Baltimore: “Music City” of the Future?
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December 2015 Baltimore: “Music City” of the Future? . 1 BCJS at BMA: Don Braden Quintet featuring Vanessa Rubin . 4 BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE Member Notes, Discounts and Merchandise . 6 Dave Douglas at An die Musik . 7 An Interview with Nico Sarbanes . 8 Jazz Jam Sessions . 10 Ad Rates and Member Sign-up Form . 11 VOLUME XII ISSUE XI THE BJA NEWSLETTER WWW.BALTIMOREJAZZ.COM Baltimore: “Music City” of the Future? By Ken Avis On October 25th the Music Cities Conference in Washington, DC brought together 200 musicians, presenters, and city ad - ministrators from around the world to share experiences con - cerning the value of active music communities and ways to make them thrive. Something is happening out there. In re - cent years, at the city and at national levels, data are being collected, action plans are being implemented, and “live music offices” are being staffed. The evidence is conclusive. Under the right conditions a vibrant music scene positively affects community and economic development. Link it to tourism and it can really bring in the dollars and jobs. Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, and Berlin are clearly “music cities” where festivals, clubs and the supporting in - dustries provide jobs and attract tourist dollars. Austin has been America’s fastest-growing city for the last nine years. Its “cool music city” factor has been key to its success in attract - ing creative talent for the expanding high tech and creative What about Baltimore? Could Baltimore harness its jazz industries. At the other end of the spectrum, Johannesburg, legacy and active arts scene to ramp up quality of life Bogota, and at the national level, Venezuela are actively pur - and attract talent and jobs to revitalize the city ? suing music education and performance programs to address problems of crime and poverty and to develop healthier com - searchable by date, location, and genre, are front and center. munities. Visit Baltimore details, with justifiable pride, the $5.2 billion What about Baltimore? Could Baltimore harness its jazz spent by Baltimore’s 24 million tourists; that industry con - legacy and active arts scene to ramp upthe quality of life and tributes 83,000 jobs and $650 million in taxes. The site de - attract talent and jobs to revitalize the city? What might be clares, “our job is to show the world that Baltimore is a great the benefits and challenges to Baltimore’s joining the grow - destination with vibrant neighborhoods, rich culture and in - ing list of music cities? spiring people.” Yet you would need to dig deep to find men - Assets and Missed Opportunities tion of the area’s rich jazz history or of Baltimore’s having A glance at the official tourism and city websites shows little been awarded Rolling Stone’s Best Music Scene award. interest in live music beyond the big-ticket culture institu - It isn’t that no one cares about the arts in Baltimore. Three tions. There are plenty of data on the number of restaurants, designated Arts Districts enjoying tax breaks for events and public art installations, and cultural organizations, but no arts programs, and their impact on revitalizing urban space, live-music data comparable to those being collected and an - are clearly recognized. Baltimore consistently stands among alyzed in the music cities of the world. Compare Baltimore’s the nation’s leaders in attracting arts grants, arts revenues, site to Austin Tourism , where live-music what’s-on guides, and arts organizations, according to the National Center for (continued on page 2) The Baltimore Jazz Alliance is a 501(c)(3) BALTIMORE: “Music City” of the Future? tax exempt organization. (continued from page 1) Arts Research. The city’s assets also in- “We need a concerted and unified ef- The Baltimore Jazz Alliance (BJA) clude a range of summer music series, fort to make a difference,” says Baltimore is a grass-roots organization of jazz aficionados, musicians and venues plus the Peabody Conservatory, Balti - music presenter Marianne Matheny- dedicated to enhancing and more School for the Arts, all of which at- Katz. “Tourism and transport are cen- promoting jazz in Baltimore and the tract and develop musical talent. tered on the Inner Harbor, where there is surrounding areas. New members Local music presenters are well aware limited night-time entertainment beyond sharing this passion are always of the positive aspects but point to the restaurants, bars and shopping. Restau- welcome as the BJA continues its efforts to build a stronger and better lack of coordination and focus to build rants could include live music but are networked jazz scene. Together we on the city’s assets. The centennial of Bal- generally resistant, especially with enter- can help this music thrive in the timore’s own Billie Holiday, for instance, tainment licenses being difficult to ob- region and reward listeners and went by with limited fanfare. A one-set tain—something the City