The state of jazz to come. What does that mean for us Milwaukeeans, musicians and fans alike? Why is jazz important? As a friend and colleague recently asked, “Why Jazz?”
Corporate backed, pre-packaged, overly processed, commercially motivated music is flooding any and all of our media outlets (two words for you, Bieber Fever). Popular music v. music with any sense of truth, honesty, creativity, life or depth … Bieber wins nine times out of 10 in the public forum.
Is jazz (in Milwaukee, or elsewhere) dead as so many have written? When faced with this question myself (having dedicated my life to studying the art of jazz), my immediate response tasted like anger covered with a thin coat of defensiveness, followed quickly by a harsh reality chaser. Jazz is certainly not dead, but it needs some help for sure.
A quote from Ken Burns’ favorite spokesman:
“Jazz will be here forever. But I know there are some people who want jazz to die; some people want anything positive to be dead. But this music is the sound of freedom, intelligence, sophistication, and most importantly, soul. But there are many who are offended by the thought of something being soulful. They rather you come up with harsh words and harsh devices that celebrate ignorance.” – Wynton Marsalis
About one year ago (after a late night set at Milwaukee’s singular beacon of jazz hope The Jazz Estate) Neil Davis, Kevin Hayden, Steve Peplin and I were contemplating the state of jazz in Milwaukee as most of us Milwaukee-indigenous jazz musicians do before, after and during most gigs. We were reminiscing about all the incredible Milwaukee-born-and-bred jazz musicians who have long since moved on to bigger and busier scenes. The list is quite expansive; however, I offer just a few: the ubiquitous and Grammy award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, Carl Allen (artistic director of jazz studies at Juilliard), David Hazeltine, one of the busiest pianists on the planet, and Dan Nimmer (holding down the piano chair in arguably the highest profile jazz group in the world – the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra). These are only a few of the many world-renowned jazz musicians who have spent their formative years in our fair city. As our discussion drew on into the early hours, we had concluded that despite all the negative (or non) press the Milwaukee Jazz Scene has received, there was still a very thriving jazz scene here in Milwaukee. There is only one problem. No one knows about it. At that moment, we decided we were collectively tired of the 1. negative connotation (or again, non-attention) given jazz in the media, 2. the lack of support from the community for the jazz scene, and 3. the musicians complaining about the state of the scene. Something had to be done.
For years, many great ideas have been batted around, never getting past the discussion phase: musicians banding together, presenting shows/festivals, bringing in big name artists, offering scholarships to outstanding young students, etc. That night, the four of us went our separate ways, feeling energized from the dialogue.
Fast forward one year, some 20 to 30 meetings, hundreds of e-mails, probably thousands of cell phone minutes later, we offer you the Milwaukee Jazz Vision:
The MILWAUKEE JAZZ VISION is an organization of business and music industry professionals, musicians, teachers, students and listeners working together with the goal of advancing jazz music in the Greater metro-Milwaukee area.
The Milwaukee Jazz Vision is dedicated to advancing the development and growth of the jazz community in Milwaukee, Wis. The MJV is responsible for the biannual Eastside Jazzfest. The festival is a one-day concert featuring Milwaukee-based jazz acts and national/international acts with ties to Milwaukee. The festival was also established to raise money for the MJV scholarship program. Starting in 2011, the MJV will distribute funding for four scholarships, one each at the following institutions: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Milwaukee Area Technical College, The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra – Jazz Studies Program. The MJV will also provide an outlet for Milwaukee-based musicians to promote their performances and/or the sales of their recordings, ultimately facilitating the growth and development of the Milwaukee Jazz Community at large.
MILWAUKEE JAZZ VISION MISSION STATEMENT
The Milwaukee Jazz Vision will…
- Contribute to the community’s cultural landscape by increasing visibility and appreciation for this significant part of Milwaukee’s heritage, through performance, publication and promotion.
- Encourage ethnic, gender and age diversity by supporting many types of jazz-related community activities.
