[NewMusic] Andy Gilbert asked to leave Contra Costa Times

[Phillip Greenlief]

Hey Folks,
   
  Andrew Gilbert is losing his job as jazz writer at Contra Costa Times. Many of you may know him, he's been a firm supporter of this music and more mainstream jazz (and other genres) for many years here in the bay area.
   
  While the majority of the shows he writes about are "jazz", he has also featured a lot of performances that come out of our community. He's written about my recordings and concerts a lot, and did preview articles on local performances by Leo Smith, Vinny Golia, Pauline Oliveros, etc. etc. etc.
   
  Please consider dropping a line to his editor and telling her they're making a mistake by not keeping their readers informed on what's going on in the bay area music scene.
   
  Thanks,
  PG
   
   
  From: Andrew Gilbert

I'm sad to report that my long-running relationship with the Contra 
Costa Times has come to an end. After more than a decade, the Times has
killed my JazzTalk column as part of a larger purge of the paper's 
freelance budget. I'm still contributing to the San Jose Mercury News
and San Francisco Chronicle, but it seems likely that I'll have many 
fewer opportunities to write about Bay Area artists in the coming 
months.

I'm grateful for the opportunity that the Times gave me to cover 
several hundred Bay Area artists, though there are many musicians who I
wished I had written about (or written about more). In the final graph 
of my last column (Dec. 27), I wrote it has been a pleasure and 
privilege covering the Bay Area jazz scene for the Times, writing about
the region's fabulously rich array of artists. Many thanks to the 
players for their time and music, my editors for their support, and the
 readers for their interest and tips.

I doubt the decision is reversible, but if you feel like dropping a 
line to features editor Lisa Wrenn at lwrenn at bayareanewsgroup.com, let 
her know you'll miss jazz coverage in the Times (and feel free to
 pass this note on to anyone who might be interested).

All the best,

Andy Gilbert