DownBeat November 2001 [antikvár]

CONGRATULATIONSJOE ZAWINUL!onthehositmESC Recordscongratulates Joe Zawinul, Down Beat International critics poll winner19971998199920002001Coming up March 2002: The new Joe Zawinul studio album on:The jazz industry needs help. Sliding record sales, a crumbling distribution system for independent labels, limited touring opportunities and lack of media exposure make this blatantly apparent. But the music still plays in clubs, concert halls and festival stages around the world on a nightly basis and innovative music still emerges from innovative musicians.So hope exists. The solutions to "fix" the industry will not be quick or easy, and oneA^gnmentj^^^ARD OF DJRE^Ij^^^AZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER'S NEW YCmITHE JrapOARD OF DIRECTBHSBWAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER'S NEW YORK OFFICESthing's for certain: For an industry to progress, it needs to work in unison on many fronts. Thankfully, for the often splintered jazz industry, the foundation for unification is being laid with the recently chartered Jazz Alliance Intemational (JAl), a non-profit organization that includes the record industry, media, promoters, musicians, educators, retailers, managers, publicists and others. Down Beat is one of the JAI's charter members. Here's the organization's mission statement"The Jazz Alliance International OAI) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding the audience and visibiHty of jazz. Through advocacy, education and leadership, the Alliance seeks to raise the profile of the art form and foster better working relationships within the intemational jazz community. The Alliance aims to preserve and promote the vital heritage of America's national treasure by implementing strategies to enhance the development of the music and its audiences, thereby finnly establishmg jazz within the global consciousness."How will this mission be carried out? In a conversation with the organization's president. Chuck Iwanusa, a few of the JATs initiatives came to fight First on the docket are funding campaigns, efforts to bring membership to the organization and a compilation of market research data from jazz magazines, record labels and presenters. Out of this data a sketch of the jazz audience can be gleaned; but high on Iwanusa's list of priorities is commissioning a market research firm to conduct an annual scientific study on who is the jazz audience. This real data would be cmdal for marketing efforts.Iwanusa envisions the JAI spreading jazz awareness through non-traditional education programs. For instance, he sees meetings with advertising and marketing execs of non-industry related corporations to show them how jazz can enhance brand image. "For instance, we'd get 100 people together for limch and have a dynamic jazz artist perform," Iwanusa said. "We'd show them how a certain campaign using jazz was suc-cessfiil. This vrill start to put jazz musicians in places where we usually see pop stars."Other projected JAI programs and activities include promoting a National Jazz Month, starting a public service educational campaign, releasing a CD sampler, producing a jazz Grammy awards show and looking at starting an international jazz hall of fame.Iwanusa also recognizes that although the efiiects of the JAI may take some time to get noticed, a sense of urgency prevails, hi addition, this organization needs to be inclusive. After all, so much of this music is propagated by independent labels, small clubs and the musicians themselves. These voices need to be heard.dbbyjason koransky8 November 2001 DOWN BEAT