Also this issue:

Burn, Viacom, Burn
When the music biz destroys itself, Chuck D will get to say “I told you so.”
-Chris Parker

No Looking Back
After coming to terms with their past, Wire go back to the future.
-Sam Adams

David Alvarado
-A.D. Amorosi

Gene
-Sam Adams

Sparta
-Andrew Parks

Exile Follies
-Chris Parker

Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone
-Sam Adams

Rudy Adrian
-A.D. Amorosi

September 19-25, 2002

the gig

Nate Chinen on Jazz

A few months ago this paper published a cover story about the Mellon Jazz Festival’s new format, which was largely perceived within the Philadelphia jazz world as a slight, if not a downright offense. (Downbeat, June 20, 2002.) I wrote that article with the intention of presenting unbiased coverage of a contentious issue. I had hoped that in favoring neither side, my account might invite dialogue and foster debate. Instead, in the weeks after its publication, I was surprised by response to the piece: there was none. By and large, Philly’s jazz musicians refrained from airing their opinions to me, or to City Paper. As for the folks at Mellon Financial Corp., word has it they were infuriated, and may never speak on the record about the festival again.

It's almost certain that many in the local scene were disappointed with a journalistic approach that, in their eyes, let Mellon off easy. I would argue this point, just as I take issue with the company's indignation. What went unsaid in the piece, for reasons of clarity, is the fact that Philly's jazz communities (and I use the plural pointedly) continue to thrive without corporate support. When I interviewed saxophonist-composer Bobby Zankel for the article in June, he said this: "The important thing at this stage in our history is that people have to really fight to make the things they think are important work. You can't wait for George Wein, you can't wait for Bell Atlantic, you can't wait for Mellon Bank. And to sit around complaining about any of it is truly counterproductive."

I mention this now because the coming week marks the third Collective Voices Festival, a grassroots effort conceived and organized by local musicians. Although modest in scale, the festival serves as a crystallization of talent and ideals. The voices collected here are not only exempt from Mellon's support; some of them are routinely passed over even by local jazz venues. (Although I should point out that Zankel did play both the 2001 and 2002 Mellon Festivals.) Musicians like Tim Motzer, Daniel Peterson, Bart Miltenberger and Matt Davis are rarely heard within the mainstream club circuit; each commands his own group this weekend. (See the listings below for details.) It all illustrates Zankel's philosophical call to action. "I don't know if it's accurate to say we're in a renaissance," he mused in June, "but there's a lot of creative music going on here, and a lot of people trying to create their own situations."

Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound featuring special guest Dave Liebman; Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph; George Burton Group, Sat., Sept. 21, 8 p.m., $15, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475. Tim Motzer’s Fuzzbase featuring Ursula Rucker; Daniel Peterson’s Truth or Consequences featuring Odean Pope, Sun., Sept. 22, 6 p.m., free, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St., 215-898-6533. The Chance Trio; Elliott Levin/Ed Watkins Duo, Sun., Sept. 22, 9:30 p.m., free, Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom St., 215-928-8118.