JOHN CONYERS, JR.
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2011 Contact: (202) 509-3769
NEA JAZZ MASTER RANDY WESTON AND THE 2009 THELONIOUS MONK INTERNATIONAL BASS COMPETION WINNER BEN WILLIAMS TO PERFORM AT ANNUAL CBCF JAZZ CONCERT ON SEPTEMBER 22nd
Washington, DC – Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, will once again serve as the Honorary Host Jazz Issue Forum and Concert that will take place during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.’s 41st Annual Legislative Conference, September 21 -24, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WCC), 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC 20001.
The Jazz Issue Forum, entitled “The Legacy of Modern Jazz Masters and Black America’s Quest for Freedom” will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, in Room 209-B of the WCC. The panel discussion will focus on the powerful musical, spiritual and social legacy established by jazz masters such as John Coltrane, Max Roach, Abby Lincoln and Dr. Billy Taylor and their impact on the modern civil and human rights movements. The panelists will include Dr. Leonard Brown, Northeastern University; Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin, Columbia University; Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald, Rutgers University; Dr. Maurice Jackson, Georgetown University; Jessica L. Boykin Settles, Howard University; National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master Randy Weston and Willard Jenkins of Open Sky Jazz. Cedric Hendricks will serve as Moderator and Mr. Conyers will make remarks. The Forum will also include an update on H.R. 2823, Mr. Conyers’ new legislation entitled the National Jazz Preservation and Education Act.

The Jazz Concert will be held from 7:00 to 10:30 pm, in Ballroom A of the WCC. This event will open with a Meet the Artist session featuring Bassist Ben Williams and his mother, Bennie Williams. WPFW’s Willard Jenkins will moderate the session. Following it will be the opening performance featuring Ben Williams and Sound Effect, with Marcus Strickland, Christian Sands, Matt Stevens and Jamire Williams. Ben Williams is the 2009 winner of the Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition. His debut album, State of Art, was released in June 2011 on the Concord Jazz label.
Headlining the concert will be Pianist Randy Weston and African Rhythms, with T.K. Blue, Billy Harper, Essiet Essiet, Neil Clarke and Lewis Nash. Randy Weston is an internationally renowned pianist, composer, bandleader and cultural ambassador, whose compositions encompass the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa. Randy Weston has received awards and acclaim at home and abroad, including the prestigious Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2001. He has also received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, in June 2006. In 2009 he was added to the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame. On May 11, 2011 Weston received the award of Royal Wissam of National Merit of the Order of Officer by command of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI of Morocco for his lifelong commitment to Morocco. His memoirs, African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston, composed by Randy Weston and arranged by Willard Jenkins, was published in 2010.

Both the Jazz Issue Forum and the Jazz Concert are free and open to the public.

INTRODUCTION

Future of Music Coalition is conducting the “Money from Music” survey, a groundbreaking research initiative to document the complex nature of being a musician and composer in the 21st century. This is a broad and comprehensive national study that examines the complex reality of musician and composer income. We are looking for robust participation from the jazz community in our case studies and the September 2011 survey. You can read more about the survey here: http://futureofmusic.org/ars

GOALS OF THIS STUDY FOR JAZZ
We hope with this project to build an essential data set that will allow the jazz field to begin benchmarking how artists’ income streams are changing in the digital age, and particularly how jazz musicians are faring compared to other genres. Having qualitative and quantitative data documenting how the digital transition impacts musicians’ income streams will make the jazz field more effective in advocacy on digital rights issues. This will also help the jazz community understand how to build sustainable business models that maximize the amount of money paid directly to artists, rather than to middlemen and intermediaries in the digital marketplace.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
“Money from Music” is an anonymous, online survey open to US-based musicians and composers available September 6 to October 28, 2011. This survey will give musicians and composers a way to:
* let their voices and stories be heard
* learn how other musicians and composers are earning money in the digital era
* provide media outlets and public with empirical data vs. anecdotes
* show policy makers how revenue has been affected

PSA SCRIPTS FOR YOUR SHOW
As you can imagine, jazz musicians are a difficult population to reach. There is no directory of all the jazz musicians in the United States. They don’t all belong to the same union or association. FMC is partnering with conservatories, national membership organizations, clubs, festivals, and reaching out to radio stations for help spreading the word. We know that jazz musicians listen to your show, and we would appreciate anything you can do to get the message out.

