Choices & opinions in this publication are entirely personal, with primary focus on the miraculous art form known as jazz (meaning original, creative, heartfelt, improvised music that embraces & extends the tradition ~ or as John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie put it, "You've got to keep one foot in the past & the other in the future"). Please double~check all information before acting on it, since mistakes & changes do happen. Phone numbers shown without area codes are (212). The newsletter is divided into 3 sections: (1) special announcements & survival news (though creative endeavor is inherently non~competitive except with oneself, a few contests are sometimes listed among the survival announcements because they offer significant prize money to winners & may actually bestow some on the deserving); (2) continuous events; (3) upcoming events. Events are listed in order of chronology first, then time, then alphabetically by venue within NYC, then (last) out of town.
Many performers these days make
careers as imitators, in music negotiating their way neatly through charts
& copying other people's solos, sounds, & styles; often these musicians
receive strong support from political, social & corporate powers seeking
to appropriate cultural riches that belong to others, or to kill what they
do not & cannot own. Meanwhile, many living masters with original voices,
true creativity, & real passion struggle on in relative obscurity,
trying to add something new to what has already been said in the music.
To quote Billie Holiday, if you aren't being original, "It's close~order
drill or exercise or yodeling or something, but not music." By this definition,
wherever possible, only authentic musicians are listed herein.
If you're looking for news of the great HENRY GRIMES, please visit <www.HenryGrimes.com>!
BLOOD DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED & offer you the chance to save someone’s life; donations can be made at several sites in Manhattan, including: Port Authority Bus Terminal, 42nd St. & 8th Ave, south wing; 31O E. 67th St. (Mon. & Fri. 8:15 a.m.~3:15 p.m., Tues.~Thurs. noon~7:15, Sat. 1O a.m.~5:15 p.m.); Citicorp Bldg., 53rd St. & Lexington Ave., lower~level lounge (Mon.~Fri. 8:15 a.m.~3:15 p.m.); also & at your local hospital (check days & times). NOTE: It is impossible to catch any disease by giving blood, but you may be able to find out if you already have certain ones. You will have to give some personal/ medical data & show photo I.D.’s. Info/ appointment: (8OO) 933~2566, <www.nybloodcenter.org>.
RECORDINGS, VIDEOS, SCORES & BOOKS can be borrowed free of charge at the Performing Arts Library, 4O Lincoln Ctr. Plaza (Amsterdam & 64th St.), Mon’s 1O a.m.~8 p.m., Tues’s~Thurs’s noon~8, Fri.’s & Sat’s 1O~6, closed Sun’s, info 87O~163O, 221~7676, 869~8O89. Possibly an even better selection is available at Donnell Library Center’s audio~visual dept., 2O W. 53rd St., Mon./ Wed./ Fri./ Sat. noon~5:3O, Tues. 1O a.m.~5:3O p.m., Thurs. noon~8, info 621~O618 or ~9, 221~7676. Web site for all NYC libraries: <www.nypl.org>.
RARE AFRICAN~AMERICAN FILMS (‘14~ ‘55) are available
for sale on VHS; send $1 for catalogue to N.Y. STATE BLACK FILM ARCHIVES,
Adam Clayton Powell State Ofc. Bldg., 163 W. 125th St., suite 9O9, NYC
1OO27, phone 749~5298, Dr. Ernest Steele, Jr.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
If you’re yearning to see some Marsalis~free, Burns~free
JAZZ DOCUMENTARIES of "ancient to the future" liberation musicians,
here are a few sources:
* RHAPSODY FILMS offers for sale
nearly 5O jazz documentaries on everyone from BIX BIEDERBECKE to ORNETTE
COLEMAN & beyond: 46~2 Becket Hill Rd., Lyme, CT O6371, (86O) 434~361O
or ~62O1, <www.cinemaweb.com/rhapsody/jazz.html>.
* CADENCE / NORTH COUNTRY sells
jazz documentaries: Cadence Bldg., 599 County Route 1O, Redwood, NY 13679,
(315) 287~2852, fax ~286O, fax orders (8OO) 73O~8277, <www.cadencebuilding.com>,
<orders@cadencebuilding.com>, <cadence@northnet.org>.
* THE JAZZ RECORD CENTER also sells
jazz documentaries: 236 West 26th St., room 8O4, NYC 1OOO1, 675~448O,
fax ~45O4.
* There’s a Web site at <melanet.com/sankofa>
that offers African & African~American films for sale, including many
devoted to music: (8OO) 524~3895, <info@sankofa.com>, <sankofa@cais.com>.
* ZAKARYA SHERZAD has made videos
of the Vision Festival (maybe 2 yrs’ worth?) & Fire in the Valley
Festivals: 5O East 1st St., #3, NYC 1OOO3, (212) 375~9721, <zaklink@yahoo.com>.
* BILL WARRELL, head of the great
arts organization District Curators in Washington, DC, is completing a
one~hour documentary on JULIUS HEMPHILL/ FRED HERSCH/ BILL T. JONES/
DON PULLEN & others, exploring the connections among music, dance,
& the inspiration that can move great artists to create huge, ambitious
works in the face of deadly illness; contact DCI Productions, P.O. Box
14197, Washington, DC 2OO44, (2O2) 723~75OO, <WWarrell@worldnet.att.net>,
<W.Warrell@att.net>.
* EDWARD O. BLAND
&
NELAM HILL's "THE CRY OF JAZZ"
('59), now available on a 34~min. videodisc, is "an essay on the
politics of music and race and a forecast of what Edward O. Bland called
'the death of jazz,'" "a landmark moment in black film foreseeing
the civil unrest of subsequent decades; it also features the only known
footage of visionary pianist SUN RA from his beloved Chicago period,"
with "ample images of tenor saxophonist JOHN GILMORE &
the rest of Ra's Arkestra in Windy City nightclubs, all shot in glorious
b&w." It is available from Atavistic's Unheard Music Series at
<www.atavistic.com/artist.cfm?action=2&ThisArtist=127&itemid=259>,
<info@atavistic.com>.
* "IMAGINE THE SOUND" by RON
MANN (Canada, '81, 91 min's), interview & concert footage of PAUL
BLEY/ BILL DIXON/ ARCHIE SHEPP/ CECIL TAYLOR, (www.sphinxproductions.com/pages/ron_bio.html,
mann@sphinxproductions.com).
* "BURNING POLES" w/ CECIL TAYLOR/
WILLIAM PARKER/ TONY OXLEY/ HENRY GONZALES ('83?) is available from
Mystic Fire Direct, P.O. Box 2249, Livonia, MI 48151, (8OO) 292-9OO1,
www.mysticfire.com/index.html?cart=117367408912175, ordering@mysticfire.com,
$19.98 + tax & shipping charges.
* LAURENCE PETIT~JOUVET offers
"CHICAGO IMPROVISATION" w/ PETER KOWALD, KEN VANDERMARK,
& many more, documentary coverage of a Chicago festival (‘OO), as
well as * "OFF THE ROAD," a PETER KOWALD U.S. tour documentary
(‘OO), w/ RASHIED ALI/ FRED ANDERSON/ HAMID DRAKE/ MARCO ENEIDI/ ALVIN
FIELDER/ EDDIE GALE/ EDWARD "KIDD" JORDAN/ GEORGE LEWIS/ WILLIAM PARKER/
DONALD ROBINSON/ GUNTER "BABY" SOMMER/ ASSIF TSAHAR & others,
both documentaries available at <www.mildoc.com>, or Email <avril.films@wanadoo.fr>.
