Home » Jazz News » Event

1

American Jazz Foundation: New York City, NY, April, 2012

Source:

Sign in to view read count
By Cynthia Karena

American Jazz Foundation
Dizzy's Club Coca Cola
New York City
April 2012

On a sunny day in New York, I'm listening to a talented saxophonist belting out incredible jazz standards in Central Park.

I hang around for an hour, leave five dollars in his case and go for a walk. But should I have left more? Tonight I'll be paying $25 (plus a one drink minimum) to hear more jazz at the iconic Village Vanguard.

My mental tussle eventually leads me to pay $125 to listen to some of the city's best jazz musicians play at Dizzy's Jazz Club for a fundraiser to support elder jazz and blues musicians in crisis.

Most jazz musicians play for the love of it, rarely do they go into it for the money. I guess that's obvious, but I must admit I rarely think about it when I go hear them play. Some strike it lucky and can earn a decent living. But many typically play from gig to gig to survive and have no medical insurance and no superannuation. (Coming from Australia, where I'm from, this is not so bad because we have a health safety net, which basically means not having health insurance is no big deal. So it's a shock to my system to learn about America's health “care.")

“They wrote the hits and never got paid properly, and some now face health problems, eviction, and even hunger," says Wendy Oxenhorn, executive director of the Jazz Foundation of America, which is organizing the fundraiser.

For over 21 years, the Jazz Foundation has been helping musicians by paying mortgages or rents while they were too sick to perform, buying food, and providing health care when needed.

These musicians have earned it after all their years of performing, says Oxenhorn.

“These are the people who saved all of us in our darkest moments—Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, Odetta—all these people were playing in the background of our lives. Their music makes the world beautiful, and they never ask for any help, and I feel it's our way to pay them back."

Playing at Dizzy's Club are some jazz greats including tenor saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Joe Lovano ("the original J-Lo," says Oxenhorn), bassist John Patitucci, pianists Geri Allen and Brad Mehldau, drummer Lewis Nash, singer Gregory Porter and guitarist John Scofield, who donate their services for the evening's magical two-hour set.

Porter is the standout of the evening. His imposing presence and magnificent blues inspired baritone voice hold the entire audience spellbound with every note.

Huge glass windows form a dramatic backdrop for the performers, with stunning views of Central Park. The energy of the musicians playing off each other electrifies the room, and it is one of those moments when you realize that you are in the presence of greatness.

Coltrane, the son of jazz legend John Coltrane, lent his support because the night brings together people in the jazz community to help those in need. “It's a worthy cause. It's organized in such a way that it cements people who play together and work together."

Allen also praises the Jazz Foundation for its work. “For me, it is a privilege to support them. I know musicians who have needed their support and (the Foundation has) been there for them, and will again."

The “Playing Our Parts" fundraiser at Dizzy's has been an annual gig since bassist Dennis Irwin passed away in 2008 due to cancer, undiagnosed and untreated due to his lack of medical insurance.

Irwin's death highlighted the need to have medical insurance for musicians. The evening is designed to remember Irwin and to bring attention to the hundreds of musicians without healthcare.

The proceeds from the concert each year allow uninsured musicians to receive a battery of free screenings, from cancer detection to cardiac health assessment, at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey.

The hospital came on board when legendary trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, one of the few jazz musicians who could afford health insurance, passed away from cancer in 1993. One of his last requests to his oncologist (a jazz guitarist by night) was for any jazz musician in need of medical care to be treated for free.

The hospital said it would honor Gillespie's last request and created a pro bono network of physicians and specialists to privately treat the Jazz Foundation's uninsured musicians for free.

Next time I listen to a jazz musician in Central Park, I'll drop more into the hat.

For more information contact .

Comments

Tags

View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.