{"id":6453,"date":"2017-04-03T01:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T01:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.artinfo.com\/blunotes\/?p=6453"},"modified":"2017-04-03T01:00:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T01:00:20","slug":"celebrate-nea-jazz-masters-tonight-and-advocate-for-the-endowment-tomorrow-the-next-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/03\/celebrate-nea-jazz-masters-tonight-and-advocate-for-the-endowment-tomorrow-the-next-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate NEA Jazz Masters Tonight (And Advocate for the Endowment Tomorrow & The Next Day\u2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dee Dee Bridgewater is among the NEA Jazz Masters class of 2017. Photo by Mark Higashino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I suppose we’re past the point of irony these days. And yet I’ll note: Before the Trump International Hotel was installed at Washington D.C.’s Old Post Office Building on Pennsylvania Avenue (which involved\u00a0a thoughtless renovation, involving\u00a0crystal chandeliers, polished brass railings and marble tiles that\u00a0contradict the structure\u2019s architectural integrity), the historic building was home to the\u00a0National Endowment for the Arts.
\nThe Trump administration’s initial budget plan, released last month, proposed eliminating <\/a>the\u00a0NEA, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and\u00a0the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. (Who needs culture and history when you’ve got gleaming brass and chandeliers?)
\nMuch has been said\u2014and need be said\u2014about the practical wisdom of sacrificing support of arts and culture to save a mere .003 per cent of the federal budget (roughly\u00a0forty-six cents per capita) not to mention the symbolism of axing this sort of governmental priority while increasingly military spending.
\nA\u00a0statement from NEA Chairman Jane Chu<\/a> noted “as a federal government agency, the NEA cannot engage in advocacy, either directly or indirectly. We will, however, continue our practice of educating about the NEA\u2019s vital role in serving our nation\u2019s communities.” There’s another useful NEA website document on this subject here<\/a>.
\nAs Chu said, the NEA is continuing its valuable practice, which makes a significant\u00a0mark across arts and culture, and is deeply felt in jazz circles. For instance, the most recent round of NEA Art Works grants for presenters\u00a0more than 40 grants to support jazz projects or projects that have a component related to jazz. (The NEA\u00a0was one of the earliest and remains among the largest funders of jazz in this country; since 2005, the NEA has awarded more than $33.5 million in jazz-related grants and additional support to the field.)
\nAs Ann Meier Baker, the NEA’s director of music and opera told me during a recent interview, “We’re supporting the entire ecosystem of jazz, from the top down and from the bottom up and often blurring the lines between disciplines because that’s what jazz musicians do.”
\nThe most visible and celebrated aspect of the NEA’s support for jazz is the Jazz Masters Program, which this year will be celebrated with a tribute concert\u00a0<\/strong>at the Kennedy Center on April 3, 2017. Below are the facts and links.<\/p>\n

WHAT:\u00a0National Endowment for the Arts<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(NEA) honors the\u00a02017 NEA Jazz Masters<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at a tribute concert held in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, hosted by\u00a0Jason Moran<\/strong>. The concert will also be webcast live.<\/p>\n

The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters are:<\/p>\n