* MICHAEL LUCIO STERNBACH has made
a documentary called "DOWN TO THE CRUX" that includes MARSHALL
ALLEN/ PETER BRÖTZMANN/ ROY CAMPBELL, JR./ BILL DIXON/ HAMID DRAKE/
SENSEI JOSEPH JARMAN/ RAPHÉ MALIK/ SABIR MATEEN/ THURSTON MOORE/
WILLIAM PARKER/ ARCHIE SHEPP/ ALAN SILVA/ DAVID S. WARE/ REGGIE WORKMAN,
& more (‘OO): (732) 741~O9O4, <mucster77@hotmail.com>, <freedomfilmsoc@hotmail.com>.
* STEVE GEBHARDT’s 83~min. film
of "ESCALATOR OVER THE HILL," CARLA BLEY’s jazz opera in rehearsal,
performance, & recording (filmed in‘7O, released in ‘99), w/ GATO
BARBIERI/ JACK BRUCE/ DON CHERRY/ CHARLIE HADEN/ HOWARD JOHNSON/ SHEILA
JORDAN/ JEANNE LEE/ JOHN McLAUGHLIN/ ROSWELL RUDD/ VIVA, others, is
available from him for $29.95 + $5 shipping: 22O W. 14th St., #1, Cincinnati
4521O, (513) 241~8866, <SteveGebhardt@yahoo.com>.
* "RISING TONES CROSS," EBBA
JAHN’s ‘84 documentary of WILLIAM & PATRICIA PARKER’s
& PETER KOWALD’s Sound Unity Festival (precursor of the Vision
Festival), includes BILLY BANG/ JOHN BETSCH/ PETER BRÖTZMANN/
ROY CAMPBELL, JR/ DON CHERRY/ CHARLES GAYLE/ MASAHIKO KONO/ PETER KOWALD/
WILBER MORRIS/ JEMEEL MOONDOC/ WILLIAM PARKER/ CHARLES TYLER/ DAVID S.
WARE/ REV. FRANK WRIGHT and features a cover illustration by CHARLES
GAYLE; it is available from Film Pals, 61O East 9th St., #1O, New
York City 1OOO9, (212) 614~O6O2, <EbbaJahn@aol.com>, or from Cadence
/ NorthCountry (see above).
* ALAN ROTH’s film "INSIDE OUT
IN THE OPEN" (‘O1) is a documentary on the music that features intvws
w/ MARION BROWN/ BAIKIDA CARROLL/ DANIEL CARTER/ BURTON GREENE/ SUSIE
IBARRA/ SHAKU JOSEPH JARMAN/ WILLIAM PARKER/ ROSWELL RUDD/ MATTHEW SHIPP/
ALAN SILVA/ JOHN TCHICAI & more; + musicians filmed in concert,
includ’g RASHID BAK’R/ PETER BRÖTZMANN/ ROY CAMPBELL, JR./ DANIEL
CARTER/ DENIS CHARLES/ SUSIE IBARRA/ WILLIAM PARKER/ GLENN SPEARMAN/ REGGIE
WORKMAN & more, available from Alan Roth, Asymmetric Pictures,
5O5 62nd St., #E3, Brooklyn, NY 1122O, (718) 567~8O52, <alanroth@mail.com>.
* "WOMEN IN JAZZ," a documentary
by GILLES CORRE (‘O1), includes JANE IRA BLOOM/ ELLEN CHRISTI/ JAYNE
CORTEZ/ MARILYN CRISPELL/ SYLVIA CUENCA/ BERTHA HOPE/ SUSIE IBARRA/ JEANNE
LEE/ MIYA MASAOKA/ MYRA MELFORD & others; also by GILLES CORRE
is "CITY OF THE WINDS" w/ FRED ANDERSON/ VON FREEMAN/ KEN VANDERMARK
& more (‘O2), both available from Doc Ad Hoc, 15 rue de la Concorde,
Toulouse 31OO, France, <Gil.corre@free.fr>.
* "DENIS A. CHARLES: AN INTERRUPTED
CONVERSATION" is a documentary by VERONIQUE DOUMBÉ (‘O1), w/
BOBBY FEW/ SUSIE IBARRA/ STEVE LACY/ FRANK LOWE/ ZANE MASSEY/ JEMEEL
MOONDOC/ WILBER MORRIS/ WILLIAM PARKER/ ARCHIE SHEPP, others, <http://ndolofilms.com>,
<http://ndolofilms.com/denis/denis_charles.htm>, <vero@ndolofilms.com>.
* "DEWEY TIME," a comprehensive
& intimate documentary on the great DEWEY REDMAN by Canadian
filmmaker DANIEL BERMAN (‘O1), can be found at <www.bluetrainfilms.com>,
<www3.sympatico.ca/bluetrain/bluetrain>, <bluetrain@sympatico.ca>.
* "KARMEN GEI" by JOSEPH GAI RAMAKA
(Senegal, 'O1) based on "Carmen" by GEORGES BIZET, w/ DJEINABA
DIOP GAI/ JULIEN JOUGA/ EL HADJ N'DIAYE/ DOUDOU N'DIAYE ROSE/ YANDE COUDOU
SENE/ RASUL SIDDIK and many more, original soundtrack by DAVID
MURRAY w/ additional music by CHERIF DIOP/ JULIEN JOUGA/ EL HADJ
N'DAIYE/ DOUDOU N'DIAYE ROSE/ SECKA/ YANDE COUDOU SENE, is available
in Wolof & French w/ English subtitles from Euripide Productions,
15 rue Vezelay, 75OO8 Paris, France, phone (O11~33) (O)1 56 43 64 OO,
<euripide@euripide.com>.
* "DON CHERRY" by Woody & Steina Vasulka, USA, ('7O,
Beta SP, 14 mins, b/ w), early video of Don Cherry playing on the streets
of Manhattan, available from the Vasulkas, 3686 Agua Fria St., Santa Fe,
NM 875O7-3225, 5O5-424-8786, www.vasulka.org.
* "CECIL TAYLOR: ALL THE NOTES"
is a 71~min. Beta color film w/ AMIRI BARAKA/ ELVIN JONES/ THURSTON
MOORE/ CECIL TAYLOR, producer/ director/ distributor CHRISTOPHER FELVER
('O4), <www.ChrisFelver.com>, <Chris@ChrisFelver.com>, (415)
332~4499.
* "MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER," a
75~min. documentary put together by KASPER COLLIN and released in 'O5,
features ALBERT & DONALD AYLER, SUNNY MURRAY, GARY PEACOCK,
& others, & is available from www.mynameisalbertayler.com, <kaspercollin@chello.se>,
+46 O8 545 275 2O.
*
EDWARD WILKERSON, JR.'s SHADOW VIGNETTES:
"ODD EYE O MUMBO JUMBO" [DVD] w/ HARRISON BANKHEAD, MWATA
BOWDEN, ARI BROWN, ERNEST DAWKINS, VANDY HARRIS, AMEEN MUHAMMED, JAMES
NEWTON, REGGIE NICHOLSON, RITA WARFORD, & 15 other Chicago musicians,
director Jonathan Woods, Executive Producer Edward Wilkerson, Jr., Sessoms
Music, P.O. Box 6812, Chicago, IL 6O680, sessomsmusic@gmail.com; also
available from Downtown Music Gallery, 342 Bowery (Third Ave. betw. 2nd & 3rd St's), New York City 1OO12-24O8, 212-473-OO43, dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com, or by mail from http://tinyurl.com/48jjs2 .
* "PEPPER's POW-WOW," 58-min. video on the great Native American jazz musician Jim Pepper, by Sandy Sunrising Osawa ('95), $3O, http://upstreamvideos.com/wp/videos/peppers-pow-wow, Web orders http://upstreamvideos.com/wp/products-page, 2O6-526-7122, uproduct@aol.com.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
"SWEET BUTTERFINGERS," THE SONNY SHARROCK
MEMORIAL BOOK, is now on the Web! Just look
for Sonny’s name on the home page of <www.jazznewyork.org> &
click on the guitar button. For those without Web access, some print copies
are available for free (one to a customer, please). The books include
interview transcripts, articles, photos, & a discography; contact
Margaret Davis, (212) 841~O899, <musicmargaret@earthlink.net>.