- Increase jazz awareness through the inclusion and support of school jazz education programs both public and private.
- Create opportunities for local jazz artists and increase support of the art form from the public and private sector.
MILWAUKEE JAZZ VISION STRATEGIC PLAN
FACET #1: EASTSIDE JAZZFEST
The EASTSIDE JAZZFEST was organized by four veteran Milwaukee musicians who saw a definite need for Milwaukee’s jazz scene to be recognized apart from other music festivals in the region. Neil Davis, Jamie Breiwick and Kevin Hayden organized the festival in order to showcase the unique sound and talent of Milwaukee’s jazz scene.
On Saturday, July 17th, 2010 the first ever EASTSIDE JAZZFEST was held at the MIRAMAR THEATRE 2844 N. Oakland Ave. Seven groups took the stage to display what veteran and emerging jazz talent Milwaukee has to offer. The success of the first event has led its organizers to continue the EASTSIDE JAZZFEST on an ongoing basis. The second EASTSIDE JAZZFEST will be held on Saturday, February 26th 2011 at the TODD WEHR CONFERENCE CENTER 1047 N. BROADWAY. Headlining the February Festival will be GRAMMY© AWARD WINNING jazz artist and Milwaukee native, BRIAN LYNCH.
ONGOING SPONSORSHIPS:
- WMSE
- THE JAZZ ESTATE
- BRASS BELL MUSIC
PROMOTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS:
- ONMIWAUKEE.com
- WMSE
- SHEPHERD EXPRESS
- MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE
- CHANNEL 12 NEWS
- MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINAL
LINEUP for FEBRUARY 26th, 2011:
- BRIAN LYNCH QUARTET
- SNAARJ
- SONS of DAUGHTERS TRIO
- STEVE PEPLIN SEXTET
- KEVIN HAYDEN BAND
- MILWAUKEE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA JAZZ STUDIES COMBOS
- WISCONSIN CONSERVATORY of MUSIC JAZZ INSTITUTE STUDENT COMBOS
FACET #2: JAZZ EDUCATION
The Milwaukee Jazz Vision plans to provide scholarship assistance to talented students pursuing studies in the discipline of jazz. Money will to be generated from donations and profits garnered from the EASTSIDE JAZZFEST.
MILWAUKEE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS PROVIDING JAZZ STUDIES PROGRAMS:
- UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
- THE WISCONSIN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC – JAZZ INSTITUTE
- MILWAUKEE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – JAZZ STUDIES
- MILWAUKEE AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE
FACET #3: BUILDING A JAZZ COMMUNITY
The MILWAUKEE JAZZ VISION plans to build and promote the jazz scene in Milwaukee through the following means:
In place now:
- The MILWAUKEE JAZZ VISION BLOG-SITE: www.milwaukeejazzvision.org
- The MILWAUKEE JAZZ facebook page: www.facebook.com/milwaukeejazz
- The MILWAUKEE JAZZ twitter page: www.twitter.com/milwaukeejazz
Proposed:
- COMMUNITY JAZZ BLOG SITE on MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE WEBSITE
- ANNOTATED HISTORY OF MILWAUKEE JAZZ
- VIDEO TAPED INTERVIEWS of MILWAUKEE JAZZ ELDERS Documentation on Youtube, Milwaukee Jazz Blog, other websites
- CREATE and PROMOTE TIERED JAM SESSION culture
- INCREASED ATTENDANCE at JAZZ RELATED PERFORMANCES
- INCREASED BOOKING of name jazz acts
- INCREASED PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES for local jazz musicians
- INCREASED COMMUNICATION TO SCHOOLS/BAND DIRECTORS/STUDENTS in the community regarding all jazz-related events.
Please check back often to both “The State of Jazz to Come” Blog page and also to the Milwaukee Jazz Vision site. We will present to you commentary, performance and recording reviews, artist interviews and much more. Stay tuned!
