August Be The Change: A Place for Jazz
By Natalie Criscione
Lenox Avenue: Midnight*
By Langston Hughes
The Rhythm of life
Is a jazz rhythm,
Honey.
The gods are laughing at us.
The broken heart of love,
The weary, weary heart of pain,—
overtones,
undertones,
To the rumble of street cars,
To the swish of rain.
Lenox Avenue,
Honey
Midnight,
And the gods are laughing at us.
*public domain
“The rhythm of life/is a jazz rhythm,” says poet Langston Hughes who, through his poetry, celebrates the enduring power of artistic expression that continues to resonate today as it did during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. Jazz is music that recalls stories of hardships and history. As an American genre that emerged in the late 19th century from the blues, folk, and spiritual traditions within African American communities of New Orleans, the music speaks to ideals of freedom, struggle, and social movements such as Civil Rights, Anti-War, and Black Lives Matter. Within the music are often messages of hope and resilience.
“It is a form of expression, and that is what makes it critically important,” says Bill McCann, the President of A Place for Jazz. “There is freedom that comes with Jazz— every time a jazz musician plays and then improvises on a tune—it is never the same twice; the musicians feed off of one another.” In this way, jazz is the music of communication and collaboration, inclusion and acceptance. Within a performance venue, both the audience and the performers participate in the creative landscape.
McCann has been listening to the language of jazz all his life— his love for the genre emerged from his childhood. “My dad was a NYC firefighter and a jazz lover with a huge record collection,” says McCann, “and with six kids in the family, seeing jazz was a good way to spend time with him.” His father frequently brought McCann to see concerts in NYC, and when he was a guest on a jazz radio program on WRKL in Rockland County, McCann would often tag along.
The experience paved the way for McCann’s college interest in jazz radio at the University at Albany and led to his own radio show there on 90.9 FM, WCDB (Saturdays, 8am-12pm and rebroadcast Sundays from 10am-2pm) in 1985, of which he’s been the host for the last 40 years. “It’s my weekly therapy,” he says. He also hosts a weekend jazz show on 90.3 FM, WAMC (Saturdays, 11pm-midnight and available afterwards via Mixcloud at WAMC.org). For both shows, McCann provides, as described in a recent WAMC interview, a “curated music mix…a smorgasbord in sound and jazz,” which is part of what makes his shows so enduring. He has a sense for which songs should be included in a given radio set. McCann’s longtime involvement in A Place for Jazz is the natural growth of his passion and love for music.
A Place For Jazz was founded in 1987 by jazz lover Bernard “Butch” Conn who wanted to create an environment where people would be able to listen to and appreciate jazz away from the hustle and bustle of restaurants and jazz clubs and their associated distractions; and bring more nationally and internationally recognized jazz musicians to the Capital District. Although the mission may have broadened a bit since then, the core goal has changed little: A Place for Jazz is dedicated to presenting the best in jazz.
With its home base at Schenectady County Community College, both jazz artists and education take center stage. A Place For Jazz strives to present many award-winning artists through each of its six annual concerts (one in the spring and five in the fall). Further, they host workshops for the students and community prior to several of each season’s concerts, thus providing a forum for questions and discussions about jazz performance, music, history, stories, and personal experiences. The workshops are also a wonderful way for participants to connect with the artists and offer an inspiration for musicians and music lovers.
“Education is a big part of our mission,” says McCann. Each year A Place For Jazz raises money through donations, 50/50 raffles, and merchandise sales for a scholarship that is awarded to a SCCC student.
Like many non-profits, the board is made up of dedicated volunteers who share their skills to manage details such as ticket sales, website upkeep, green room hospitality, scheduling, communication, and more. Over the years they have developed relationships with agents within the jazz world, which enables them access to both well known musicians and those who are up-and-coming.
Visit the website (aplaceforjazz.org) to learn more about A Place for Jazz, volunteer opportunities, membership, and details about this fall’s concert offerings which include the following (all concerts begin at 7:30; tickets can be purchased at the door or online):
9/5 David Murray Quartet
9/19 Peter Bernstein Quartet
10/3 Sarah Hanahan Quartet
10/17 Leo Russo Sextet
11/7 Tyreek McDole
Finally, McCann has some wonderful advice for Honest Weight customers: “People at the co-op like to eat; I like to eat; jazz goes well with food….go to the co-op, get some food, and then come to our concerts.”
Wow! That is a musical sentiment! Plus, it sounds like a perfect night out, don’t you think?
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