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How can a Zlst-centuryjazz communitycoalesce?BY LARRY BLUMENFELD

CONNECT the42 INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2O]2

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Neither frigid temperatures nor threat of ablizzatdcould dissuade some 1,4'oo people from darting backand forth between three clubs in Manhattan's West

Village on opening night of the 2oll Winter Jazzfesl'

The next night, more than 2,5OO attended' They came

for a marathon featuring more than 70 bands diverse

enough in sound, approach and instrumentation to defy

easy categorization. Many audience members were in-dustry professionals gathered for the annual Associationof Performing Arts Presenters conference' There was a

healthy contingent of young musicians, too - the sort

that, better than anyone, can build abuzz around an art-ist or band.

Writing in The Neu York Times, critic Ben Ratliffpraised the music, bemoaned the long lines and made

ihis statement: "There is an audien cefot jazz, you knowOffthe books, it's bigger than you think' Sometimes the

culture around it feels spread out and invisible, like pol-1en in the air."

Those APAP members in the clubs were scouting formore than talent' They sought answers' Two days later' at

the conference's conclusi on,125 of them filled the HiltonNew York ballroom for lhe J azz Forum: Tomorrou's Jazz

Audience: Where Are TheY?

Ratliff's characterization resonates because it suggests

the true nature of today's jazz audience' It applies equallywell to the music's sources of support' Maybe those who

present, promote and promulgate jazz are like pollen

collectors without a hive. So iazz ends up atomized; itscommunity wants to come together and share but lacks a

wide and welcoming enough entrance point'The APAP jazztrackfllled a void created by

the bankruptcy in 2oo8 ofthe InternationalAssociation of JazzEducators, which had among

its 8,o0o members a healthy contingent ofmusic-industry executives and presenters, and

a convention jazz-trackof its own' What beganthat year at APAP with informal penthousemeetings had by 2o1o grown into jazz-focused

workshops and a town-hail-style forum' By 2o11, dedi-

cated task forces reported on discrete initiatives'At APAP INYC 2012, Local to Global: JazzConnect,

the most ambitious AP.!yP iazztrack to date, is both an

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CONFERENCE 2012 INSIDE ARTS 43

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didn't tell the whole Picture, how-ever. They missed the Pollen, so tospeak. The J azzAudiences Initiative,a 2l-month research project hostedby the Jazz Arts GrouP of Columbus,Ohio, offers one powerful corrective,and will report on its findings onMonday, January 9, atAPAPINYC2072.

"We were trYing to get aroundthe methodological barriers in orderto seed a dialogue beYond decline,which is a false assumPtion anYwaY,"

said Rebecca Ratzkin, a consultantwith WolfBrown, who adrninisteredthe study. Looking less at demo-graphics and more at consumPtionpatterns, the studY used clusteranalysis to discover a more nuancedpicture. The conclusions - whichperhaps suggest altered businessplans, Ratzkin said - include these:Jazz buyers strongly prefer srnaller,

more informal settings fotlive jazz;

tastes in music, especially jazz, aresocially transmitted (oft en sparkedby young musicians such as thoseat Winter J azzfesl); consumption ofjazzis artist-driven.

Another research initiative reP-resented at APAP this year is ArtistReoenue Streclms, amulti-stage proj-ect by the Future of Music Coalitionto assess artists'income sources ina changing music business. FMCtJean Cook told NPR jazz bloggerPatrick Jarenwattananon that thejazz community is often disjointed,difficult to reach. And she wondered:"What if you were able to challengethe music industry and policlT nakersto understand that what is good forBeyonc6 maY not be good for BetrY

Carter, and have numbers to back itup?"

Even the best data needs to beshared by a well-connected com-munity predisposed to workingas a group. "Yet we in jazzhave a

tradition ofnot sharing, ofgoingit alone," said MartYAshbY, execu-tive producer of MCG Jazz, withinManchester Craftsmen's Guild. At aFriday, JanuarY 6 Panel, he'Il unveilJazz Commons, the online Platformhe has develoPed during the lastthree years. Click onto a particularconcert in the MCGJazz calendar,and the next click takes You to a de-tailed artist history' Or an in-depthlook into the ticket sales ofthat showand related shows, right down to ziP

codes and demograPhics. He envi-sions an interactive shared platform'"Technology has long been a big partofour conversations around a 21't-

century jazz communitY," he said'"This is a way to make it work."

