Jazz Congress Podcast

As radio in general faces competition from streaming and on-demand services, podcasting, online video, and social media for attention, so also does jazz radio. Yet each week, millions of people nationwide -- including 900,000 in New York and Los Angeles -- tune into jazz stations over the air and online. What is the impact of jazz radio airplay for an artist? How is jazz radio expanding its reach and relevance via streaming, video, podcasting, and social media? A panel of innovative jazz radio managers and hosts examines the influence radio airplay still has and why exposure on radio remains important for artists and labels.

Moderator: Ed Trefzger (JazzWeek). Panelists: Arturo Gomez (KUVO), Derrick Lucas (WGMC), Joni Lupovitz (NPR), Kayonne Riley (WUCF).

In this roundtable discussion, members of the We Have Voice Collective will speak about the Collective's formation, its Open Letter, the WHV Code of Conduct, and further future initiatives. Panelists discuss the issues at the center of the Collective's mission and activity, developing an understanding of and working toward equity and the creation of safe(r) spaces in the performing arts.

Moderator: Aja Burrell Wood (Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice). Panelists: Tamar Sella, Sara Serpa, Kavita Shah, Imani Uzuri.

Social media has become a dominant force when it comes to building an audience for your music. Some veterans of the various platforms share the latest and greatest tips for effectively using social media.

Moderator: Matt Jurasek (DL Media). Panelists: Camille Bertault, Luigi Beverelli (Wynton Marsalis Enterprises), Haley Brawner (Motema Music), Alex Hines (Fame House).

A presentation of Louis' contributions to music and civil rights in our society.

Moderator: John Crocken. Panelists: Dan Morgenstern, David Ostwald, Ricky Riccardi, Byron Stripling.

Saxophonist and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Ted Nash demonstrates how to find inspiration in the sounds around us – from a horn honking to a bird singing to a former President speaking – and how to carry that inspiration forward into the writing and recording of a project.

Panelists: Ted Nash, Gary Versace.

The rapid pace of technological innovation along with widespread adoption of social media and smartphones have dramatically changed how and where learning happens today. How are jazz educators taking advantage of these shifts? What are the benefits and challenges of student-teacher relationships mediated by screens? Leaders in online jazz education share their experiences.

Moderator: Seton Hawkins (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Panelists: Stefon Harris (Manhattan School of Music), Peter Martin, Amanda Monaco (Berklee College of Music).

Colleges and universities are working hard to create programs that not only feature top level professional jazz musicians, but also aim to produce them. A panel of musician educators talk about how universities have become a critical training ground for jazz artists and how it has impacted the music.

Moderator: Rodney Whitaker (Michigan State University). Panelists: Victor Goines (Northwestern), Stefon Harris (Manhattan School of Music), Susan Muscarella (California Jazz Conservatory), Terell Stafford (Temple University).

Young, working musicians share their keys to success for those entering the freelance jazz world. Creating a market for yourself and your skills is hugely important. A discussion of options and avenues in the worlds of performance, education, composition, technology, recording, producing, marketing, networking, and more. In the ever-changing world of technology and independent music, it is necessary now more than ever to put your best foot forward and define your goals and strengths. The question is: How can one supplement their college music education to ensure that they are well-rounded, relevant, and ready for the real world?

Moderator: Jake Cohen (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Panelists: Nick Finzer, Brandon Lee, Alexa Tarantino.

Whether you are just starting your career, or are a veteran looking to take a deeper dive, this session will talk you through the major facets of the industry, from labels to festivals, agents to radio promoters and more.

Panelists: Raynel Frazier (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Georgina Javor (Jazz at Lincoln Center).

Jazz professionals discuss the current state of jazz in the world’s sixth largest country in anticipation of International Jazz Day.  

Moderator: Wulf Muller (All-in-Music Service). Panelists: Paul Grabowsky (Monash Live), Jennifer Kerr (Melbourne International Jazz Festival); Chelsea Wilson (Music Victoria).

Hear from three jazz marketing leaders on successful album launches and all that went into making them happen. Short individual presentations will be followed by Q&A.

Moderator: Ashley Kahn. Panelists: Ken Druker (Verve/Universal), Nate Smith (Kinfolk), Robin Tomchin (Motema Music).

For most jazz artists, getting booked outside their hometown or local community can be a real challenge. Musicians who have successfully managed to book themselves at clubs, venues and festivals all over the world discuss the secrets to their success.