The great South African musician JOSEPH SHABALALA, founder
& leader of LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, wants to establish the Mambazo
Academy of South African Music & Culture in order to teach indigenous
culture to South African children, to honor their rich & ancient heritage,
& to spread new inspiration throughout a country demoralized for generations
by the brutal oppression of apartheid. Financial donations are sought,
as well as help from educators, & all categories of constructive participation.
Info: The Mambazo Foundation, 1674 Broadway, #4~C, NYC 1OO19, <www.mambazo.com>.
INEXPENSIVE RENTAL APARTMENTS are offered by Related Mgmt.
Co., 175 E. 96th St., NYC 1O128, 421~5332, under tax code providing rebates
to landlords in exchange for making 2O% of apts. available to moderate~income
renters; available in 1~2 yrs. will be studios & 1~, 2~, & 3~b.r.
apts. at 89th St. & Amsterdam Ave. & at Union Sq. South @ around
$35O~5OO/ mo. for income limits of about $15~26,OOO. Application procedures
& financial investigation are lengthy & exhaustive, but patience
& perseverance can result in a real bargain in a wonderful neighborhood.
It is advisable to request an application now for both bldgs; also, ask
to be put on the mailing list for any future housing.
FINANCIAL DONATIONS & LETTERS OF SUPPORT are needed by
the Central Park SUMMERSTAGE program to defend its free summer concerts;
the program is under attack by wealthy area residents who dislike crowds
& free music in their neighborhood. Send letters & donations to:
Central Park Conservancy/ SUMMERSTAGE, 83O Fifth Ave., NYC 1OO21; further
info 36O~2777, ~2756, ~2758, <www.summerstage.org>, <info@summerstage.org>.
The New Amsterdam Musical Ass’n (NAMA), the world’s oldest
jazz organization, was founded in 19O5 as an alternative to the then~whites~only
Musicians’ Union; NAMA today remains in its home since 1924, a spacious
brownstone at 1O7 W. 13Oth St., NYC 1OO27. Legendary musicians includ’g
EUBIE BLAKE, BENNY CARTER, FLETCHER HENDERSON, "JELLY ROLL"
MORTON & "PANAMA" FRANCIS have come through town &
through NAMA’s doors, finding opportunities there to catch up with one
another & to rehearse, perform, & jam, & there used to be
a 1OO~pc. house orchestra. The bldg. is sound but urgently in need of
renovation & repairs; in addition, present~day goals of NAMA
include building rehearsal rooms, an exhibit area, an archives center,
a performance space, & classrooms there. If you can contribute
funds, expertise, labor, construction materials, &/ or any sort of
useful equipment, call 368~8425, or write to above address. LET’s HELP!
In another part of town, an interventionist~arts space called
ABC NO RIO, dedicated to justice & community work, began operating
in an abandoned bldg. 2O years ago at 156 Rivington St. betw. Clinton
& Suffolk St’s 2 blocks south of Houston (take the J/ M/ Z to Essex
St. or F train to Delancey). Food Not Bombs cooks vegetarian meals there
& serves them to homeless persons in Tompkins Sq. Park; the Coalition
to Free Mumia Abu~Jamal, Act UP!, Steal This Radio, & many other org’s
have held meetings or fund~ raisers there. After years of struggle w/
the City, which has tried in many ways to close down ABC No Rio, the City
has finally offered to sell the bldg. to ABC No Rio for $1 ~ provided
that $175,OOO can be raised to renovate it. (so far there’s around
$5O,OOO). LET’s HELP WITH THIS TOO!! Info: 254~3697, <www.abcnorio.org>,
<home.earthlink.net/~bbrjsiwula/>.
A good place to BUY BOOKS (& have coffee too) is HOUSING
WORKS Used Books & Café, 126 Crosby St. betw. Prince &
Houston St’s (B, D, F, Q train to B’way/ Lafayette, or N or R to Prince
St.), info 334~3324 (some concerts happen there too, check time &
price, if any). Housing Works provides housing, support svcs., & advocacy
to AIDS~afflicted homeless people; volunteers & unwanted books are
needed.
If you would like to join the Baptist CHURCH THAT REVERES JOHN
COLTRANE as a prophet & saint, contact: Bishop Franzo Wayne King
or Sister Wanika, St. John’s African Orthodox (Christian) Church, temporarily
housed at 93O Gough St. at Turk, San Francisco, CA 941O2, (415) 673~3572,
<www.saintjohncoltrane.org>, <info@saintjohncoltrane.org>;
the church is moving soon to 3rd & Gilman St’s in San Francisco. It
offers Sunday services, free hot meals, clothing & shelter for the
needy, free music classes & supplies, & a Tuesday~afternoon radio
broadcast. Financial support is much needed, & it’s an approved 5O1~C3
non~profit organization, so donations are tax~deductible.
Speaking of churches, the United House of Prayer for All People
features McCULLOUGH SONS OF THUNDER, w/ the great ELDER BABB
leading the sanctified brass & percussion choir, at 232O Eighth
Ave. at 125th St., 864~8795, Tues’s at 8 p.m. & Sun’s at 11 a.m. (B
or D train or 1O1 bus to 125th St.). Meanwhile, St. Paul Community Baptist
Church celebrates Sunday services with great sermons, a glorious gospel
choir, African drummers & dancers at the altar, congregants lining
up outside the church starting at sunrise; St. Paul’s is at 859 Hendrix
St., East New York section, Brooklyn, PASTOR JOHNNY RAY YOUNGBLOOD, (718)
257~13OO, <spcbc.com>, <information@spcbc.com>. NOTE: Worship
is not a spectator sport or entertainment, so if you cannot share in it
or at least honor it spiritually, best stay away.
Sensei / Shaku JOSEPH JARMAN invites participants in
MEDITATION & also offers Zen body therapy & "trigger~point"
anatomy, as well as a monthly concert series of Dojo members, all at Jikishinkan
Dojo, 211 Smith St. (betw. Baltic & Butler St.’s ~ closest train is
F or G to Bergen St.), Brooklyn [112O5], (718) 488~9511, (718) 748~O484,
fax (718) 797~1O73, <www.directmind.com>.
Haitian master drummer FRISNER AUGUSTIN gives classes at several
locations in Park Slope & Flatbush, Brooklyn; fees vary. Info: (718)
953~6638, <makandal-ny@juno.com>.
Music lovers are urged NOT TO GIVE HOME TAPES OF RECORDINGS
TO FRIENDS unless they are struggling music students or absolutely
cannot afford to buy their own, or the recordings are completely out of
print & can no longer be purchased anywhere. Distribution of home
taping deprives musicians of rightful income & also hurts record
companies & stores, which need to see healthy sales figures to inspire
continued contracting, promotion & marketing of our music, so that
our musicians can thrive. As of now very few are doing anything resembling
thriving. (Taping a couple of pieces from a recording that's available
on the market may be a good way of whetting a friend’s appetite to go
out & buy the rest.) The same kind of support is required at venues:
Music lovers are urged to PAY YOUR WAY IN. If you’re really a friend
to the music & the musicians, unless you are truly destitute, buy
a ticket instead of trying to get onto a guest list or wangle a special
admission price. & while thinking along these lines, if you wish to
purchase recordings, you might ask the musicians themselves whether they’d
prefer you to buy directly from them (in which case they get to keep the
proceeds) or from a store (if they don’t want to become involved in commercial
transactions). & please be aware that record clubs pay musicians
very little, if anything at all, in royalties, so if you think you
are getting bargains by joining, be aware that it’s the musicians who
are paying the price for those bargains.
