DownBeat March 2011 [antikvár]

New York is JAZZ THE NEW SCHOOL . is New York f GET A BFA IN THE JAZZ CAPITAL OF THE WORLD Learn jazz by living it in tlie heart of Greenwich Village—the center of New York's rich jazz history. At The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, your mentors are legendary artists from New York City's renowned jazz community and your classmates are talented musicians from around ' the globe. • Gig in world-famous venues throughout New York City • Train with outstanding artist-faculty and your choice of more than 100 affiliated musicians—check them out at www.newschool.edu/jazzinstructors ^ • Intern and develop direct contacts in the music industry • Pursue a BFA or combined BA/BFA For application and audition information, call 212.229.5896 x4589 or visit us online. www.newschool.edu/jazz46 THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC nie Nm Sdwol >s » leading unlvetyiy m New York C>ty ollcnng some ol Ihe nation's mog disbngiiishe<) degree. ceni1ic»le, and conunuing eduubon piogrsms In an and design, liberal arts, minagemenl and poUcy. and ine pertoimlng arts. Jul Alrttnf Ih« 4<1)on/t«lll Opovlunttf liiaklvl>ct>k First Take I BY FRANK ALKYER Billy Taylor, Elegant Advocate D 'IV.I r Billy Taylor's passing on Dec. 28 at age 89 leaves huge shoes to fill in the battle to spread the word about great an, like jazz. Never before had an individual so quietly and calmly done so much to take jazz to the masses—even when not playing a note. That's not to say Dr. Taylor wasn't a great musician. As a piani,st and composer, he displayed artistry, taste and class. Remember, he got his start playing for Ben Webster on 52nd Street and became the house pianist for Birdland playing behind the likes of Chariie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. But history will show that his contributions as a jazz ambassador will well overshadow his contributions as a jazz musician. All of us who work in—or simply enjoy— jazz owe him a debt of gratitude for his dedication to the cause. For starters, there's Jazzmobile, the not-for-profit organization Dr. Taylor founded in the 1960s to take jazz performances on a mobile stage into New York neighborhoods that might otherwise never see live music. The organization is still going strong and deserves our attention and support with its mission to "present, preserve, promote and propagate Jazz, America's classical music." Then, there's Billy Taylor, the broadcaster, who began programming jazz shows for radio in New York and created award-winning shows for National Public Radio. He became the arts correspondent for television's "CBS Sunday Morning" in the 1980s and for the next two decades profiled more than 250 jazz musicians in what he considered to be one of his greatest contributions to this music. And linally, there's Dr. Taylor the jazz advocate and lobbyist. Because of his eloquence and his passion to have the music recognized as a cultural touchstone. Dr, Taylor served on many boards, such as the National Council of the Arts, and even took on a few powerful polidcians. Dr. Taylor was an outspoken proponent for not just jazz, but all of the arts. My first encounter with him was also my first year at DownBeai in 1990. At that time. Sen. Jesse Helms was attempting to disband the National Endowment for the Arts over grants for art that the ultra-conservative senator from North Carolina considered to be blasphemous or obscene. Dr. Taylor was, well, angry and wanted to get the word out to stop Helms in his tracks. He called the office, and we talked for a few minutes. For the next 20 minutes, he spoke factually. tbrcefuUy and beautiftil-ly. 1 copied down his words, and printed them just as they came out of his mouth: "Sen. Helms has chosen to focus on 20 granLs—that's 20 grants out of 80,000—in his efforts to cast doubt on everything the Endowment has accomplished. The Endowment is lighting for its life, unnecessarily. U has a tremendous record and has sei vcd the country well on one of the smallest budgets in the Federal government. In the jazz world. I can attest that tirsl-IuukI that for every dollar the government gives, at least five more are gen-^ orated." He ended wilh a call to action for arts lowrs to take fiw minutes and contact their lcgislatoi-s. His woixls helped save the NEA. but shockingly such Ixmlos amtinue. Billy Tciylor was an elegant lighter. In his memory, \\v all need to put on th(»NC velvet gloves ami soldier on. That would be the mast lilting of tributes lo ja/z's givatosl advocalc. B DOWNBEAT MARCH 2011