Moderator: Giovanni Russonello (CapitolBop/New York Times). Panelists: Emmet Cohen, Marquis Hill, Helen Sung, Matt Wilson.

Puerto Rican musicians on the island and in the states have been an integral part of jazz from the beginning, but with infrequent exceptions, their contributions and identities have been marginalized, misconstrued or overlooked. Through the lens of their experiences as working musicians and storm survivors, multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator William Cepeda and others will propose a narrative that presents Puerto Rican artists as extraordinary musicians, innovators, and leaders in their own right.

Moderator: Thomas Pena.

Panelists: Wiliam Cepeda, Author Basilio Serrano, Gargi Shinde (Chamber Music America).

Presenters in secondary U.S. markets discuss the challenges and rewards of audience development and programming.

Moderator: Gene Dobbs Bradford (Jazz St. Louis). Panelists: Robert Ginsburg (Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society), Eric Oberstein (Duke Performances), Terri Pontremoli (Tri-C Jazzfest Cleveland), Jon W. Poses (We Always Swing Productions).

What exactly are the responsibilities of a qualified manager and what can an aspiring manager expect from the role? What does a healthy artist/manager relationship look like? And when exactly do you need a manager? Experienced managers, in an open and frank setting, talk about the business today and why you probably don’t need to hire them.

Moderator: Karen Kennedy (24/Seven Artist Development). Panelists: Gail Boyd (Gail Boyd Artist Management), Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski (DDB Productions), Darryl Pitt (Depth of Field Management).

Master rights, mechanicals, compulsory, sync, and public performance licenses. What do these terms mean and why do they matter? Whether you are an artist, a label, or an organization using music in a video you “just” want post to Facebook, you need to know the basics of copyright law and licensing terms and concepts. Join music industry attorneys and Jazz at Lincoln Center's in-house legal team for a conversation to set the record straight.

Moderator: Lisa Davis (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC). Panelists: Brittany Berckes (Loeb & Loeb), Marcus Moore (Facebook), Stuart Silfen (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC).

A discussion for and about jazz musicians who integrate or expand into other genres of music, while remaining under the jazz umbrella.

Moderator: Brandee Younger. Panelists: Terri Lyne Carrington, Donny McCaslin, Meshell Ndegeocello, Aaron Parks.

All too often jazz from NYC and the East Coast gets all the attention from media and the industry. However, the West Coast has a long and strong tradition of presenting jazz going back to the Lighthouse in the 50s. This panel of West Coast festival and concert organizers will discuss the challenges and rewards of presenting jazz in markets of all sizes.

Moderator: Tim Jackson (Monterey Jazz Festival). Panelists: Darlene Chan (FestivalWest), Michael Eldridge (Redwood Jazz Alliance), Robert Rainbow (Vancouver International Jazz Festival), Lilly Schwartz (SFJAZZ).

How does jazz speak to the tumult of today? Can a song change a mind? Is improvisation a political act? A frank discussion about what musicians can communicate in the face of social and political unrest, and how these times affect the course of and context for our culture.

Moderator: Larry Blumenfeld (Wall Street Journal). Panelists: Vijay Iyer, Rene Marie, Arturo O'Farrill.

Join transgender and gender fluid artists and an ally for an open conversation about acceptance, support, and challenges to diverse voices. Transgender artists have been present in jazz for decades; has the jazz community evolved in its openness to transgender and gender fluid artists? We will listen to and honor voices and stories often suppressed in this and other communities and explore the concept of being allies. 

Moderator: Katie Simon (WBGO/Jazz Night in America).Panelists: Jennifer Leitham, Riley Mulherkar, Chloe Rowlands.

George Wein produced his first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 at age 28. Today, as part of the non-profit Newport Festivals Foundation, the jazz festival continues in stride alongside its folk counterpart, under the leadership of Jay Sweet and Artistic Director Christian McBride. George has said his motivation in his ninth decade of life is to see the festivals flourish beyond him. In this conversation, he’ll share the stage with Jay and Christian and discuss leadership transitions, succession planning, and how the brand he established 65 years ago not only endures, but flourishes.  

Moderator: Jason Olaine (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Panelists: Christian McBride, Jay Sweet (Newport Festivals), George Wein (Newport Festivals).

Members of the Jazz Messengers reconvened onstage for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion.

Moderator: Celine Peterson.

Panelists: Terence Blanchard, Randy Brecker, Cameron Brown, Donald Brown, Steve Davis, Leon Lee Dorsey, Essiet Essiet, Kevin Eubanks, Jon Faddis, Benny Green, Billy Harper, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Vincent Herring, Harold Mabern, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Ralph Peterson Jr., Bill Pierce, Lonnie Plaxico, Wallace Roney, Melissa Slocum, Charles Tolliver, Steve Turre, Bobby Watson.

