicians beginning to make contributions remains significant, the African American audience for jazz is pitiful; that is unless certain circumstances exist: i.e. the music is presented free of charge, or the music is presented somewhere in the African American community. I’m open to suggestions, conjectures, and outright debate on that issue. You game? Look for a series of dialogues on that issue in The Independent Ear in 2012.

The Jazz Wire
December 16, 2011

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event sponsored by JazzTimes that I think you’ll find interesting. In connection with the APAP (Association of Performing Art Presenters) conference and Winter JazzFest in January, we will be presenting the JazzTimes DIY Crash Course—a series of workshops and presentations geared to jazz artists and professionals who are dealing with a rapidly changing world with new economic challenges.

The JazzTimes DIY Crash Course will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at the Hilton New York Hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 53rd Street) in New York City. Admission is FREE.

As you know, for many years we produced the JazzTimes Convention and then later we were one of the sponsors of the Industry Track at the IAJE conference. Now, with IAJE gone, the record industry in transition and brick and mortar retail stores closing left and right, we felt that there was a real need to bring people in the jazz community together to address issues and trends that matter right now. In planning these sessions, we had three criteria. First, the workshops had to provide concrete and practical advice. Second, the effect of social media and new technology would be part of every session. Third, we would feature new voices and not the usual pundits and panelists who have done conferences before (me included!).

Check out the schedule of sessions below. We have scheduled four workshops that are meant to provide tangible and useful insight for artists—both established and emerging. In addition, we’ve asked some artists and professionals to give short and hopefully inspirational talks about their own life experiences, along the lines of the TED talks or NPR’s “This I Believe.” Move over Tony Robbins and make way for Vijay Iyer, Steven Bernstein, Matt Wilson, Jason Crane and Fay Victor!

Of course, perhaps the greatest benefit of an event like this is just bringing people together. Attendees are likely to learn as much from each other as from our so-called experts. And we have made it clear to the workshop moderators that audience participation is essential.

I hope you can come to the event and not only listen and hopefully glean practical information, but also contribute your own ideas and experience. There is a Facebook Events page set up if you would like to RSVP or find out who else is planning to attend.

Admission to the sessions is free. You don’t have to be a member of APAP or registered for the conference to participate. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of that organization and recommend that you considering attending the conference, which this year includes a track of jazz programming—JazzConnect: Building Jazz Culture – Local to Global. Learn more about APAP|NYC 2012

For those coming from out-of-town, APAP is offering a special conference rate of $189/night at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and one block away from our event. APAP guests who book by Nov 30 also receive complimentary in-room Internet access, 10% discount at the Sheraton coffee shop and market, and free access to the Sheraton fitness club. For more hotel information, click here or call: 1.800.325.3535.

Feel free to e-mail me back with any questions you might have about this event.

Best regards,
Lee Mergner
Publisher
JazzTimes
JazzTimes DIY Crash Course
Thursday Jan 5, 2012
Concourse A, Hilton New York

Schedule of Sessions:

10:00 am SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Vijay Iyer

10:15 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes) Music for Sale: New models for selling your music With Borders and other traditional retail outlets shutting their doors, channels for distribution of recorded music have changed dramatically. Beyond iTunes there are many online music services for sales and airplay. This workshop discusses strategies for the emerging artist to navigate this new and always evolving sales landscape. Moderator: John Newcott (WBGO) Panelists: Phillip Bailey (Concord Music Group), Erol Cichowski (IODA), Bret Sjerven (Sunnyside), Marc Free (Posi-Tone )

11:30 am SOLO SPOT (5-10 minutes), Jason Crane (The Jazz Session)

11:45 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes)
Breaking Through the Clutter: Social media for publicity, promotion and profit?
As traditional print & broadcast media become more and more obsolete, as the record store has all but died, as digital retailers and editorial websites have increased in power and influence, a new culture of readers and consumers has emerged—a group that goes first and foremost to the internet for all of its information & entertainment needs. We discuss this culture and how they interact with each other in real time. Topics will include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pandora, Last.fm and other important ways social media is used to spread the word on music and other topics.
Moderator: Dmitri Vietze (rock paper scissors) Panelists: Kevin Calabro (Calabro Music Media), Dick Huey (Toolshed Marketing), Josh Jackson (The Checkout)

