[Dixielandjazz] Does it Matter?: NEA Cancels Jazz Masters Program

[Norman Vickers]

To: Musicians & Jazzfans; DJML

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

This from Howard Mandel, president of the Jazz Journalists Association.  Although written primarily for JJA members, I am posting because it’s an important issue.  Howard is a listmate on the Musicians & JazzFans lists so your responses will reach him this way.  Also he blogs on ArtsJournal.com so you can see his writing there.

 

 

Jazz Journalists Association

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced in its new budget proposal the end of its Jazz Masters program in 2012. This program has,  since 1982, conferred recognition, an honorarium and in some cases tour support for veteran jazz musicians -- 179 have made its honor roll. 

 

What do you and others in your local jazz community think about the cancellation of the Jazz Masters program? So, far there doesn't seem to have been much visible reaction to the news.  This may be because the program is not seen as particularly important, or perhaps the news just hasn't really gotten out yet.

 

Either way, we JJA members can play a role, as jazz journalists and people who work in the jazz world,  in gathering reactions from our local jazz communities, sharing them with each other and reporting what we learn to the world at large. I've started a new discussion in the JJA Members Forum for this purpose.

 

Here's what I'd like you to do this week: If you aren't already up to speed on the issue, find out about it.  (some information is below).  Then  take the temperature of your local jazz community --in whatever way works for you --   and then post what you learn at the discussion forum at the JJA Members site <http://jja.camp8.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkId=h2i6UMfOXAZEzs4HpLsggw%3d%3d> .  (This forum is for members only-- so you'll have to log in to your JJA account to read it or post.) The object of this exercise, from my point of view, is to gather data or at least informed impressions about our current jazz culture and audience -- the audience we can hope is interested in our work, too --  not to proselytize about a personal point of view. (You can express your view, of course, but please do some reporting, too, so we have a larger perspective to judge whether this is an issue that the JJA as an organization should be concerned about.)

 

You'll find some of the background about the issue in my  <http://jja.camp8.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkId=nMZwQ3eokB23I4UWIvAojQ%3d%3d> blog postings: Essentially the NEA is ending honors and fellowships that are specifically for for jazz, opera and "national heritage" (folk) artists and plans to replace these with  "American Artists of the Year" awards.  Instead of making awards specific to each genre, the new award winners will be chosen from a much larger pool of artists who represent " the entire spectrum of the performing arts"( this includes all forms of music theater and  dance -- there will  be a distinctly separate category for "visual artists") and will add mid-career artists in the honorees' pool as well as artists no longer considered in "mid-career."

 

The main question is this: Does the continuation of the Jazz Masters program, or other forms of NEA support for jazz, matter ?  Maybe it doesn't make any difference --that is, nobody cares about the Jazz Masters. Maybe grassroots jazz support groups have their own ways of recognizing local "Jazz Masters." Maybe it's time to retire the title, since the number of giants of jazz on this earth, to some ways of thinking, is getting smaller and smaller. Or maybe the loss of this program will be a blow to local jazz communities-- and the jazz world at large.

 

Whatever the case, we'll only know by asking-- and then reporting what we find.  So please weigh in by Thursday at the Member's forum. <http://jja.camp8.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkId=NmE4cpxqusTgwpKty4tqxQ%3d%3d> 

(A couple of notes on using the forum: You can add your own comments by clicking the "New comment" button at the bottom or top of the page. And you can keep up with the discussion by clicking the "subscribe to topic" button-- that way, you'll be notified by email every time another JJA Member adds a new post.)

 

And, of course,  if  what you learn about the cancellation of the Jazz Masters Program warrants it, you should write and report about what you learn in all the media you have access to.... 

 

I look forward to reading what you find out.

 

 

It's interesting times.

 

best, Howard