[Dixielandjazz] Re: Sacramento Jazz Jubilee - A note about Chet Baker

[Stephen Barbone]

For the other side of the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Story, see the current and very comprehensive
article by Roger Krum in this month's edition of The American Rag. Among other things, he states that
the Jubilee grosses $2 million, not "makes" $2 million, and that they took a hit the year of 9/11, but
made money last year. He says they need the loan because expenses will be about $300.,000 before they
start selling tickets and redeeming pledges for the 2004 festival. They do not have that much in
reserve which is why they need the loan. Etc., etc.

The city benefits greatly from this festival, as do the merchants, hotels etc. Perhaps they might come
up with some cash? Certainly as Krum points out, if the Jubilee generates $28 million in extra income
for the merchants in Sacramento, a festival of this magnitude and draw should have no real problem
being self supporting.

Re Chet Baker, what an enormous talent. All ear, no safety net of reading music or chords to fall back
on if he got lost. Wow. There is an anecdote about him as follows:

Charlie Parker, heard him on the West Coast, and when Bird returned to NYC told Dizzy Gillespie and
Miles Davis about this "little white cat out West who is going to blow you all away.", or words to
that effect .

Chet Baker, beautiful player, wonderful singer.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

> "WILLIAM HORTON" <WILLIAMHORTON at peoplepc.com>
>
> The following is from the sacramento Bee of Oct. 7.  It's not made clear
> what the "other programs" are.  Perhaps programs sponsored by the club, such
> as the jazz camps and monthly concerts?
>
> Bill Horton
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Subject: Jazz News - Jubilee in debt, seeks big city loan
>
> By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer (edited)
> Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 7, 2003
> A private organization that operates the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, in deep
> financial straits for years, is asking for a loan of up to $250,000 from the
> city to help it get on firmer fiscal footing, officials said Monday.
> The proposed bailout would get the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society out
> of its immediate jam by helping to pay off $270,000 in debts -- most of that
> unpaid bills to vendors incurred during May's Jazz Jubilee. City employees
> are working with the nonprofit group to hammer out ways to pare down debt so
> it can work toward long-term financial health, said Barbara Bonebrake,
> director of the city's Convention, Culture and Leisure Department.
> The city expects the organization to raise ticket prices -- which ranged
> from $8 to $92 this year -- for the Jubilee by approximately 4 percent and
> to reduce the number of bands, Bonebrake said. She said she believes the
> loan is a good city investment, and she will recommend that the City Council
> approve the request at its meeting Thursday. The low-interest loan would be
> paid back over 5 years.
> "The city believes the Jazz Jubilee is important, a major event in
> Sacramento," Bonebrake said. "Other communities would be interested in it,
> and we're interested in keeping it."
> Although Bonebrake said there has been no talk of the Jubilee relocating,
> she said "there was always that potential" and the risk of losing the
> festival was considered when city officials evaluated the loan request. If a
> loan is given, the Jazz Society will commit to keeping the Jubilee in
> Sacramento through 2015, five years more than required in an existing
> agreement.
> The Jazz Society has hosted the venerable Jazz Jubilee for 29 years over
> Memorial Day weekend. Less well-known are the other programs put on by the
> Jazz Society, including jazz camps for kids and concerts.
> Traditionally, the Jazz Jubilee makes about $2 million a year and pays for
> itself, while the other programs have run at a deficit, according to Linda
> Foley, the Jazz Society's board president, and Roger Krum, the group's
> executive director.
> Krum said he only has direct control of the Jubilee and that the other
> programs are operated by the group's 15-member board. The board meets
> monthly.
> "It's been pointed out that those programs are not doing well, and the board
> has elected to keep them going and take (money) from reserve," Krum said.
> "Recently the focus has been to ensure that they become self-sufficient and
> that's where we're arriving. It's a positive step."
> Foley said the decision to run money-losing programs was made years ago by a
> previous board. The latest financial statement available to the public shows
> that those programs were losing money in 2001. Foley was V.Pres. of the
> board.
> The Society's problems worsened in 2002 when admissions to the Jubilee fell
> short of expectations, causing a severe economic blow because there was no
> financial cushion to pay for other programs, Krum and Foley said.
> Foley didn't know details of the proposed city loan and wasn't familiar with
> a bank loan the Jazz Society took out in 2000, which has a balance of
> $84,000. Despite the Jazz Society's history of financial difficulties, Foley
> said she did not feel the board should be providing tighter oversight on
> operations. "That would be micromanaging," Foley said.
> The board of directors gave Krum its approval to seek a loan. A new budget
> that maps out the higher admission costs and fewer Jubilee bands will go to
> the Jazz Society's board later this month, Foley said.
> Neither Krum nor Foley said that fewer bands would mean a lesser-quality
> Jubilee. Krum said that several venues had been operating at 60 percent
> occupancy and the number of bands probably could have been cut in recent
> years. It was unclear how much money was in the Jazz Society's reserves.
> Krum said it had "absolutely no reserve" while Foley said she though there
> was about $70,000 in the Jazz Society's coffers. Bonebrake said the city's
> examination of the Jazz Society's books showed about $125,000.
> Administrative costs run up to $40,000 per month, said Vivian Abraham, the
> Jazz Society's business manager. The Jubilee generates $28 million a year in
> extra income for the region, dollars spent in hotels, shops and restaurants,
> as well as in sales and hotel occupancy taxes, Krum said.
> City Councilman Ray Tretheway, whose district includes the Old Sacramento
> area, where many of the Jubilee events are held, said he thinks the loan
> makes sense. The city has helped out other businesses and nonprofits with
> loans and city officials will help the Jazz Society put together a business
> plan "based on real-world numbers," Tretheway said......end....