12:45 pm BREAK (60 minutes)

1:45 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Fay Victor

2:00 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) New Models for Jazz Performance and Touring: Going beyond the traditional club and festival circuit The days of a jazz club in every city are over and large venues are only looking for big names, but there are all sorts of new performing opportunities available to emerging artists, both in New York City and across the country. Presenters and booking agents share what they know from the frontlines. Moderator: Jim Macnie Panelists: Mark Christman (Ars Nova Workshop), Jeanna Disney (International Music Network), Brice Rosenbloom (BOOM Collective), Meghan Stabile (Revive Music Group), Myles Weinstein (Unlimited Myles)

3:15 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Steven Bernstein

3:25 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) The Jazz Artist as Small Business Owner and Manager As musicians add fundraising, promotion, producing, recording, distribution, management and booking to their skill sets, individuals are becoming organizations. Some thrive on collective output and multiple platforms. What are the benefits and challenges to incorporating, becoming a non-profit entity, seeking fiscal sponsorship, and taking on self-management/promotion? Moderator: Sara Donnelly (Arts Consultant) Panelists: Ben Allison, Taylor Ho Bynum, Dianne Debicella (Fractured Atlas)m Marcus Strickand (Strick Muze)

4:30 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Matt Wilson

This is pt. 9 in our series of observations from musicians, responding to this burning question: When you read music journalism or criticism, what qualities are you looking for in the writer and the writing?

CHRIS WASHBURNE, trombonist-composer-educator (Columbia University)

I do read music journalism/criticism regularly. I am reading to learn. I want a writer that has their ear on the pulse of the newest trends. As a musician I am just too busy to constantly check out younger musicians and new bands. I let music journalists do the scoping and I will check out unknown musicians after I have had a chance to read about them. I also prefer a writer who has a solid grasp of the music’s social and stylistic history and who can provide insights about new projects which are informed by that knowledge. In terms of critiques about my own work, I also read them, but I admit that it requires some effort and self-discipline to not take things too personal. As I get older, that becomes easier.

SALIM WASHINGTON, saxophonist-composer-educator (Brooklyn College)

The main thing that I judge music criticism/journalism by is whether or not I get a sense that the writer understands what is truly at stake with the music, what it is that makes it important, and not simply, ‘I like this cat, I don’t like that one’ kind of boosterism.

The ancestor Walter Bishop, Jr. was a potent exemplar of the so-called bebop piano style. Part of modern jazz’s second wave, Bishop played with a veritable who’s who of bop and post-boppers. He left all too soon when he split in 1998, but along with his recorded output it turns out “Bish”, as he was known to friends and colleagues, also left a significant poetic legacy. Poetry was an art form about which Walter Bishop, Jr. was quite the devotee – witness his membership in the poetry society known as Poets Four. Valerie Bishop has graciously shared some of Bish’s poetry; this is the sixth installment in our series and you can locate the other five pieces in our Archives section.

I NEVER WROTE A SONG FOR MY MOTHER
By Walter Bishop, Jr.

I never wrote a song for my mother
Although I love her like no other.
They say we could pass for sister and brother,
But I never wrote a song for my Mother.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’ve written many a song…
Not nearly as much as my Father.
He’s gone on to glory but that’s another story
I never wrote a song for my Mother.

I’ve written songs like WALTZ FOR SWEETIE
Yes, indeedy,
LADY BARBARA, too.
CORAL KEYS
But none of these was a song I wrote for You.

I’ve written music for a saint called Yogananda
And a city way out West.
ROSAMOND became SWEET ROSA
But none of those was a song I wrote for You.

Now she’s nurtured me since infancy.
Now, Sonny Boy, no need to lay up in dat pee
For I will come and changeth the.
Eat your oatmeal, it’s good for you.
Castor oil will see you through.
Prune juice will keep you loose.
Drink all your milk… it makes your skin soft as silk.
Get ready for church, don’t keep the Lord waiting.
Get there on time and he’ll save you from Satan.

And when I engaged in outrageous behavior,
T’was She…She who would be my saviour.

Now Dad’s mad and he’ll whip my tail
But it’s you Mother who’ll go my bail.

Stop…don’t steal from your sisters, you’re giving me blisters
Trying to whack your little butt.
I’ll call it a wrap, you’re due for the strap
That’ll end all the crap.