The APAP jazz track was de-signed to encourage dialogue andstimulate new networks, said MarioGarcia Durham, President and CEOof APAP. "Our conference supportsseveral distinct genres - theater

ttWe iniazz have airadition ofnot sharihg,of going italonettIdARTY A5HEY,rXECN",'TIVE PRONUEER OF' TdCG "JAZZ

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expansive entrance Point and a fo-cused channel for develoPment anddiscussion. It spills out across fivedays with a two-fold goal: to build aninfrastructure geared toward effec-tive and efficient Promulgation; andto devise a language and frameworkfor advocacy and branding.

Jazz gels its own track at APAPnot simply because it is elementalto the performing arts landscaPe,but also due to its singular promisefor growth and distinctly confound-ing challenges. One of these chal-lenges relates to data. AfewYearsago, hands were wlung over jazz's

numbers within -4rfs Pa rticipation2OO8, a National Endowment for theArts survey: The surveY PromPtedWall Street Journal columnist TerryTeachout to declare, "The audiencefor jazzin America is both shrink-ing and agingJ'The NEA numbers

44 INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2012

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and dance, for instance - within itsover-arching mission to representthe fieldi' said Durham . " J azz,whichis a national treasure, neverthelessrequires this support to sustain itsplace in the national identitY."

The JazzForward Coalition, a

consortium of industry leaders seek-ing to enhance the vitality and cul-tural relevan ce of jazz, is an exampleof the outgrowth to which Durhamrefers. Peter Gordon, head of ThirstyEar Recordings and a foundingboard member of the AmericanAssociation of Independent Music, isamong its founders' "Jazzhas uniquequalities as an art form," he said,"but as an industry and a communitythere are strategies that can be ap-plied from other art forms." Gordonthinks that the status ofjazz as a

cultural treasure sometimes deflectsfocus from its potential as a driver ofthe cultural economy. And that jazz's

dissolute identity can make it "invis-ible in plain sight'"

Some of this has to do simPlYwithwords and their meanings. ChristYFarnsbauch, who directs JAI, said,"We had ahyPothesis about the NEAsurvey that language was a problem'People dont alwaYs describe whatthey hear in similar terms, especiailywhen it comes to jazz!'

As Gordon said, "We need to turnjazzfrom a four-letter-word into aphilosophy. Then we can begin toconnect the dots and achieve somedefinition as a group. If we do that,lhe jazz communitY becomes a Pow-erhouse." l/I

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..ONLY CONNECTA special feilture of this vear's con{'erence

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is JazzConnect: Iluilctring .Iazz Culture- I-ocal to Glohal. at series of special ses-sions on.iazz. '[he series begins rvith a freeand npen*to-the-pulilic clny-long crash*o.rrr* about the indttstr'1', continues withseven tle diciute tl di seus sions firr rcgi s teretlparticipalrts aucl crlltninates in the NhA

Centel'.

JazzTimes DIY Crash CourseAPAPINYC and JazzTimes magazine collaborate on aseries of free workshops and presentations geared toemerging and established)azz artists, as well asiazzprofessionals. The aim of the program is to providepractical and tangible information about navigatingprofessionally in an increasingly challenging economiciandscape. ln addition to four workshops on sales, pro-motion, booking and organization, artists and profes-sionals will present inspirational stories about theirwork. The JazzTimes DIY Crash Course will also be a

great networking opportunity for iazz artists and pro-iessionals. You do not need to be registered to attendthis daylong workshop.lO a.m.- 4:30 p.m', Thursday,January 5, Hilton, Concourse A

Schedule of Sessions:1O a.m.O Vijay lyler

1Ol5 a.m. WORKSHOP (60 minutes)O Music for Sale:New Models for Selling Your MusicWith Borders and other traditional retail outlets shut-ting their doors, channels for distribution of recorded,rii. huu. changed dramatically. Many online musicservices for sales and airplay are available beyondiTunes. This workshop discusses strategies for theemerging artist to navigate this new and always evolv-ing sales landscaPe.Moderator: John Newcott (WBGO)Panelists:PhilliP BaileY (Concord Jazz)Erot Cichowski (IODA)Forrest Faubion (Allegro Media)Bret Sjerven (SunnYside)Marc Free, Posi Tone11:30 a.m.

