Musicians to march on the Blue Note jazz club TONIGHT, April 11 at 8:45pm; Justice for Jazz Artists campaign endorsed by jazz musicians Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Randy Weston, Paquito D’ Rivera, Phil Woods, Wycliffe Gordon and Regina Carter
NEW YORK, NY–TONIGHT, Thursday, April 11, 2013: Justice for Jazz Artists will hold a demonstration and rally at 8:45 p.m. kicking off its ‘Jazz Built This!’ effort, a protest against jazz club owners who refuse to make modest pension contributions on behalf of the musicians who play in their clubs and make these club owners rich.
As every jazz fan knows, many of the world’s best jazz artists live and work in New York City—yet many older musicians have little economic security and are forced to retire in poverty. While musicians who play on Broadway and in symphony orchestras are protected by union contracts, jazz musicians are not. Even jazz musicians playing the most prestigious and profitable clubs in the city are mired in uncertainty about their future due to fluctuating pay scales and lack of basic protections like healthcare and pensions.
“Jazz Built This!” calls attention to the negligence of owners of prestigious and expensive jazz clubs who have done quite well thanks to the labor of the talented musicians who play in those clubs but who enjoy no guaranteed minimum pay standards or benefits. These musicians often struggle to support themselves and their families and suffer in poverty later in their lives. To add insult to injury, many of these clubs tape the musicians with no remuneration.
Clubs like the Blue Note, Birdland, Jazz Standard, Village Vanguard and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola have refused to work with the musicians’ union to address pensions or any other work-related issues. This is despite the fact that in 2007 Local 802 provided critical assistance to New York City jazz club owners by successfully lobbying the State Legislature to waive the sales tax on admission charges, with the express understanding that a portion of these savings would be directed toward a modest pension contribution on behalf of musicians. The clubs benefit from this tax break—and have thus far not lived up to their end of the bargain. Since the law’s passage, not one club has made any pension fund contributions.
Since launching its new website and social media efforts last year, the Justice for Jazz Artists campaign (J4JA) has reached nearly 50,000 fans on Facebook and garnered high-profile press coverage. The campaign’s momentum was also furthered when legendary trumpeter and J4JA endorser Jimmy Owens received the prestigious NEA Jazz Master’s A.B. Spellman award in 2012. In his acceptance speech at Lincoln Center, Mr. Owens gave a vociferous endorsement of the campaign and publicly lambasted club owners for their refusal to come to the table to discuss help for struggling musicians. The campaign’s outreach has continued with multiplying endorsements from top jazz musicians and prominent cultural figures, including the comedian, TV producer and Oscar host Seth McFarlane, creator of the hit show “Family Guy.”
The organization also has received endorsements from many elected officials, including New York City Councilmembers Jessica Lappin, Rosie Mendez and Diana Reyna, as well as former Mayor David Dinkins. NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn similarly vocalized support in 2009, imploring clubs benefitting from the tax breaks achieved with the union’s help to put those savings into a fund for pensions. The speaker noted that Broadway theaters enhanced musicians’ benefits when provided similar relief in the 1960s.
In response to Justice for Jazz Artists’ efforts over the past few years, club owners have argued that many jazz musicians don’t belong to the musicians’ union. The owners use this as an excuse not to come to the table to negotiate. Justice for Jazz Artists counters that the clubs are dissuading musicians from joining the union by failing to make the contributions they promised to the pension fund even as musicians face financial uncertainty in old age. Owners also have been quoted in the press saying that pension contributions would be an administrative burden to clubs—which is patently untrue, as these contributions could be easily aggregated in a fully transparent, monthly payment and would not require separate payments on behalf of each musician. Bottom line, pensions are a vital supplement to musicians’ well-being, and contributions would not be the burden that club owners make them out to be.
The campaign is also asking clubs to the table to discuss a minimum pay scale—common to most union contracts. A wage floor for “side musicians” in clubs would not necessitate raising ticket prices, and could make a real difference for musicians who are barely getting by.
“We’re talking about contributions that would have minimal or no economic impact on these clubs,” said Local 802 AFM’s Recording Vice President John O’Connor. “According to our estimates, pension contributions by the Village Vanguard, for example, would amount to just about $20,000 a year. When you subtract this from the $80,000 in extra funds from cover charges the club garners yearly because of a tax abatement secured by the union for club owners, the owners are still far ahead of the game.”
Beyond modest pension contributions and a fair minimum pay scale, Justice for Jazz Artists seeks basic protection of musicians’ recording rights in clubs. Some have argued that players have either explicitly or de facto agreed to the clubs’ recording and use of their work simply by agreeing to play there—this is totally false. Under any basic union contract, musicians would receive compensation for work theycreate. Club owners already make ample profit from the live entertainment musicians provide for their patrons and do not have the right to perpetually profit from the product that musicians create simply because the owners possess the space where these talented artists entertain the club’s customers.
Musicians endorsing Justice for Jazz Artists include Ron Carter, Jimmy Owens, JoeLovano, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Dave Liebman, Bertha Hope, BernardPurdie, Bob Cranshaw, Jason Moran, Randy Weston, Janet Lawson, Wycliffe Gordon, Kenny Davis, Dr. Larry Ridley, Gene Perla, Rufus Reid, Seth MacFarlane, James Spaulding, Phil Woods, David Amram, Ed MacEachen, Butch Miles, CharliPersip, Carline Ray, Junior Mance, Charles Tolliver, Keisha St. Joan, Regina Carter, James Carter, Judi Silvano, Papo Vasquez, Paquito D’ Rivera, Chris Walden, Tom “Bones” Malone, Lou Donaldson, Billy Kaye, Roy Campbell, HaroldMabern, Dr. Lewis Porter, Mala Waldron, Michael Abene, Gaudencio Thiago de Mello, and “Sweet” Sue Terry. MUSICIANS IN MEMORIAM: Hank Jones, Dr. Billy Taylor, and Benny Powell.
Justice for Jazz Artists insists, as recent endorsements from top jazz performers can attest, that jazz musicians’ economic isolation is not a natural state of affairs. More and more musicians are making their voices heard, letting the world know that they—just like many other culture workers all over New York City—deserve some basic financial security later in life. Musicians provide New York City with a rich cultural experience, and Justice for Jazz Artists believes that they deserve a modicum of recognition and support.
Demonstrators will meet under the arch at Washington Square Park and march to the Blue Note Jazz Club. The march will feature J4JA’s signature live music.
WHAT: Justice for Jazz Artists ‘Jazz Built This’
WHERE: Marchers meet under the arch at Washington Square Park at 5th Avenue and Washington Square North, and march to the Blue Note at 131 West 3rd Street.
WHEN: TONIGHT, Thursday, April 11th—Meet at 8:45 PM. March begins at 9:00 PM
About Justice for Jazz Artists
Founded in 1997 by the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AFM, Justice for Jazz Artists seeks to work with the jazz clubs to ensure that jazz artists receive fair treatment. For more information, visit www.
