JazzTimes

Celebrating jazz excellence — Awards, honors and privileges

The NEA zeroes out its Jazz Masters program, the Grammys cuts categories so pop best-sellers regain prominence vis a vis less obviously commercial stars, but the Jazz Journalists Association’s 15th annual Jazz Awards — to be held June 11, 2011 with an afternoon gala with all star music at City Winery, NYC, satellite parties hosted by prominent fans and grass roots organizations around the U.S. and streaming live video on the web at www.JJAJazzAwards.org — hails loud and clear the achievements of the jazz music and media makers. (See that website for a list of all the nominees).

Pianist Randy Weston, trumpeter Wallace Roney’s Sextet, soprano sax/flutist Jane Bunnett with pianist Hilario Duran, and the Hammer Klavier Trio from Hamburg will play up a storm at the gala to further demonstrate the power and beauty of what we’re talking about. This photo of orchestra leader Maria Schneider the year she won four Jazz Awards shows what such honors can mean to a musician.

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JazzTimes’ robust recovery

The November issue of JazzTimes magazine is the first created (not just published) under the imprimatur of Madavor Media, LLC imprint, and the periodical looks very much the same as before its hiatus last spring. Editors Lee Mergener and Evan Haga remain, columnists Nat Hentoff and Nate Chinen are present, most if not all recent editorial contributors remain on the masthead and features — drumming being the issue’s loose theme — are by regulars, though Fernando GonzÃ¡lez, former editor of rival Jazziz, came onboard to write the story on Guggenheim Foundation and MacArthur fellow Miguel ZenÃ³n.

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JazzTimes “temporarily suspended,” staff “furloughed”

JazzTimes confirms rumors first reported here the 38-year-old monthly magazine’s deep financial distress requires it to stop publishing. Its management hopes for a brand-sale and re-emergence. But in a longer email to freelance contributors, those same managers adopt a can’t-help-you-pal shrug toward the brand’s freelance contributors.

“The brand and operation will undergo reorganization and restructuring in order to remain competitive in the current media,” according to the brief note on the mag’s website. In the iteration of this message that went out to Jazz Times’ contributors, though, that assertion was followed by words of dread to freelance writers and photographers: “. . . payments for previous assignments remain in limbo, as the JazzTimes ownership seeks the necessary financing.”

Payments In limbo? What would a carpenter, plumber, landlord say? “I’ll take the shelves back.” “Your toilet’s in limbo.” “No rent, you’re out!”

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Jazz Times crisis confirmed

An associate editor of JazzTimes “until a couple of weeks ago when I
was laid off” has confirmed that the magazine is in deep trouble. “There
was some hope of a new buyer coming to the rescue,” he writes, “but as of my last
contact with the guys it wasn’t looking good.” I’d heard previously that the proposed deal fell through.

“Hopefully that will still
happen,” this source continues, “but with the loss of JVC and other advertisers it’s doubtful
the magazine would be able to survive in its present format.” Meanwhile, numerous writers and photographers have contacted me with tales of waiting on payments since last March. These are bad signs. A lot of jazz people are, like my correspondent, hopeful. We’d like Jazz Times to continue, to prosper and flower. More news when I get some. . . good or bad.

howardmandel.com
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Losing a jazz mag?

Rumors abound that JazzTimes magazineÂ is folding — it’s laid off employees, notified writers of waits for May payments, not shipped its June issue to the printers and failed to sell itself to a new publisher. A senior contributor says he was told not to write his next column until asked for it. These are rumors, I stress: I’ve emailed JT’s publisher and editors for confirmation or denial, comment and clarification, without response so far. It wouldn’t be terribly surprising, given the economic drift and hard times for print media. But the demise of JazzTimesÂ would change the game for everybody — musicians, readers writers, advertisers — focused on jazz.

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