[NewMusic] The Saga Continues. . .

[David Slusser]

On Jun 1, 2007, at 12:46 PM, Matthew Goodheart wrote:
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/01/
> MNGVOQ5TTP1.DTL

I hope you're referring to the black jazz article (I only linked to  
the home page).

Of course there's a Berkeley element, which is home base for this  
kind of protest.
The caption for the Muscarella photograph goes a long way to imply a  
lack of
"quality" in blacks from her perspective.  There are black performers  
in her festival,
it's just that none of them are scheduled to play on Anna Deleon's  
stage during the
festival.  Anna has a mixed race family, and is an old friend to many  
black musicians
from the protest era.  I was on the wrong end of some racial bias  
when I tried to sit
in at her club, so I know where she sits on white jazzers.   
Muscarella was probably
not aware that her festival dates at Anna's were all white, and she  
gave that pale
booking to the wrong club, in the form of Anna.  (I don't think other  
venues would
have noticed or cared - and if some of the black performers had been  
slated at
Anna's, it's doubtful that Anna would've noticed).  What Muscarella  
then said as an
academic was selectively quoted, adding fuel to the fire.

It's all a load of crap that we've been through before, with  
"identity politics" versus
the fact that it's mostly whites supporting and running "jazz".   
Tempest in a teacup,
but what a good-old-American tempest.

Poor Yoshi's not having any black (leaders) on it's anniversary CD  
was also
unfortunate, but really blown out of proportion.  It's a club  
released compilation,
and they could only put out recordings with the artist's permission.   
You'd think
they'd have (perpetual annual resident) McCoy Tyner there if they  
could get the
rights from his record company.  The article gave scant notice of  
this situation.

The bizarre thing to me was seeing it on the front page of the  
Chronicle this
morning....the FRONT PAGE...what the f%$k?  Great; inflame more  
polarization
and victimization instead of going after our criminal government.