Likewise, it should go without saying that music lovers have absolutely
no right to tape~record or videotape concerts from the audience without
PERMISSION FROM THE MUSICIANS IN ADVANCE. Regardless of the innocence
of audience members’ intentions in making such recordings, the price of
a concert ticket does not buy away the musicians’ rights to their own
music. In the absence of a written or verbal announcement forbidding taping
or making videos, ASK THE MUSICIANS BEFOREHAND, & if they say
no, then don’t.
To those who want to TAKE PICTURES OF MUSICIANS in concert:
(1) Get permission from the musicians & from the venue management
in advance, or else don’t take pictures; (2) Use available light only
~ NO FLASH! (ISO~8OO or faster film will compensate for not using
flash); (3) Don’t take pictures during bass solos or other quiet parts
of the concert; (4) Do not stand up in front of the bandstand or perform
unnecessary gymnastics before the audience while shooting pictures; &
finally, (5) ALWAYS give musicians copies of the photos you take of them!
They may need them for publicity purposes, but if not, their families
will enjoy having them.
Staffs, management, &/ or owners of certain venues around
New York are guilty of rudeness to the audience, poor management of crowd
behavior during performance, poor use of space in terms of sight lines
& acoustics, & worst of all, inhumane, disrespectful, shabby,
discriminatory, &/ or dishonorable treatment of musicians. If you
are aware of these things, PROTEST! MAKE YOUR FEELINGS KNOWN to
owners & management, along with your constructive suggestions for
improvement; do it in person, by phone, or in writing. We must have environments
of love, respect, & integrity in which to celebrate our sacred arts.
PERFORMERS CAN VOLUNTEER to give shows for the homeless
in shelters & soup kitchens: Call the Human Resources Admin.,
433~4716, or Sheryle at Grand Central Partnership, 818~1777. Also,
Carnegie Hall has programs called Shelter Concerts & Neighborhood
Concert Series that pay groups to play concerts for the homeless &
others; send tapes, CD’s, promo kits to Naomi Giges, Director of Education,
Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Ave., NY, NY 1OO19, phone 9O3~967O. Also, clowns,
puppeteers, mimes & jugglers are sought to entertain homeless
children; contact Sherland Peterson at 861~8435.
More about shelters and soup kitchens: Always a good thing to
do is VOLUNTEER TO COOK, SERVE, &/ OR DELIVER MEALS. It’s helpful
to needy persons & their caregivers, & it’ll also be helpful to
you, particularly if you find yourself lacking in higher purpose. Here
are a few possible volunteer sites: Citymeals on Wheels, 355 Lexington
Ave. near 4Oth St., 3rd floor, 687~1234; Coalition for the Homeless,
89 Chambers St. betw. Church St. & B’way, 964~59OO; Community
Kitchen of West Harlem, 222 W. 116th St. betw. 7th & 8th Ave’s,
662~1283 (Diane Ward); God’s Love We Deliver, 166 6th Ave. at Spring
St., 294~81O4; Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, 296 9th Ave. at 28th
St., 924~O167 (Clyde Kuemmerle); Park Slope Christian Help, 2OO
4th Ave. betw. Sackett & DeGraw St’s, Bklyn, (718) 237~2962; Partnership
for the Homeless, 3O5 7th Ave. South at 27th St., 13th flr, 292~8722
(Linda Nelson); Salvation Army, 54O Lenox Ave. near 137th St.,
862~39OO (Edna Yearwood). Many other spiritual & community org’s offering
services to the needy could surely use your help as well, so explore possibilities
in your neighborhood.
MUSICIANS who play in places that serve food can ask the management
at the end of the evening for remaining foods that would otherwise be
thrown away; this food can be taken home if times are hard, or given out
on the street, or taken to an all~night neighborhood shelter.
THE NOISE ACTION COALITION, founded several years ago by JIM
PUGLIESE, MARC RIBOT, & others to press for decent pay & working
conditions for musicians in NYC, needs & deserves all the help it
can get. Info: 473~6689, 533~8331.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & CHARTS are sought for schools in South
Africa; contact I.A.J.E. SOUTH AFRICAN MUSICAL RELIEF EFFORT, c/o Reliable
Transfer, 16O1 Riley Lane, Manhattan, KS 665O2, phone (913) 776~8744.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS are also needed in public schools in Manhattan,
Brooklyn & the Bronx; call Maria Figueroa at 294~9365, Jules Linden
at 678~2861, Richard Titone at 76O~OO54, or Jonathan Levine at (718) 789~O239.
& INSTRUMENTS & MUSIC SUPPLIES are needed by the non~profit
J~CAP Foundation, offering help to pregnant & AIDS~afflicted youngsters:
231~35 Merrick Blvd., Laurelton, NY 11413, (718) 712~11OO. MENTORS
& TUTORS especially, also COMPUTERS, BOOKS & DONATIONS,
are sought for 3,OOO public~school teenagers at Brandeis H.S., 145
W. 84th St., NY 1OO24, info from Adam Sobel, 873~5581 or fax 877~1959.
If you are a musician & composer willing to write, record,
& donate an original personal SONG FOR A CHILD OR TEEN IN CRISIS,
please contact John at Songs of Love, (718) 997~8482.
THE FOUNDATION CENTER at 79 Fifth Ave. (15th St.), NYC
1OOO3~3O76, is a clearing house for info on private funding sources for
creative projects, open Mon’s~Fri’s 1O a.m.~5 p.m. (Wed’s till 8), info
62O~423O or 8O7~3677, (8OO) 424~9836, <www.foundationcenter.org>,
<www.fdncenter.org>. The Center also publishes New York State
Foundations: A Comprehensive Directory of more than 5,5OO foundations,
w/ names of contact persons, funding limits, activities, etc. However,
you may need a grant to buy one: The last time I checked, the directory
cost $18O + $4.5O for shipping. But it is available in at least some New
York Public Library branches, or visit <http://FDNCenter.org/newyork>.
The Nat’l Foundation of the Arts & Humanities GRANTS $12O
MILLION annually to org’s & individuals, no particular filing
deadline, info (2O2) 682~54OO or <www.arts.endow.gov>.
New York State political negotiations continue over NYSCA (New
York State Council on the Arts) funding; to learn how best to push
for more arts funding, call the NYC Arts Coalition, 366~69OO, ext.
2O6, or the NYS Arts & Cultural Coalition, (516) 298~1234.
FEDERAL CULTURAL FUNDING SOURCES for individuals & org’s
are itemized at a new Web site created by the Nat’l Endowment for the
Arts: <www.arts.gov/federal.html>; the Endowment’s street
address is Nancy Hanks Ctr., 11OO Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC
2O5O6, (2O2) 682~5438.
Speaking of the Gummint, there’s a report called Creative America
about a "millennium initiative" to revive America’s cultural
life (what’s left of whatever existed or has managed to survive in
the first place); the report is available for free from: President’s Committee
on the Arts & Humanities, 11OO Pennsylvania Ave., NW, suite 526, Washington,
DC 2O5O6, phone (2O2) 682~54O9. Know thine enemy!
The Center for Arts Education, which administers the $36~million 5~yr.
Annenberg Arts & Education Initiative, offers FUNDING for proposals
to CREATE ARTS & EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS; call the Center at
(8OO) 721~9199 or (212) 575~8549; Chairperson is Laurie Tisch Sussman.
CREATIVE TIME’s CityWide program encourages artists to venture
outside traditional venues & into under~utilized or even abandoned
public sites; practicing professional artists whose work treats the meaning
of public space, who seek to challenge audience & artists’ roles,
who raise timely and provocative social or artistic issues, may APPLY
FOR SUPPORT: Creative Time CityWide Program, 3O7 Seventh Ave., suite
19O4, NYC 1OOO1, 2O6~6674, ext. 2O3, <www.creativetime.org>.
Through funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, 42O Fifth Ave., NYC
1OO18, <www.rockfund.org>, COMMUNITY ASSETS will support
small & medium~size arts org’s for 2 yrs to allow them to establish
a track record, promote successful development, & plan for more than
just a yr at a time. About 2O GRANTS for COMMUNITY~BASED
ARTS ORG’s are available for operating support & technical assistance.