The Jazz Congress was honored to present the 2019 Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award to Darlene Chan, a tireless, behind the scenes advocate for so many artists and the music at large.

Introduction: Lee Mergner (JazzTimes).

Presentation: George Wein (Newport Jazz Festival).

With his September 1, 2018 passing the jazz world lost a truly singular pianist-composer-bandleader and endless seeker of the African essence of music and spirituality. This panel will discuss the unprecedented African Rhythms legacy of this NEA Jazz Master, who in his own words came to be a storyteller, a quest he achieved through a vast sphere of influences ranging from his Brooklyn homeboy Max Roach, to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, to mystical Sufi masters and global scholars.

Moderator: Willard Jenkins (DC Jazz Festival).

Panelists: T.K. Blue, Gail Boyd (Gail Boyd Artist Management), Jacques Muyal, Min Xaio-Fen.

Members of Miles Davis’ ‘70s electric bands talk about the music of that often-overlooked period.

Introduction by Vince Wilburn, Jr. and Erin Davis (Miles Davis Estate).

Moderator: Mark Ruffin (Sirius/XM).

Panelists: Gary Bartz, Michael Henderson, Dave Liebman, Mtume, Wallace Roney, Lenny White.

With label relaunches, increased release schedules, aggressive new signings and a seemingly increased investment from labels in jazz over the last year, what are these businesses’ visions for the future of recorded jazz?

Moderator: Lauren Onkey (NPR Music). Panelists: Jana Herzen (Motema Music), Willie Jones III, Denny Stilwell (Mack Avenue).

Revenue sources for jazz are as broad as other art forms and can vary from public funding, foundations, corporations, individuals and earned income support. Funders and organizations talk about effective tactics, tools and practices that organizations have utilized to raise money for jazz.

Introduction: Pamela Butler (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Moderator: Sunny Sumter (DC Jazz Festival) Panelists: Ella Baff, Sara Donnelly (South Arts), Maurine Knighton (Doris Duke Charitable Foundation).

What does an effective strategic partnership look like? How is it created and what does it take to maintain it? What value does each individual partner see in such a relationship and what can the jazz community learn from this unique partnership between NPR Music, WBGO, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Moderator: Neal Shapiro (WNET). Panelists: Gabrielle Armand (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Anya Grundmann (NPR), Amy Niles (WBGO).

Considering swing as a rhythm or swing as a feeling or a verb, what are the social, cultural, and racial factors that affect individuals’ perception, acceptance or rejection of the concept? Player and thinkers ponder what swing means in 2019.

Moderator: Andre Guess (Guessworks). Panelists: Terri Lyne Carrington, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Myra Melford, Nicholas Payton.

Key players from the Turkish jazz community explain how the music has grown its presence and impact.

Moderator: Wulf Muller (All-In-Music Service/OKeh Records). Panelists: Pelin Opçin (Istanbul Jazz Festival), Mehmet Ali Sanlikol (New England Conservatory), Orhan Tekelioglu (Sakarya University). Made possible with support from the Turkish Consulate General in New York.

An exploration of the manner in which presenters engage with communities and organizations that are not traditionally part of the jazz audience.

Moderator: Gail Boyd (Gail Boyd Artist Management). Panelists: Sheila Evans (Allentown Symphony), Kaisha Johnson (Women of Color in the Arts), Michael Kline (Exit Zero Jazz Festival), Randy Vogel (Mesa Arts Center).

How can labels and artists effectively monetize their recordings? Are physical sales down? Is streaming the future? Are there other opportunities?

Moderator: Aaron Bisman (Jazz at Lincoln Center/Blue Engine Records). Panelists: Andy Hurwitz (Studio 1200 Management), Maria Schneider, Denny Stilwell (Mack Avenue).

Why is putting on a good show important? Your artistic skills and musical technique are vital to making it onto the stage and building your audiences, however, a successful artist also cultivates the emotional intelligence inherent in the skill of stagecraft. Bandleaders, vocalists, and their sidemen will offer advice, best practices, and guidance on building a setlist, developing banter, and considering the ever-shortening attention span of the modern audience.

Moderator: Jason Olaine (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Panelists: Darlene Chan, Tedd Firth, Paquito D’Rivera, Marilyn Maye, Riley Mulherkar.