O Jason Crane (The Jazz Session) on pod'casts

'11:45 a.m. WORKSHOP (60 minutes)O Breaking through the Clutter: Social mediafor publicity, promotion and profit?As traditional print and broadcast media becomemore and more obsolete, as the record store has allbut died, as digital retailers and editorial websiteshave increased in power and influence, a new cultureof readers and consumers has emerged-a group thatgoes first and foremost to the internet for all of its in-iormation and entertainment needs. This session willlook at these cultures and how they interact with eachother in real time. Topics will include Facebook, Twit-ter, YouTube, Pandora, Last.f m and ways social mediais used to spread the word on music and other topics'Moderator: Dmitri Vietze (rock paper scissors)Panelists:Kevin Calabro (Calabro Music Media)Dick Huey (Toolshed Marketing)Josh Jackson (The Checkout)

12:45 p.m. BREAK

1:45 p.m.O Fay Victor

2 p.m.WORKSHOP (60 minutes)O New Models for Jazz Performance andTouring: Going beyond the traditional club andfestival circuitThe days of aiazz club in every city are over, andlarge venues are only looking for big names, but thereare all sorts of new performing opportunities avail-able to emerging artists, both in New York City andacross the country. Presenters and booking agentsshare what they know from the frontlines'Moderator: Jim MacniePanelists:Mark Christman (Ars Nova Workshop)Jeanna Disney (lnternational Music Network)Brice Rosenbloom (BOOM Collective)Meghan Stabile (Revive Music Group)Myles Weinstein (Unlimited Myles)

3:15 p.m.O Steven Bernstein

3:25 p.m. WORKSHOP (6O minutes)

\,,.$4

48 INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2012

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O The Jazz Artist as Small Business Ownerand ManagerAs musiciani add f undraising, promotion, producing'recording, distribution, management and booking totheir skilisets, individuals are becoming organiza-tions. Some thrive on collective output and multipleplatforms. What are the benefits and challenges toincorporating, becoming a non-profit entity' seekingfiscal sponsoiship, and faking on self-management/promotion?it4oderator: Sara Donnelly (Arts Consultant)Panelists:Ben AllisonTaylor Ho BYnumDianne Debicella (Fractured Atlas)Marcus Strickand (Strick Muze)

4:30 p.m. SOLO SPOT Matt Wilson

APAPINYC andJazzConnect TrackThe conference features seven jazz discussionsthroughout the four days of the conference' You mustbe registered for the conference to attend these ses-

sions.

JazzConnect 1

O Building Jazz Culture - Local to Global9 a.m.-noon, Friday, JanuarY 6Hilton, Sutton North

How do you build and support a thriving cultural.orrunity? What are the possibilities using iazztodo this? Where are the obstacles preventing effectivegrowth and community building? What are the suc-

iesses? How can jazz improve branding and advoca-cy? What are inf rastructure opportunities f rom otherinOustries to learn f rom? Join in the opening sessionof tfre ..lazzConnect track developed to explore thesequestions over seven sessions with dynamic andinspiring leaders, speakers, and visionaries'

Bill Strickland, founder and president CEO of Man-chester Bidwell Corporation will kick off the dis-cussion. He will be followed by a fast-paced pecha

kucha-inspired presentation with 1O industry expertsilluminating big dreams and big ideas' Each presenterwill approach the question: "How does your workcontiibute to a thriving cultural community?"Presenters:Michael Bracy, Co-founder and President of the Board'Future of Music CoalitionTom Silverman, CEO Tommy Boy Records' Board

member A2lM, Merlin, SoundExchangeTerri Pontremoli, Jazz Producer/Tri-C Jazz Festival

Randall Kline, Executive Artistic Director' SF Jazz' San

Francisco, CAKaren Kennedy, Founder, 2417 Artisls Management'Newark, NJOmrao Brown, Owner/Operator, Bohemian Caverns;Founder, ShineOnMe Productions,Washington, DCAdam Klein, CEO eMusic

Adrian Ellis, executive director, Jazz at Lincoln Cen-

ter/nrts Consultant, will moderate this discussionio qatner ideas and create momentum to be exploredthrough the rest of the JazzConnect sessions'

JazzConnect 2O Crowdfunding for Jazz Projects3-4:30 P.m., SaturdaY, JanuarY 7Hilton, Concourse E

Fan-funding platforms such as Kickstarter and lndi-eGoGo are gaining traction as more jazz artists and

organizations cr"ite campaigns around project fi-nancing and awareness. Hear from recent lazz crowd-funderi that have come away with much more thanan online Passing of the hat.

