Justice For Jazz Artists: Yes…it’s really about time!

J4JAText by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Finally the Justice For Jazz Artists (J4JA) campaign’s leader John O’ Connor published the letter in Allegro (http://www.local802afm.org/2014/03/its-about-time/) which was written by seven prominent jazz musicians: Ron Carter, Jason Moran, Bob Cranshaw, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride and Jimmy Owens. The letter was sent to the owners and management teams at the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard and Birdland around November 2013 with the intention to get the owners of these clubs to the negotiation table. I can’t understand, why they didn’t send the same letter to the other jazz three clubs: the Village Vanguard, Iridium and Dizzy’s, and why it took so much time to publish it?

Apparently the club owners haven’t responded yet which proves again that this kind of communication and strategy can’t do anything good for the J4JA campaign. What is worse: after sending out the letter, Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell and Christian McBride continue to play at the Blue Note which is unacceptable?! All these musicians should re-think, why they have been endorsing the J4JA campaign. Sending that letter out and yet performing at these clubs is just contra productive. This behavior makes them and jazz musicians in general look stupid and would show that jazz musicians are as greedy as the club owners. I can’t agree with John O’Conners’s comment “The letter…illustrate the commitment that musicians are making to the Justice For Jazz Artists campaign.”

Again: you can’t criticize or boycott the club owners when you still play in their clubs! I can’t understand why the J4JA organizers can swallow this?

I think the time has come that the J4JA campaign leaders and endorsers should work out a campaign plan which is a guideline for everybody involved. Meanwhile the jazz musicians should unite with all musicians in New York and act later according to the campaign’s policy and philosophy.

Am I asking too much? Am I naive? Maybe. I for myself decided not to play at these six jazz clubs. Jazz music is so precious that I don’t want to diminish the greatness of this music.

DooBeeDoo decided not to promote these clubs and their music listings. On the contrary, DooBeeDoo is going to continue to inform jazz musicians, the public and jazz fans inside and outside of America how bad these six jazz clubs are. In fact, jazz clubs are like any other corporations who use jazz as a product to make business! For this simple reason musicians shouldn’t be concerned of the clubs. On the contrary, they should think only about themselves and what is good for them. Clubs are so well organized that nobody has to cry for them, because they know what they do. Everything they do is calculated and even legal. If it’s so, why should they come to the table?

Reg. the content of the letter: I think it’s too sweet and not demanding enough.

So here is the letter I was talking about above…

J4JA Musicians Committee
322 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036

Mr. Danny Meyer
Jazz Standard
116 East 27th St.
New York, NY 10016

November 7th, 2013

Dear Danny,

Our union, Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, has requested that you sit down to discuss issues of fairness that affect performers who work in your club. So far that meeting has not happened.

The goals of the Justice for Jazz Artists campaign have been developed by musicians like us, and by our union. We believe them to be righteous, reasonable and affordable. Those goals need now only be considered in the spirit of good faith negotiations by both parties.

As you know, one of the most important issues to us is pension. The musicians union’s pension fund (AFM-EPF) is one of the best tools that working musicians have to assure their retirement security. Because nightclubs don’t currently participate in the fund, access is not available to most jazz performers. We believe the landscape for jazz musicians will change dramatically for the better once this issue is fully addressed, and when a plan is implemented by you and by other venues. It is clear to us that such a plan will eventually help to provide retirement security for thousands of musicians—for years to come.

We recognize the contributions that your club and other local venues have made, and continue to make to the music and to our community.

Likewise we understand that you have arrived at your position through hard work and sacrifice. But it is clear that you have also achieved your status as a result of the labor of thousands of jazz artists, our brothers and sisters, whom you have engaged and celebrated over the last decade. Given your leadership role in this community, we feel strongly that these issues merit your full attention, and we expect that you will respond accordingly.

We encourage you to meet with us as soon as is practicable so that we may ultimately find a way to work together[…]

Sincerely yours,

Ron Carter, Jason Moran, Bob Cranshaw, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride and Jimmy Owens