Program directors and music directors discuss the various aspects of programming, including music selection, day parting, live studio performances, specialty shows and community involvement. Moderator: Mark Rini (GROOV Marketing & Consulting). Panelists: Derrick Lucas (WGMC); Ken Poston (KSDS); Kayonne Riley (KUCF); Steve Williams (WBGO).

A lively conversation with a few masters of jazz piano. Moderator: Ethan Iverson. Panelists: Kenny Barron, Joanne Brackeen, Harold Mabern.

Musicians and composers talk about their creative (and commercial) process in the world of making music for films and television shows. Moderator: Ashley Kahn. Panelists: Terence Blanchard, Mark Isham, Michael Wolff.

A discussion of how presenters can work together in their respective markets to create effective partnership and increase the audience and present for jazz.

Moderator: Tim Jackson (Monterey Jazz Festival). Panelists: John Gilbreath (Earshot Jazz), Fritz Thom (Vienna Jazz Festival/IJFO), Shannon Wallace (JazzHubs).

Artists, industry professionals and social activists talk about how jazz can affect political awareness and action in the current political climate and culture.  Moderator: Karen Kennedy (24 Seven Artist Management). Panelists: Terri Lyne Carrington, Aaron Goldberg, Wesley Watkins (Jazz and Democracy Project), Wayne Winborne (Rutgers University).

The storied music culture of New Orleans has long defined the city's identity and represented essential jazz history. As New Orleans marks its tricentennial, how does this culture resonate in its quickly changing hometown and for the wider jazz community? 

Moderator: Larry Blumenfeld (Wall Street Journal). Panelists: Terence Blanchard, Evan Christopher, Sasha Masakowski.

Singers share their insight on the fine art of developing repertoire—from balancing the GASB with contemporary material to doing covers vs. originals.

Moderator: Deborah Grace Winer. Panelists: Ann Hampton Callaway, Jazzmeia Horn, John Pizzarelli, Ted Rosenthal, Catherine Russell.

The producers of NPR’s first ever multi-platform series, Jazz Night in America, explain how they tell compelling stories about jazz music through live concert recordings, documentary captures in the field, and host Christian McBride’s on-air personality.

Moderator: Seton Hawkins (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Panelists: Alex Ariff (WBGO/Jazz Night in America), Colin Marshall (NPR Music/Jazz Night in America), Katie Simon (WBGO/Jazz Night in America).

Leaders from a few of the major jazz organizations talk about what smaller organizations and even artists can learn from their programs and experiences.

Moderator: Debora Spar (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts). Panelists: Gene Dobbs Bradford (Jazz St. Louis), Randall Kline (SFJAZZ), Amy Niles (WBGO), Greg Scholl (Jazz at Lincoln Center).

Terri Lyne Carrington accepts the 2018 Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award. In Memoriam presentation with music by Ike Sturm (Saint Peter’s Church).

Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award introduction: Peter Gordon. Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award presented to Terri Lyne Carrington.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar touches on growing up around jazz legends in Harlem, how music influenced his basketball game, and signing Dizzy Gillespie to his last record deal.

Welcome: Wynton Marsalis.

Keynote Presentation: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

A hands-on look at how digital technology has reshaped the branding and promotion of artists – from social media to streaming and more. Moderator: Jake Schonfeld (SKDKnickerbocker). Panelists: Jake Cohen (Jazz at Lincoln Center/Blue Engine Records), Nate Smith, Lara Bashkoff (The Jewish Agency for Israel).

With sexism, harassment and gender bias in the news, it’s time for the jazz community to face and reconcile its own performance and history in that area and come up with realistic solutions for the music and the business. Moderator: Michele Mercer (NPR). Panelists:  Terri Lyne Carrington (Berklee College of Music), Ingrid Jensen, John Murph, Ellen Seeling (Montclair Big Band).

Funders and funding recipients discuss key critical success factors to effective crowdfunding campaigns for artists and organizations. Moderator: Marc Randall (JazzTimes). Panelists: Leigh Lust (Pledge Music), Jon Madof (Zion80/Chant Records), Maria Schneider.

We’ve all heard commentators and pundits through the years claim that what the United States needs is “an honest conversation about race.” Racial identity and issues, including segregation, integration, and appropriation, pervade the history of jazz.  As a metaphor for democracy, and given the music’s core values of swing, improvisation, and the blues, what is the role of jazz in this important discussion?

Moderator: Andre Guess (Guessworks). Panelists: Ethan Iverson, Wynton Marsalis.