Bringing it Home – Jazz master Lou Donaldson add soulful style to an evening focused on musicians’ rights

Justice_4_Jazz_ArtistsText by Lionelle Hamanaka

Jazz musicians and fans gathered on Feb. 1 to express their enthusiasm, solidarity and support for Local 802’s Justice for Jazz Artists campaign.

The panel, entitled “Coming Together as One: Fighting for Your Rights on the NYC Club Scene,” kicked off the evening and was followed by a performance by the Lou Donaldson Quartet with special guest Keisha St. Joan.

The event, which attracted about 200 people to St. Peter’s Church, was arguably the strongest outreach effort to date associated with the jazz campaign, and the turnout was equally powerful. Many jazz musicians, music students, and people from across the spectrum of the NYC musical community showed up and signed petitions, bought “Justice for Jazz Artists!” T-shirts, and filled out volunteer forms.

The panelists for the evening included jazz musicians Bob Cranshaw, Bertha Hope, Arun Luthra and John Mosca. They were joined by Local 802 Recording Vice President John O’Connor; pianist, music educator and author Dr. Lewis Porter; and Ron Scott, a columnist for the New York Amsterdam News. Dr. Porter moderated the discussion and Todd Bryant Weeks, Local 802’s senior business rep in the Jazz Department, M.C.’d and organized the event.

Keep reading here: http://www.local802afm.org/2013/03/bringing-it-home/ (Allegro – Volume 113 No. 3 March, 2013)

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Lou Donaldson, a member of Local 802 since 1950.