Moderator: Sara DonnellYConversation Holders:Adam Schatz, Search & Restore, NYC;

Rio Sakairi, JazzGallerY, NYC;Steve Swell, trombonist/composer; NYCJoanna Steele, Fractured Atlas, NYCDeborah Steinglass, Jazz Gallery NYC

JazzConnect 3O Building Thriving Cultural Communitiesthrough Programming and Education: Path'ways to Jazz8-10 a.m., SundaY, JanuarY 8Sheraton, Conference J

Looking for new ideas and ways to invest' engage' and

cultivate your community? Do you want to exploreAmerican Culture f rom an arts perspective? Haveyou considerediazz as a pathway to that? Whetheryou are building new audiences or have a history ofjazz presentations, there are numerous innovativeways to contribute to a thriving cultural commu-nity through this art form. With connections to thefoundations of American culture, and extensions intotoday's world, iazz can be explored and translated intonumerous community engagement initiatives thatextend beyond the performance' Join this dynamic

CONFERENCE 2O]2 INSIDE ARTS 49

I

aaaaaaaaagroup of panelists representing a variety of perspec-tives, in a discussion designed for programming andeducation directors, presenters and artist managers.We will explore best practices, case studies and a num-ber of ideas to answer the questions above.Moderator: Erika Floreska, Arts Leader, former Direc-tor of Educalion, Jazz at Lincoln Center.Panelists:Randy Vogel, Mesa Performing Arts Center;Matt Wilson, Drummer and EducatorGail Boyd, Artist ManagerLaFrae Sci, Drummer and EducatorEllis Finger, Williams Center for the Art, Lafayette Col-lege

JazzConnect 4O Platforms that Move Jazz Forward3-4:30 p.m., SundaY, JanuarY 8Sheraton, Conference CLooking for platforms and tools to help define, connectand provide structure? Want to define the workforceand audiences? Want community? Let Marty Ashby'executive producer of MCG Jazz and administratorfor the Jazz Commons, and Jean Cook, director of theFuture of Music Coalition show you some tools to helpput those pieces in place. The Jazz Commons, a da-tabase that pulls together presenter, promoter, artistand audience information in one-stop learning centerfor jazz, and Money for Musicians, a multi-methodresearch project to assess how musicians' revenuestreams are changing in this new music landscape, areexamples of what the arts community, both within andoutside Jazz, can do when sharing resources.Participant:Michael Ricci, All About Jazz (Publisher).

JazzConnect 5O What Jazz Can Teach Us About WinningAudiences?8-10 a.m., MondaY, JanuarY 9Sheraton, Conference J

Christy Farnbauch and Bob Breithaupt from the JazzArts Group will share findings from a newly released,groundbreaking study of iazz audiences. While theJazz Audiences lnitiative focused on learning moreabout the attitudes and behaviors of current andpotentialjazz ticket buyers across the U'S., present-ers of all genres will come away with new insights forwinning audiences. Christy and Bob will also share anupdate from a series of workshops at the 2012 JazzEducation Network (JEN) Conference on DevelopinqTomorrow's Jazz Audiences TodaY.

JazzConnect 5O NEA Jazz Masters & Jazz Futures: PayincForward11 AM-12 PM, MondaY, JanuarY 9Hilton, Mercury Ballroom

Mentoring is alive and well in the jazz community. I'

Jazz Masters share the spotlight with artists who rtresent the future of the music. The panel will discuthe importance of mentoring as well as the uniquemulti-generational character of iazz.Moderator: Bob Blumenthal, journalist and writerPanelists:George Wei n, entrepreneur/pia n ist/N EA Jazz MasteGerald Wilson, composer/band leader/NEA Jazz MaterDaf nis Prieto, dru mmer/composer/educatorAmbrose Akinmusire, trumPeter

JazzConnect 7O Building Jazz Culture - Taking Action2'4 p.m., TuesdaY JanuarY 1O

Jazz al Lincoln Centel Frederick P. Rose Hall, Re'hearsal Room6Oth and Broadway, Time Warner Center, 5th Flot

So where do we go from here? This town hall forunwill take the top-level concepts from each of priorJazzConnect sessions for a dynamic culmination t<

create an action agenda for 2012' What are the elements necessary and the obstacles to overcome tcdevelop a vibrant jazz culture? What are the effec-tive advocacy tools to enhance and build jazz's im-age? What other industries can help grow our cultfootprint? Come join the discussion!

Moderator:Peter Gordon, Mustc lttousrRv Lrnotn, JnzzFoRwnRoCoaurtou Co-Fouuorn, will lead this closing session v

moderators from earlier JazzConnect offerings'

7:30-10 p.m.O APAP SPECIAL EVENTNEA Jazz MastersAwards ConcertJazz at Lincoln Center, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Re

hearsal Room6oth and Broadway, Time Warner Center, 5th Flo

5() INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2O]2