Info: 366~69OO, x 228, Mark Rush.
Creative artists living in the 5~county Philly area are eligible for
PEW FELLOWSHIPS OF $5O,OOO, up to 12 given annually directly to
artists so they can dedicate themselves solely to their work, "particularly
at critical junctures or turning points" in their artistic development.
Info: Pew Fellowship in the Arts, University of the Arts, 25O S. Broad
St., suite 4OO, Philadelphia, PA 191O2, (215) 875~2285, fax ~2276.
RECORDING ASSISTANCE, PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE FUNDS, & FELLOWSHIPS
can be found at American Composers’ Forum, 332 Minnesota St., #E~145,
St. Paul, MN 551O1, (651) 228~ 14O7 or <www.composersforum.org>.
MEET THE COMPOSER GRANTS are available for various projects
on a cyclical basis, info from Meet the Composer, 2112 Broadway, suite
5O5, NYC 1OO23, 787~36O1, fax ~3745, <www.meetthecomposer.org>.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PROJECT GRANTS are available
from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, which will consider applications
for a limited number of grants toward a variety of projects, including
commissioning & recording, open to NYC~based music ensembles &
presenters, application guidelines at <www.carytrust.org>, or call
Gayle Morgan, 953~77O5, <newmusic@carytrust.org>.
The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ ASTRAL CAREER
GRANTS help meet modest expenses "in response to external opportunities
requiring timely action by an artist." 8OO Brickell Ave., suite 5OO,
Miami, FL 33131, (3O5) 377~1147.
Individual artists & cultural groups in Queens can apply for up
to $5,OOO IN GRANTS, info from Tyra Emerson at (718) 291~ARTS.
Arts International, 251 Park Ave. South, NYC 1OO1O, phone 674~9744,
<www.artsinternational.org>, <thefund@artsinternational.org>,
administers GRANTS FOR U.S. ARTISTS/ GROUPS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE
IN OVERSEAS FESTIVALS, particularly in Africa, Asia, & Latin America,
revolving filing deadlines; also available are $1,OOO ~ $15,OOO GRANTS
for performing artists to pursue any opportunities abroad that further
their artistic development in any country outside the US & its protectorates;
applicants for these grants must be individual performing artists who
are US citizens or permanent residents. & the comprehensive
resource guide Money for International Exchange in the Arts
can be obtained from Arts International as well. Kay Takeda is Program
Mgr.
The Board of the Jazz Academy in Nairobi, Kenya seeks PIANISTS
& GUITARISTS for 3~, 6~, & 12~mo. residencies; pay offered
is "not great, but all expenses are paid, includ’g a 2~b.r. apt.,
housekeeper, & driver," check deadline. Info: The Jazz Academy,
Ltd., P.O. Box 43344, Nairobi, Kenya, phone or fax 561457 O54 959 882.
A program called In the Public Realm offers an opportunity to DEVELOP
EXPERIMENTAL PUBLIC ART in NYC; send a postcard w/ your name &
address to: Public Art Fund Inc., In the Public Realm, 1 E. 53rd St.,
11th floor, NYC 1OO22, phone 98O~4575; check deadline.
The Nat’l Foundation for Advancement in the Arts offers CASH AWARDS
of up to $3,OOO & SCHOLARSHIPS totalling $3 MILLION
for 17~ & 18~yr.~olds in dance, theatre, music, photography, visual
arts, & writing. Info: (8OO) 97O~ARTS.
The San Antonio International Piano Competition awards $1O,OOO
~ $1,OOO CASH PRIZES to selected applicants 2O~32 years old; unfortunately,
there is a $5O application fee [this stinks!]: P.O. Box
39636, San Antonio, TX 78218, <www.saipc.org>.
The National Parks Svc. offers RESIDENCIES for composers
& others in the arts in 27 locations around the U.S; deadlines &
types of artists vary; see <www.nps.gov/volunteer/air.htm>.
The Puffin Foundation awards grants of $5OO
to $2,5OO to emerging artists working in music & other arts
areas whose work may suffer a lack of exposure due to genre or social
philosophy. There are three exhibition spaces (in the SoHo
district of New York City, Teaneck, NJ, and Columbus, Ohio) fully equipped
for performances; for info send a stamped, self~addressed envelope to
Puffin Foundation, Dept. B, 2O East Oakdene Ave., Teaneck, NJ O76666,
or visit <www.puffinfoundation.org>, filing deadline Wed., 12/31.
LISTINGS OF EMPLOYMENT OPENINGS IN ARTS FIELDS may be inspected
at the NY Foundation for the Arts, 155 Ave. of the Americas at Spring
St. (below Canal), NYC 1OO13, 366~69OO, open Mon’s~Fri’s 9:3O a.m.~5 p.m.
Take C or E train to Spring St., or visit <www.nyfa.org>. There’s
also a rather pricey newsletter called ArtJob! (perhaps it’s for
people who don’t really need a job) detailing jobs, resources,
& related arts opportunities via 1st~class mail or on~line, $4O
for 6 mo’s or $75/ yr., check, m.o., or MasterCharge/ Visa number to ArtJob!,
3285 Casa Rinconada, Santa Fé, NM 875O5. An organization called
PROFESSIONALS FOR NON~PROFITS, INC. staffs places such as
Independent Curators, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, & the Studio
Museum in Harlem, filling permanent & temporary jobs in data processing,
P.R., graphics, computer work, etc., at 515 Madison Ave., suite 9OO, NYC
1OO22, 546~9O91, fax ~9O94, <pnp@pipeline.com>. One more: ArtSEARCH
asks, "Looking for a JOB IN THE ARTS? For info & a sample
issue, write: ArtSEARCH, Theatre Communications Group, CS #4, 355 Lexington
Ave., NYC 1OOO7." The phone number (not mentioned in their ad, so
they probably won’t want to talk to you) is 697~523O.
A good source of MUSIC~BUSINESS KNOW~HOW is the
15O~pg. "MUSICIAN’S GUIDE TO TOURING & PROMOTION,"
published annually by Musician Magazine (1515 B’way, 11th floor,
NYC 1OO36, 536~52O8) & sold for $1O at places such as Tower Records.
It contains a nat’l city~by~city directory of venues, colleges, booking
agents, radio stations, local press; A&R record~label directory; gen’l
svc. directory of mgrs., agents, & lawyers; & much more.
Another very useful publication is Christiane Bird’s paperback book
"THE JAZZ & BLUES LOVER’S GUIDE TO THE U.S.,"
listing a thousand venues by geographical area (including addresses, phone
#s, & an idea of what the space & booking policies are like);
also listed are radio stations that play our music, music schools, related
institutions, historic sites, etc. This book can be obtained at many bookstores
or from the publisher, Addison Wesley, 17O 5th Ave., NYC 1OO11, 463~844O;
if those sources don’t work out, Christiane Bird can be reached at 145
E. 3Oth St., NYC 1OO16, 689~8O12.
<www.roulette.org> is the Roulette Web site where "EINSTEIN’s
GUIDE TO THE MUSICAL UNIVERSE" can be found, listing venues,
funders, recording stores, distributors, radio stations, etc. around the
country that are supposedly sensitive to liberation jazz.
