The first ever (?!?) panel discussion of gender issues by four women who are professional jazz journalists (documented to vlogger Ms Michal Shapiro) kicked off the JJA’s Jazz Media Summit on January 13, 2018 at the Jazz Gallery in New York City. The 91-minute session on “Women in Jazz Journalism” is embedded:
Above, Jordannah Elizabeth
Michelle Mercer, of NPR and DownBeat’s Hotbox reviewing section, author of books on Joni Mitchell and Wayne Shorter, moderated the candid session with Jordannah Elizabeth (Amsterdam News, Ms. blog, author, lecturer and educator; ethnomusicologist, educator, writer and radio producer Lara Pelligrinelli, and Natalie Weiner, associate editor of Billboard, podcast co-host and writer on sports as well as jazz.
“Women in Jazz Journalism” was just the start of three the daylong Jazz Media Summit, free to the public, produced by the Jazz Journalists Association. Some 60 people attended the discussions, which were free to the public. Many participated with questions and comments — including WBGO’s director of content Nate Chinen, singer Joan-Watson Jones, cellist Akua Dixon, flutist Andrea Brachfeld, Capital District media activist Susan Brink, saxophonist Roxie Coss, public relations expert Carolyn McClair and veteran jazz journalists such as David Adler, Steve Griggs, David Grogan, James Hale, Willard Jenkins, Ashley Kahn, Jimmy Katz, Jim Macnie, Bill Milkowski, Russ Musto, Don Palmer, Ted Panken, Greg Tate, Neil Tesser and Howard Mandel.
Documentation of the second panel, “Black Lives Matter and Social Justice Issues in Jazz Media,” moderated by Don Palmer, and “Beyond the Immediate: Writers, Photographers, Broadcasters on Extending Outreach to Audience,” moderated by Howard Mandel, are being prepared, and will be posted as soon as possible. Watch this space!
Concurrently, the first Jazz Congress, Jan 11 and 12, produced by Jazz Times magazine (as it did the Jazz Connect Conference this congress has replaced) and Jazz At Lincoln Center — drew some 400 attendees from the international cadre of music makers and sustainers for intense schmoozing, a keynote speech by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and also panel discussions. The Winter JazzFest Marathons on Friday and Saturday nights featured more than 50 performances in almost a dozen venues, from 6 pm to after 2 am. Jazz journalists were out in force at both the Congress and the Marathon performances.