could address. musicians alike. performance at Artscape was the high- While a number of live music series exist BJA Priorities light of the celebration. Despite BJA in parks and institutions, improvements • To develop new audiences for jazz members’ efforts, the very popular an- are needed in coordination and promo- • To strengthen communication nual vocal competitions named for Billie tion, along with more support from the within the jazz community Holiday and Cab Calloway, and the City and local publications.” • To improve media relations on more recent Chick Webb instrumental Jazz presenter Bernard Lyons also behalf of the jazz community jazz competition, have disappeared from highlights the challenge of getting • To bring greater visibility to the Artscape. Other jazz performances at everyone to pull together. “The talent entire array of jazz offerings in the Baltimore region Artscape are minimal. As one presenter and the audiences are there but with • To provide greater access to suggested, “Artscape might as well be few exceptions the local media ignores performance opportunities for renamed Foodscape.” This is a missed what’s on, except at the main commer- Baltimore-area jazz musicians opportunity to foster audience apprecia- cial venues. The challenge is also getting tion for America’s national arts treasure. the presenters on the same page. Collab- Visit www.baltimorejazz.com for information about our accomplishments and future goals. “Baltimore has some of the features needed to become a thriving Baltimore Jazz Alliance 847 North Howard Street musical community: a pipeline of skilled performers, a range of Baltimore, Maryland 21201 venues and an engaged musical audience. .“ Please direct your – JOSE BOWEN questions and comments to: President of Goucher College [email protected] and a life-long performing jazz musician Editor/Designer: Gail Marten [email protected] www.jazzpalette.com While neighboring Washington, Philadel- oration would help us to schedule and phia, and now Cape May proudly promote promote more effectively, and to partner their jazz festivals, Baltimore has no festival with potential new live music venues.” BJA BOARD of its own. The opportunity to earmark and Commenting on the lack of promo - Alice Downs develop waterfront space for potential live tion coordination and media interest, Liz Fixsen, Secretary music venues and festival space has been an- Station North’s Executive Director Ben Barry Glassman, Founder and Emeritus other missed opportunity. Imagine the po - Stone acknowledges, “Yes, Baltimore’s Vernard Gray tential this might have offered! Montreal Bob Jacobson, Vice President pretty good at keeping our secrets to Sara Jerkins invested $150 million in a public-private ourselves. I don’t know why.” At the Todd Marcus project to create a downtown festival space same time, Stone paints a picture of a Camay Calloway Murphy, Emerita with thirty venues. The Quartier des Specta- healthy arts neighborhood with a high Mark Osteen, President cles now hosts forty festivals annually, and density of artists attracted by the rela - Ian Rashkin has become home to 450 arts organizations, tively low cost of living, and plenty of Robert Shahid, Treasurer 7000 arts related jobs and $530 million in smaller venues drawing good audi - Marcellus “The Bassman” Shepard new tax revenues since its inception five ences, including for improvised jazz. So years ago. Baltimore has its incubators. What it PAGE 2 / DECEMBER 2015 BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE doesn’t have are sufficient mid-sized and larger venues that setting goals, and collaborating to make the most of the city’s local musicians might aspire to and be inspired by. As a result music assets. There are so many examples of how to move it is often bypassed by mid-Atlantic touring acts who go to forward, as the Music Cities Conference indicated. Baltimore DC or Philly. could be a “music city” in every sense. What Can Be Done Ken Avis is a music journalist, filmmaker and musician with the “Expanding the arts is good policy. That’s clear,” says Jose award-winning world-jazz group Veronneau. He would like to Bowen, President of Goucher College and a life-long jazz thank the music community members who generously con - musician. “Baltimore has some of the features needed to be - tributed their time and views. come a thriving musical community: a pipeline of skilled performers, a range of venues and an engaged musical au - dience. Arguably, with its rich jazz legacy it could be posi - tioned as the ‘East Coast City of Jazz’ and could distinguish UNIFIED JAZZ itself from other cities by being branded as such.” There are potential benefits for musicians, presenters, com - ENSEMB LE munities and the wider economy if the coordination and will to promote Baltimore’s music scene—not just jazz—can be harnessed. Perhaps existing organizations can lead the charge EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT at 49 WEST CAFE and encourage The City to pay more attention to live music and to jazz in particular.