Extensive DISCOGRAPHIES of many of our musicians, so far includ’g
ED BLACKWELL (more than 8O recordings listed), BOBBY FEW, MILFORD
GRAVES, DAVID IZENZON, SHEILA JORDAN, FRANK LOWE, CHARLES MOFFETT, SUNNY
MURRAY (also more than 8O), ROSWELL RUDD (54), PHAROAH SANDERS,
ALAN SILVA (77), JAMAALADEEN TACUMA, & REV. FRANK WRIGHT
can be found on GEORGE SCALA’s Web site, <www.mindspring.com/~scala>,
E~mail <gscala@carolina.rr.com>. Meanwhile, Mr. Scala is keeping
on. Bravo! Similarly, RICK LOPEZ’s Web site <www.velocity.net/~bb10k>
(Email <bb10k@velocity.net>) features comprehensive discographies
of MARILYN CRISPELL, SUSIE IBARRA, WILLIAM PARKER, SAM RIVERS, MATTHEW
SHIPP, DAVID S. WARE, & REGGIE WORKMAN. & at <www.eclipse.net/~fitzgera>
can be found fine discographies of DR. ART DAVIS, HENRY GRIMES, RAHSAAN
ROLAND KIRK, ABBEY LINCOLN, PERRY ROBINSON, WOODY SHAW, & more,
thanks to MICHAEL FITZGERALD, <fitzgera@eclipse.net>.
Selected scores & CD’s of new American MUSIC COMPOSED SPECIFICALLY
FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES (pre~K through 12th grade) will be catalogued,
published, & entered into an on~line data base for use by prospective
performers, presenters & schools; contact Phyllis Siddons, (718) 361~3751.
With fortitude & endurance, those willing to wade through a lot
of red tape (application forms, lesson plans, budgets, procedures, &
long delays) can obtain work in NYC public schools TEACHING CHILDREN
TO IMPROVISE MUSIC for substantial daily fees through an agency called
Project Arts. Ask Arlene Zinn for a listing application, (718) 935~4O1O,
or try Sharon Dunn at Board of Ed. headquarters, (718) 935~2OOO.
Mid~Atlantic Arts Foundation, 22 Light St., suite 3OO, Baltimore 212O2,
(41O) 539~6656, has "ArtsCONNECT" GRANTS TO SUPPORT TOURS
through area presenter consortia & partnerships.
MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS collects surplus ofc. equipment & supplies,
furniture, art supplies, etc. & donates them to non~profit org’s &
arts programs at no charge: (718) 729~3OO1 to donate or apply for some.
The warehouse is at 33~OO Northern Blvd., Long Island City (Queens); Harriet
Taub is Director. Take G or R train to 36th St. & Northern Blvd.,
or E or F to Queens Plaza & change to G or R.
Music students may contact the Fish Middleton JAZZ SCHOLARSHIP
FUND, Inc. at P.O. Box 1788, Silver Spring, MD 2O915~1768, phone (3O1)
933~1822.
THE PEOPLE’s COMMISSIONING FUND seeks hundreds of enthusiasts
to help select & support new adventurous music; this is sponsored
by the organization called Bang on a Can, 222 E. 5th St., NYC 1OOO3, phone
777~8442.
The Jazz Foundation of America has HELP FOR MUSICIANS in severe
financial difficulty & is particularly helpful with medical &
dental treatment due to its connection with the JOHN BIRKS "DIZZY"
GILLESPIE Memorial Fund at Englewood Hospital in NJ; contact the Foundation
at 322 West 48th St., NYC 1OO36, (8OO) 532~5267, (212) 245~3999, fax 489~6O3O,
<www.jazzfoundation.org>, <jazzfoundation@rcn.com>.
THE SIMON CARTER MUSICIANS’ EMERGENCY FUND helps those in potentially
catastrophic situations: (678) 819~3524.
VOCALISTS IN NEED can contact the Society of Singers in California
for help, 8242 West 3rd St., suite 25O, Los Angeles, CA 9OO48~4326, phone
(323) 651~1696, fax ~5483 instead of ~1696, <www.singers.org>, <sos@singers.org>,
<judy@singers.org>, Executive Administrator Judy Varley. The New
York chapter is at 5OO East 77th St., #633, NYC 1O162, (212) 717~1687.
Carnival Cruise Lines seeks SOLOISTS, GROUPS, & SIDE MEN/ WOMEN
for 6~ & 11~pc. ships’ orchestras, piano bars, & small combos
for listening & dancing; compensation includes salary, free travel,
& paid expenses (but make sure about specifics before you ever
agree to any contract or deal!). Demos (audio &/or video), résumés,
photos, promo kits, inquiries: Carnival Cruise Lines, Entertainment Dept.
/ MSOP~3O3N, 3655 N.W. 87th Ave., Miami, FL 33178~2428.
ALL ORIGINAL WORK SHOULD BE COPYRIGHTED before reaching the outside
world! Contact: Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
2O559, (2O2) 7O7~3OOO, <LCWeb.loc.gov/copyright>. In addition, to
collect MECHANICAL & PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES based on sales &
air play, & to protect your rights in these areas, you need to join
ASCAP (<www.ascap.com>) or BMI (<www.bmi.com>),
& you need to contact Harry Fox Agency / Nat’l Music Publishers’
Assoc., 711 Third Ave., NYC 1OO17, 922~3253 to learn the requisite procedures
in these areas.
The MusiCares Foundation, 34O2 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 9O4O5,
(8OO) 687~4227 or (31O) 392~3377, fax ~2187 (an agency of NARAS), provides
emergency financial assistance for substance abuse, health &
medical expenses includ’g HIV / AIDS treatment, psychotherapy, counseling,
& basic living needs for music people.
EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE can be found at the Musicians’
Foundation, Inc., 875 6th Ave., suite 23O3, NYC 1OOO1, 239~9137.
SPECIAL MEDICAL CARE is available for PERFORMANCE~
RELATED INJURIES & physical problems at the Kathryn & Gilbert
Miller Health~Care Institute for Performing Artists, part of St. Luke’s~Roosevelt
Hospital, 425 W. 59th St. (entrance on 1Oth Ave. betw. 58th & 59th
St’s), NYC 1OO19, 523~62OO, ~66O7, ~6597, ~473O, <www.millerinstitute.org>.
There’s also a non~profit corp. called the Institute for Urban Family
Health Care at 16 E. 16th St., NYC 1OOO3, 633~O8OO, where individuals
& families (including homeless persons & those w/ HIV~related
illness) can receive HEALTH CARE.
An inexpensive membership in the (slightly misnamed) Chamber Music
America, Inc., 3O5 Seventh Ave., NYC 1OOO1, 242~2O22, pres. Dean Stein,
x 1O6, brings you LOW~PRICED INSTRUMENT & HEALTH INSURANCE,
as well as COMMISSION & GRANT eligibility & other benefits.
"Affordable" HEALTH INSURANCE is also available via Artists’
Health Insurance Resource Ctr., Actors’ Fund of America, 729 Seventh Ave.,
1Oth floor, NYC 1OO19, 221~73OO or (8OO) 798~8447, <www.actorsfund.org>.
& if you work freelance & go the 1O99 route, you’re eligible for
HEALTH INSURANCE via Working Today, P.O. Box 1261, Old Chelsea
Station, NYC 1O113, 366~6O66, fax ~6971, <www.workingtoday.org>.
What is the actual situation regarding LEGAL RIGHTS OF MUSICIANS
WHO PRACTICE OR REHEARSE AT HOME? Contrary to what many believe or
imagine to be true, the law does NOT say it’s all right up to a
certain time at night or for a certain number of hours or at specified
volumes; rather, the law is entirely based on people’s right to the "QUIET
ENJOYMENT" of their living quarters, & enforcement is entirely
in reaction to complaints received by the various agencies governing this
situation. This means that if someone files complaints against you, say,
for practicing your violin at high noon for an hour on alternate Thursdays,
& if you can’t work something out with the person filing the complaints,
then chances are you will end up being ordered to stop. Therefore, the
first step, after doing as much SOUNDPROOFING as you can, is to
try civilized face~to~face negotiations with the fellow tenant who’s filing
complaints against you. Then, if you can’t work it out, you can try a
number of agencies, includ’g: Customer Svc. Ctr., NYC Dept. of Environmental
Protection, 59~17 Junction Blvd., 1Oth floor, Corona, Queens 11368,
(718) 337~4357, <www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dep/home.html>; NYC Rent
Guidelines Board, 51 Chambers St., suite 2O2, NYC 1OOO7, 385~2934,
<www.housingnyc.com>; Mayor’s Quality of Life Hotline, (888)
677~5433; Tenant Net, <www.tenant.net>; NYS Public Svc.