Your astrological sign is Leo the Lion, the key word here is love;
Forthrightness, courage and efficiency; you are all of the above.
From stick-ball to Carnegie Hall, who was behind it all.
You, Mother

I’ve gotten standing ovations in distant nations…
Been on radio and TV too,
As you can see I’ve had a ball, but in spite of it all,
I never wrote a song for You…

A toast to you on this day of days,
I could never repay you for your loving ways.

Yes it’s true, I never wrote a song for You.
But one little song would never do
The song I write for thee would have to be a symphony,
And this I know to be true.

You’ll live a long time in spite of this rhyme
And you’ll never need pity as long as there’s Atlantic City.

Ceremony To Herald Return Of The Cove Friday

For the first time since Hurricane Katrina, the Cove, the hub of student life at the University of New Orleans for decades, will reopen at a ceremony on Friday, December 2. Governor Bobby Jindal, Senator Mary Landrieu, University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett, and UNO Interim Chancellor Joe King will speak at the ribbon cutting which will begin at 2:30 p.m. Special musical performances will be given by professor emeritus Ellis Marsalis and UNO jazz faculty members Victor Atkins, Roland Guerin, Steve Masakowski, Ed Petersen, Brent Rose, Brian Seeger, and the Director of the New Orleans Jazz Institute, Irvin Mayfield.

The Cove was originally built in 1973 as a “food and recreation center” and quickly became the center of UNO campus life. In 1990, UNO jazz studies director Ellis Marsalis turned The Cove into a living laboratory where UNO students performed with national and international jazz artists. Jazz at the Sandbar grew to become part of UNO’s academic and cultural fabric. UNO is proud to announce the return of one of its greatest treasures which has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina.

The $4.7 million, 16,400 square-foot facility will offer a food court, indoor and outdoor seating, a bar, and a state-of-the-art music venue which will house the famed Sandbar. The project was funded by a combination of federal, state, and private money including donations from UNO alumni and the UNO Student Government Association.
UNO Jazz Ambassadors to Perform at Prestigious Event in New York

UNO student Barry Stephenson, a composer and bassist in the Jazz Studies program, has been named this year’s recipient of the ASCAP Foundation’s Louis Armstrong Scholarship. Stephenson will be presented with the award at the annual ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony Wednesday, December 7, in the Allen Room of the Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The scholarship is supported by the ASCAP Foundation and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc. and includes a $3,000 cash award.

For the first time, the ASCAP Foundation has invited UNO to provide the jazz segment of the evening’s musical showcase. Joining Stephenson on bass for the performance will be fellow graduate students Allen Dejan, Jr. on saxophone and Jamison Ross on drums, as well as Jazz Studies professor Brian Seeger on guitar.

The invitation-only event, hosted by ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, honors a wide variety of scholarship and award recipients, all of whom benefit from programs of The ASCAP Foundation. Last year’s honorees included singer Tony Bennett and his wife Susan Benedetto. The ASCAP Foundation supports a variety of professional development, music education, and recognition programs. ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, is one of the largest performing rights organizations in the world.
Music Department Gets $1,000 Grant For Jazz At The Sandbar

The University of New Orleans Department of Music is the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to support the Jazz at the Sandbar series in the spring of 2012. The funding comes from the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Community Partnerships Grants program.

Founded by Ellis Marsalis, the Jazz at the Sandbar program presents up to 16 concerts each year at UNO, pairing well-known jazz professionals with UNO student ensembles to give budding jazz artists the opportunity to play with musical legends. Now in its 21st year, Jazz at the Sandbar offers regular high-quality jazz concerts on campus and provides a lively meeting place for students, faculty, and the New Orleans community. Jazz at the Sandbar is, in fact, the only regular provider of live jazz in the neighborhoods of Lakeview, Gentilly, and New Orleans East. In the spring of 2012, Jazz at the Sandbar will return to its original home in The Cove, the newly renovated student dining and entertainment facility.

The Jazz & Heritage Foundation provides funding to local arts and educational groups for programs that reflect the foundation’s mission of promoting Louisiana’s musical culture.

“There are so many groups working hard to support the culture of our region, and we are privileged to be able to assist them in a direct and meaningful way,” said Don Marshall, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s executive director. “This is another great example of how the foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest to benefit our community.”
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