—
Hannah Byam
Communications Associate
Future of Music Coalition
1615 L Street NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20036
202.822.2051 ext. 121
hannah@futureofmusic.org

As one who has written about jazz in a variety of publications, from periodicals to books, I’ve had many occasions to hear musicians’ various criticisms of those who by profession or sidebar occupation most often stand in published “criticism” of them – be that favorable or unfavorable. I’ve had my share of back-and-forths with artists over things I’ve written and heard stories of the same from writing colleagues and musicians. And over the last 18 months the Independent Ear has hosted an ongoing series of dialogues from African American music journalists on the often peculiar challenges we face in covering music and artists.

With all that in mind, and with a university presentation forthcoming on the subject of jazz journalism/criticism (and perhaps next we’ll explore the differences between journalist and critic), I took a recent informal poll of a group of prominent jazz artists. The question/premise was a simple one:

The question elicited a number of responses, some quite provocative, some quite expansive – one in particular, from an acknowledged master, drew two essays in response. For the next few weeks the Independent Ear will feature those responses in an ongoing series, in alphabetical response form. Full disclosure: in certain cases these musician-respondents may respond directly to my own writing and work, however let me assure the reader that such references were totally unsolicited and spontaneously supplied by the respondent.

Ben Allison, bassist-composer-bandleader:

The best music journalism, in my opinion, does the following things

1. Gives insight into a piece of music by offering observations about it in the context of the current music scene: how does is reflect what’s happening now in a broad sense? Where does it fit in terms of larger musical trends vs. the local trends both in time and geography?

2. Gives insight into a musical work in the context of the artist’s history: how does it fit in the overall story that the artist has fashioned over their personal career? An example would be the career of Miles. How does “On the Corner” fit in with his work with Bird, the band with Trane, the mid-60s quartet?

This is not just a simple matter of “this is good, this is bad,” or “I like this, I don’t like that.” As a reader and musician I usually don’t put too much stock in whether a reviewer likes a record or concert. I’m mostly curious to know something about the music: who played what tunes with what instrumentation? Also, whenever possible, I like to get some sense of context: what’s different or even unique about a particular band or artist being reviewed? In other words, tell me where you think this music falls in the overall scene. Was it a successful performance? If so, why? Judge it on it’s own terms and in the context of what the musicians were going for. Would you judge a Woody Allen movie based on it’s use of special effects, a porno based on it’s crafty dialogue?This has to be done with some sense of flair and sophistication. Writers will often try to put someone in context by comparing them to well-known musicians. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been compared to Charles Mingus or Dave Holland. And while these two musicians are among my favorites of all time, and I feel humbled to be put in the same sentence, I often feel like it’s a bit of a short cut on the part of the writer. I mean, is there a jazz bassist alive who hasn’t been influenced by these guys? I’m a bassist/composer/leader. They’re among the greatest bassist/composer/leaders of all time and therefore, among the most recognizable names. It sometimes feels a little obvious. I’m wondering how many writers know about my love and admiration for Willy Weeks and Chuck Rainey, both of whom figure very largely in my sound and approach.

I don’t mean to suggest this should be a guessing game for journalists (i.e “spot the influence”). I’m only saying that my favorite writers are the ones who look for connections (even if they’re a bit off-base) and search for context. And I really love it when writers compare my current work to my earlier work! Judging my music in the context of my personal history.

On the negative side, my LEAST FAVORITE meme (cultural idea that spreads between people) is that jazz and jazz musicians are downtrodden. There’s a romanticism to this idea. But it’s been beaten to death and I, for one, don’t want to continue to celebrate it. Most of the musicians I know are hard-working, middle or lower-middle class people who see themselves as small business people. Their brands are their names and what they sell is their art. They have as much integrity as any hard working craftsman. We’re not to be pitied. I don’t want to dwell on the fact that Billie Holiday supposedly died with $700 strapped to her leg or that Robert Johnson died at 27. Both stories are sad but miss the point. I’m mostly interested in how Robert Johnson’s voice and guitar cracked with emotion that speaks to generations of people. I know I’d understand Robert Johnson more deeply if I knew how things smelled and sounded and tasted in the Mississippi delta (I’ve never been). A good writer would help me, at least a little, to feel like I’m there.