Commission, Consumer Svcs. Div., 1 Penn Plaza, NYC 1O119, (8OO) 342~3377;
NYS Div. of Housing & Community Renewal, Hampton Plaza, 38~4O
State St., Albany, NY 122O7, (518) 473~2517, (212) 24O~6O33, <www.dhcr.state.ny.us/>;
or any number of tenants’ rights organizations all over the city, including:
East Side Tenants’ Coalition, 249~O582; Lenox Hill Neighborhood
House, 744~5O22; Metropolitan Council on Housing, 693~O55O
or ~O553; NYS Tenants’ & Neighbors’ Coalition, 5O5 8th Ave.,
18th floor, 695~8922; or there’s your State Senator or Assembly(wo)man’s
office. Or as a last resort, you can get (ulp) a lawyer.
Further to the above, though your name may get called Up Yonder long
before it gets called down here, you can try to get on one of the interminable
lists for an apartment in subsidized ARTIST HOUSING THAT INCLUDES USE
OF REHEARSAL STUDIOS in the same bldg., such as: Bretton Hall,
southeast corner of B’way & 86th St., 787~7OOO; Manhattan Plaza,
4OO W. 43rd St., 971~O66O; or Westbeth, 55 Bethune St. at Washington
St., see the guard for an application or call 691~15OO. & an excellent
free resource for rehearsal & performance spaces is <www.nycmusicplaces.org>,
listing some 8OO locations & their facilities, & permitting site
visitors to specify what they can spend to use them; the rehearsal spaces
include public libraries, churches, $5/ hr. practice rooms, & up.
NYC Music Places’ office is also reachable by phone at 886~25O3, David
Johnston or Betsy Kelso, or by Email at <DHJnyc@att.net>.
If you are a musician ARRESTED OR HARASSED for playing in public
spaces at reasonable hours, defenders of Constitutional rights you can
contact include: American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad St.,
17th floor, NYC 1OOO4, 344~3OO5, <www.aclu.org>, Exec. Dir. Norman
Siegel; International Action Center, 39 West 14th St., #2O6, NYC
1OO11, 633~6646, fax ~2889, <www.iacenter.org>, <iacenter@iacenter.org>,
former Attorney General (& long~time legal activist for justice) Ramsey
Clark; Artists’ Network of Refuse & Resist!, 3O5 Madison Ave.,
suite 1166, NYC 1O165, 713~5657, <www.refuseandresist.org/artnet/index.html>,
<artists@refuseandresist.org>, <mrarts@hotmail.com>.
ARTISTS NEEDING LEGAL HELP & unable to afford it can apply
to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, 1 E. 53rd St., 6th floor, NYC 1OO22,
319~291O, ~2787, ext. 9, fax 752~6575, <www.vlany.org>, <EPaul@vlany.org>,
Exec. Dir. Elena Paul, x. 17. Patience & perseverance will be needed,
as doubtless they are swamped with applicants.
Regarding JAZZ RADIO:
WBGO~FM (88.3 on the dial) is supposedly 24~hr. public jazz radio but is actually a mixed bag of various types of non~jazz music, uninspired commercial material, & elevator music for soulless but "hip" corporation executives. Mediocrities & worse are promoted on WBGO amid reports indicating that playlists require on~air hosts to play specific recordings, promotional hype is pumped out over the air for certain labels (in exchange for what, & who benefits?), & then there is the constant barrage of commercials ("This hour has been made possible by" everything from insurance agents to funeral parlors), topped off with relentless, interminable fund~raising appeals for monstrous sums of money to sustain the entire farce. The results of all this are disreputable, disgraceful, shabby, dreary, & boring, if not outright illegal, especially for public radio.
As to the sounds that get past the music police at WBGO, our music is not just music from the past that sounds like the past (however great) & music from the present that sounds like the past warmed over, with nothing new, courageous or free to be heard, no sound of the future within earshot. This kind of censorship teaches our young people that the music was born, it lived, it went nowhere, & it died ("classical" = dead), & if that is the message our young musicians are given, it will become self~fulfilling before long.
Let's get down to a few specific cases: On what sort of "jazz station" do you not get to hear artists who are playing & creating brilliant liberation music today, such as PHEEROAN akLAFF, RASHIED ALI, FRED ANDERSON, ANTHONY BRAXTON, ORNETTE COLEMAN, MARILYN CRISPELL, ANDREW CYRILLE, OLU DARA, WALT DICKERSON, BILL DIXON, CHARLES GAYLE, MILFORD GRAVES, ANDREW HILL, JOSEPH JARMAN, KIDD JORDAN, GEORGE LEWIS, HANNIBAL (MARVIN PETERSON) LOKUMBÉ, JOE McPHEE, GRACHAN MONCUR, III., JEMEEL MOONDOC, JOE MORRIS, SUNNY MURRAY, JAMES NEWTON, DEWEY REDMAN, ROSWELL RUDD, ARCHIE SHEPP, ALAN SILVA, BOB STEWART, CECIL TAYLOR, JAMES BLOOD ULMER, DAVID S. WARE, ED WILKERSON, REGGIE WORKMAN? & what kind of "big~band show host" never plays the great orchestral works of CARLA BLEY, CHARLIE HADEN, BUTCH MORRIS, DAVID MURRAY, WILLIAM PARKER, GEORGE RUSSELL, HENRY THREADGILL ~ let alone the mighty SUN RA (whom this benighted on~air "big~band host" has called "a joke")?
Apologies to all the other neglected masters not listed here, but for the moment I'm just making a point by using a few blatant examples. The sad answers to my questions above are: That's not a "jazz station" & those are not "jazz d.j.'s"; it's only WBGO. Be aware that persons responsible for what has happened to WBGO are actually trying to kill jazz, find out who they are, & hold them accountable for it! Please CALL OR WRITE: Thurston Briscoe, Station Mgr., WBGO~FM, 54 Park Pl., Newark, NJ O71O2, (973) 624~888O, fax ~8888, <TBriscoe@wbgo.org>, or Cephas Bowles, Gen'l Mgr. (x 244), home 2OO4 Merrywood Dr., Edison, NJ O8817, (732) 819~4759, <CBowles@wbgo.org>. You can also call individual on~air people at the studio number, (973) 642~9246, though this will have less of an impact on station policy. Let's not surrender our "jazz station" without even putting up a fight.
Real jazz & "new music" can be heard on WKCR~FM (89.9), & over the Web at <www.wkcr.org>, 5~9:3O a.m. wkdays ("Daybreak Express" & "Bird Flight"); noon~3 wkdays ("Out to Lunch"); 3~6 p.m. Mon’s~Wed’s ("New Music"); 6~9 p.m. wkdays ("Jazz Alternatives" & "The Musicians’ Show"); 6~9 p.m. Sat’s ("Traditions in Swing"); Sat. nights into Sun. mornings 2~6 a.m. ("Jazz Till Dawn"); 2~7 p.m. Sun’s ("Jazz Profiles"); Sun. nights into Mon. mornings 2~5 a.m. ("Monday Morning in Mono"); also "In All Languages" (Sun’s at 11 p.m.~Mon’s at 2 a.m.) & "The African Show" Thurs’s, 9:3O~11:3O p.m (<www.africanshow.com>, as well as special b’day & memorial broadcasts, & the best of many other musics at other times of day. Info: 854~929O, fax ~9296, <www.wkcr.org>, <DCC25@columbia.edu>, <wkcrjazz@columbia.edu>.