BEN & MEMBERS OF ONE OF HIS BANDS

www.benallison.com

Bill Anschell, pianist-composer-bandleader-humorist

I haven’t decided NOT to read reviews of my music, but I decided long ago that I wouldn’t let myself off the hook by taking praise seriously and discounting criticism as flawed. And the best way I know to pull that off is to not take pros or cons at face value, but to see if there might be some meat within. What do I look for in the writing? Probably like most musicians, I want some evidence that the writer can get inside the music – hear harmony, form, changes, rhythm – and not just react emotionally. Not that there’s anything wrong with the latter, but a more studied opinion is more valuable to me. One way critics of my music get my attention is if they zero in on something that I happen to agree with – maybe their favorite track is the same as mine, or they like a particular solo by someone in that band that I also especially like, or they find fault with something that I know deserves it. Obviously that’s a little self-centered (“if they hear what I hear, they must be good”), but knowing they’re on approximately the same page as me makes me very interested in the rest of what they have to say.

Generally speaking, I think the grade inflation/cheerleader aspect of reviewing has gotten way out of hand. When 90% of the reviews are positive, you know the writers aren’t digging deep enough, and their opinions consequently begin to lose meaning.

You don’t need to be trained in music theory to be able to hear changes, form, rhythmic complexity, etc. I have no doubt that you hear all of that (I can tell that you do), but I do think there are too many writers whose skills lie far more in the prose than in the listening. And some who don’t have a lot of either, sadly…
www.billanschell.com

Stay tuned to the Independent Ear for weekly explorations of artists’ expectations of music critics and journalists.

In a classic example of how time can inevitably alter one’s prior impressions, last month I was down in New Orleans working on a piece that will arrive in JazzTimes magazine’s forthcoming annual jazz education issue, on the annual Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp. On a couple of occasions during that week I noticed the students viewing an episode of Ken Burns’ controversial “Jazz” documentary series. Spurred by that viewing I knew I needed to see the series again, at my leisure and sans the court of public (jazz) opinion, remembering the firestorm of controversy that Y-2K series generated. In fact I had not seen the series since its original PBS airing, so 11 years later as Bird once said “Now’s the Time”.

Quickly finding a gently used DVD box set of the Burns series on Amazon.com, I found myself riveted to the screen and eager for each succeeding episode in the 10-disc set. And take note of how the series was just denoted in the last sentence – as “the Burns series.” That is precisely the shade of glasses one must view this series through, as Ken Burns and his assembled cohorts take on the jazz lineage – and NOT as a definitive survey of the history of jazz. I’m afraid that is the mistake a lot of the series’ critics tended to make, as though Ken Burns’ “Jazz” ever set out to be definitive in any way. There was a sense of dismay and outright betrayal in much of the earliest criticism, as though the series arrived far short of its considerable expectation; that’s true in some aspects, but seeing the series after this passage of time – sans expectations – is rewarding. On second blush, the series provides a beautiful portrayal of the jazz lineage, a profile of sorts to be sure… but by no means a straight history of the form. This is how Burns and co. saw the development of jazz, and not as some be-all-end-all jazz history compendium.

Admittedly after viewing all ten discs I still felt the latter half of the 20th century in jazz was severely short-changed, but again this was “Ken Burns Jazz” and not the History of Jazz in 20 Hours as some would have had it. And this revisionist viewpoint is not to say the series is without flaws, far from it. But taken as a whole for what it was, there has been no better pure television series on jazz music.

I found myself enthralled by the way Burns & co. (check the credits, a rather prodigious team actually assembled this thing (including quite auspiciously an old friend I’ve lost touch with, Natalie Bullock-Brown (proud of you ‘sis!) – not to mention the numerous talking heads called upon for their various expertise throughout the series) sketched the lives of those artists they selected as the most significant contributors, and how they did so in segments which dissolved into portraits of the times those gentlemen and ladies lived in, then later looped back in succeeding episodes for updates on where they were in the continuum. Particularly effective were the treatments in this regard of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman; though by turns I thought Count Basie was a bit shortchanged in this regard – not to mention Ornette Coleman, but we’ll get to that shortcoming. These threads between masters and episodes is masterfully woven.

It was remarkable watching the extensive swing era segments and thinking how so much of the depression as painted so vividly by the series, actually reflected some of the more depressing aspects of world life in what is euphemistically referred to today as a “recession,” as though we dare not label ourselves as living in a dreaded D word. I also found myself wondering how much dance enthusiasts must have been enraptured at the marvelous dance footage Burns & co. unearthed. (Certain episodes, particularly those dealing with the Savoy Ballroom and featuring commentary by the hoofers Norma Miller and Frankie Manning, should be required viewing for the Dancing With the Stars crowd.) The copious use of period still photos is even more striking in succeeding viewings. I wondered how many folks saw those episodes and recognized faces in the crowd (as in: ‘oh man look, that’s my grandmother/father as a young man/woman…’!!).

As for the talking heads, yes some critics were originally quite correct in citing the omnipresence of certain “experts,” but I must say I was warmed every time someone like my friend and ancestor Jackie McLean appears onscreen dropping science. I also found myself listening more intently to such graceful contributors as the understated writer Margo Jefferson, whose astute observations were always so spot-on and leavened with a twinkle in her eye. Hearing Gerald Early reflect back on how black folks of the boomer (my) generation as young people responded (deeply mistaken) to Pops as some sorta skinnin’ & grinnin’ minstrel (boy were we off-key there!) is once again very telling, and a classic example of how revisionist history is often very rewarding. I for one eventually straightened out and came to the realization that Louis Armstrong is one of the monumental figures in American history, let alone American music history! Burns’ inclusion of such key and telling anecdotes, initial weaknesses and admissions is one of the series’ great strengths. Also growing in value are such unforgettable chestnuts s as Jon Hendricks‘ recounting his initial wartime encounter with “Salt Peanuts”, that of someone who had been away fighting a war on foreign soil, clueless to advancements in the music until a chance encounter at sea with Dizzy’s recorded mastery on the way home from the fighting. On the revelation side, where on earth did Burns & co. unearth such rare footage as Pops’ playful, beret-wearing put-down of Dizzy at the Hollywood Bowl? Hadn’t seen that one before… or since!

Yes, Ken Burns “Jazz” was guilty of speed reading the advancements in the music represented by the latter half of the 20th century, and he whiffed on such a seminal modernist as Ornette Coleman, who surely deserved a broader portrait. So let’s hope someone or some crew adept on the contemporary side will more fully paint that picture. Until then, Ken Burns “Jazz” indeed stands as a monument of a jazz portrait.

Dysfunctional is the curious title of a gritty and revealing autobiography written figurative minutes before the passing on to ancestry of a Kansas City treasure, master saxophonist Ahmad Alaadeen. Subtitled “life journeys of a second generation jazz musician,” that’s precisely where Alaadeen places himself in the jazz lineage – among the second generation of musicians who came up through the world of music, likely because he was among the generation that came up at the tail end of the so-called swing era and the beginnings of what became known as bebop. Here’s the blurb I wrote for the cover of this rewarding read:

“Ahmad Alaadeen is one of those musicians every community should treasure; the master-level musician who avoids the jazzman’s siren call to New York and instead remains at “home”; enriching his preferred environs with the wealth of his talents and sheer give-back spirit,” and Ahmad Alaadeen certainly gave-back to the Kansas City community. “His story is full of cautionary tales and triumphs over adversities, of music made and music lost, of unstinting life lessons and subsequent sage observations, and ultimately of contributing to the music which gave him so much sustenance. This is a book that every aspiring jazz musician should read and take heed, for Ahmad Alaadeen is certainly dropping science on his readers. He pulls no punches, reveals both the grit and the triumph, ranging from growing up to Jay McShann’s magnetic music in the ‘hood, to the music he ultimately called his own. Dysfunctional is a curious title, for this is a man who surely functioned in the world he ultimately chose, and did so with great grace and humility.”

You can learn more about this book and this under-recognized master at www.Alaadeen.com. Dysfunctional is available on Amazon.com in hard copy and Kindle edition.

You can get a discounted copy of Dysfunctional by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/84209 and entering Coupon Code CJ39C. It pays to read The Independent Ear!