Jazz can also be heard at various times (going up the dial) on: WRHU~FM, 88.7 info (516) 463~56OO; WFDU~FM, 89.1, (2O1) 692~2O12 (Sun’s noon~3); WPKN~FM, 89.5, (2O3) 576~5895, ~454O; WFUV~FM, 9O.7 (actually more ethnic & folk musics than specifically jazz), (718) 365~8O5O; WFMU~FM, 91.1, (2O1) 2OO~9368, <www.wfmu.org>, <wfmu@wfmu.org>; WNYE~FM, 91.5 (Mon’s, 1O~11 p.m.); WNYC~FM, 93.9, <www.wnyc.org> (don’t miss John Schaefer’s "New Sounds" nightly 11 p.m.~ midnight; & if you do miss "Around New York," WNYC’s cancelled new~music program, call or write the station & ask to have it back: 1 Centre St., rm. 2515, NYC 1OOO7~1O59, 669~78OO); WQXR~FM, 96.3 (Sun’s 6~7 p.m.), 633~76OO; **** ISAAC HAYES is on the air at 98.7~FM weekdays 6~1O a.m; WBAI~FM, 99.5, 2O9~28OO, fax 747~1698, <www.wbai.org>, jazz/ r&b/ gospel Sun. mornings 2~4 a.m. w/ host CHET JACKSON; "classic" jazz Sun’s 11 p.m.~Mon’s 1 a.m. w/ host BILL FARRAR; "Circle of Red Nations" Mon’s 9~1O p.m., Native American issues, host RAVEN; & occasional specials; WBLS~FM, 1O7.5, 447~1OOO; WNYC~AM, 82O on the dial (Danny Stiles has a big~band slot Sat’s 7:3O~1O p.m.), 669~78OO; WNEW~AM, 113O, 489~1O27;& WQEW~AM, 156O, 633~76OO.
S P E C I A L N O T I C E
The great SUN RA was quoted as follows in the January,
1968 issue of AMIRI BARAKA's publication "The Cricket": "There were some
white bands... one day I found out that black [musicians] were the major
source of their ideas, and that black arrangers & composers were BUILDING
WHITE BANDS WHICH FINALLY TOOK THE PLACE OF THE BLACK BANDS WHICH FORMERLY
HAD PLAYED THE TOP JAZZ SPOTS OF THE WORLD." (Capital letters are
rendered here as they were in the original.) Tragically, this situation
prevails in many music groups, venues, & granting organizations in
& around New York City today, & correction is long overdue. There
are far too many all~white or virtually all~white big bands, far too many
white~run musicians' "collectives" ("exclusives" would be a more accurate
term), far too many clubs that seldom, if ever, book African~American~led
bands, & several grantmakers whose records show unmistakeable racial
bias in favor of white applicants. Documentation is easily provided, &
if significant progress toward righting this situation is not observed
in various quarters over the next few months, names will be named, places
specified, & boycotts urged.
S P E C I A L N O T I C E
This notice has been running here
for quite some time, with very few responses. COME
ON, NEW YORK BUSINESS ~ SHOW SOME LOVE FOR THE MUSIC!! Somewhere
among you here in Manhattan, there are benevolent, enlightened music lovers
with the advantage of owning small businesses (book or record stores,
for example), lofts, office spaces, galleries, storefronts, garages, or
private buildings that aren’t used at night &/ or on weekends &
could be donated (free of charge, please) for band rehearsals & concerts.
Several responsible musicians & music organizations urgently seek
these spaces, & I have offered to help. So if you want to be
a real music hero, please send an E~mail to me at <musicmargaret@earthlink.net>
or call me at (212) 841~O899, & I’ll help make some music dreams
come true (at no cost to anyone).
U R G E N T N O T I C E
In recent years, some venues for our music that have CLOSED
included Avenue B Social Club, Bradley's, Chicago Blues, Context Studios
in Manhattan, the Cooler, Cuando, Fat Tuesday's, the most recent
reincarnation of the Five~Spot, Manny's Car Wash, Tramps, the Village
Corner, the Village Gate, Wetlands, Yardbird Suite, & more.
Lots more are endangered as well. It's easy to blame the archetypal
Greedy Landlord who triples the venue's rent, but if fans don't buy tickets
& go to concerts, how can musicians & the places they play survive?
... A QUESTION
FOR YOU:
ARE YOU SUPPORTING
LIVE MUSIC ??
"This is the sound of silhouettes
/ images & forecasts of tomorrow / disguised as jazz," Sun Ra said.
Take note! And take action: Ralph Ellison wrote in "Invisible
Man," "At first I was afraid: This familiar music had demanded
action, the kind of which I was incapable, & yet had I lingered there
beneath the surface, I might have attempted to act. Nevertheless, I know
now that few really listen to this music." Or as Amiri Baraka puts it,
"It is not enough to witness / you are somewhere anyway."
You have received the current issue
of ART ATTACK! ®, compiled, written, published &
distributed by Margaret Davis, free of charge or commercial content, with
prevailing inspiration from Henry Grimes
and from the spirit of Sonny Sharrock. I am deeply grateful
for donations, supplies, help, encouragement, & love freely &
variously given within the past year by these & many others:
Chuck Anderson, Fred Anderson, wonderful young Master Andrew Bemkey,
Lucas Benacerraf (my hero) & little Audrey, Janice Bennett,
Karl Billerts, Mark Blacher, Terry Callier, Charles Carrico, Meaddows,
Ted, & Justin Ciuzio, Clare Cooper, Bill Dixon, Hamid Drake,
Jim Eigo, Dina Elkan (sine qui non...), Douglas Ewart,
Enid Farber, Kali Fasteau, Mark Frederick, Pat Frisco, David Goldfarb,
Jon Gordon, Lonnie Graham,Hilliard Greene, Will Halsey, Michael
S. Harper, Robert Holub, Jr., James Jamison, Sensei/ Shaku Joseph Jarman,
Kidd Jordan, Lou & Margaret Kannenstine, Barrie Karp, Byard Lancaster,
Laura Lonshein Ludwig, Jane Malmo, Joe & Sonia Maneri, Laine Stearns
Massey, Joe McPhee (if you haven't found Joe yet,
I am truly sorry for you), Harold Meiselman, Mixashawn, William
Parker, Don & Rona Payne, Steve Perlmutter, Michael Pribich, Dewey
Redman, mighty James, Susannah, & James Elijah Reid, Eleanor
Rogers & John Rogers, Roswell Rudd, Jeff & Anne Schlanger,
Barbara Sfraga, supreme Catman Spirit Star S., Clint Simonson,
John D. Smith, Jr., Michael Lucio Sternbach, Sekou Sundiata, Clayton Thomas,
Richton Thomas, Jack & Linda Vartoogian, John Voigt, Carlos Ward,
& Dr. Ken Weiss.
Special thanks also to Charles Carrico for help with the mysteries
of the Web; to Steve Zeitlin & City Lore for organizational
back~up; & to "FYI," the N Y Foundation for the Arts's wonderful
free publication, from which I glean many of the artist survival items
that make up the first section of this site: 155 Ave. of the Americas,
14th floor, NYC 1OO13~15O7, (212) 366~69OO, <www.nyfa.org>. Above
all, I'm grateful for the welcome I receive from so many beautiful beings
(human & beyond) whenever I get to the places my music calls me.
For special inquiries, phone (212) 841~O899, or E~mail <musicmargaret@earthlink.net> or <liberationmusic@hotmail.com>. ART ATTACK ! ® is on the Web at <www.jazznewyork.org>, & has been on the Web for more than seven years now, thanks to Andrew Bemkey and Charles Carrico.
My purpose in this endeavor, regardless of expense &/ or struggle, is to give back what I can to the music that sustains us; thus, I seek to support those through whom messages of truth are delivered to our largely unwitting & unenlightened society, which cannot survive without the living presence of that truth.
In love & music,
Margaret Davis
