Jazz builds bridges at U.S.-China state dinner

Channeling enthusiasm: After reading these two words somewhere, I stopped and thought about how one channels enthusiasm. All I had to do was review the previous week’s news items for several powerful examples, many of which I believe could apply to the jazz world.

Channeling enthusiasm: President Obama did just that during not one but two historic events that just went down in Washington, D.C.

Take Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address. One theme was simple: We do big things. He also spoke of this nation’s rich history, its traditions, its future and how to win it. Now, as we’ve stepped into 2011, I’m thinking, “Hey, why can’t we apply what he said to the jazz industry?” Just let me finger paint for a minute. Please.

This brings me to yet another historical event: the state dinner honoring Chinese President Hu Jintao that took place on Jan. 19.

A day later, I was happy to receive a link from a friend in the jazz world that broke down the jazz-filled scene at the Hu-Obama state dinner.

The link, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/01/a-final-state-dinner-note/69990/, features a very informative/entertaining piece, “A Final State Dinner Note,” filed on Jan. 20 by James Fallows, The Atlantic’s 25-year veteran national correspondent who is also a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter. He also worked for Microsoft. It’s a good thing that he wrote this significant piece before, as he put it, the event faded from the news cycle.

Fallows wrote, “The program was nearly all jazz by American performers of the first rank doing classic American numbers. To me the showstopper was the phenomenal singer Dianne Reeves — long famous in the jazz world and known more generally from her role as the 1950s singer in Good Night, and Good Luck — performing with pianist Peter Martin. And of course Herbie Hancock and Dee Dee Bridgewater and Chris Botti and more.

“It was very good, very up-paced, very loud, and very lively jazz, performed with Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese delegation 10 feet away in the front row. Obviously music does not prove national economic vitality. ([For example, Cuba’s] Buena Vista Social Club.) But if you wanted, well, theme music for an America that still had some zip, this would be an artful choice.”

The piece goes on: “And for the ‘win-win’ concept? There was this improbable bit of showmanship: Herbie Hancock and the young Chinese-born, U.S.-trained pianist-phenom Lang Lang, doing a four-hands rendition of a piece by Ravel with a Chinoiserie theme. They enjoyed each other and embraced when it was done. Again, it doesn’t prove anything, but it was a good choice. Lang Lang on his own then played a Chinese song.”

Fallows and his wife were seated two rows behind former President Bill Clinton while the music played and witnessed Clinton, who plays saxophone, grooving and smiling the whole time.
The Fallows photo posted with his article online is taken with a camera phone, which he admits is blurry, taken in the dark and at short notice, but advises readers to click it, it gets bigger, although still blurry.

Here are some of his photo-taking notes just in case: Facing the camera, from left to right, you can more or less make out Lang Lang, Hu Jintao, Barack Obama, trumpeter Randy Brecker (standing back by the portrait), Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, bassist James Genus, Chris Botti holding trumpet, and Michelle Obama. That’s the white-maned back of Bill Clinton’s head you see in the front row on the right. You can read the rest online.

Don’t forget: Marsalis at Orchestra Hall
Another similar piece I enjoyed reading online was “A jazzy all-American state dinner for China’s Hu” by Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Nancy Benac. They wrote, “Jazz pianist Peter Martin, part of the entertainment lineup, prepped for his appearance by springing for a tux. ‘I’m finally a grown-up, graduated from renting to owning,’ Martin tweeted, adding that he was ‘super-excited’ about the White House gig.”

So, as I’m writing this column and, at the same time, revisiting Fallows’ piece, I see another piece that sort of relates to historical events, and more importantly to what I had originally wanted to focus a little more on, which is saxophonist Branford Marsalis. And how I’m wondering if readers can recall his saxophone playing on Public Enemy’s song, “Fight the Power.” Surprise, yep that’s him if you didn’t know.

You don’t want to miss Marsalis at Orchestra Hall on Feb. 27 with another jazz pioneer, Terence Blanchard. It’s a double bill. Check out his CDs, Choices (Concord) and A Tale of God’s Will: A Requiem for Katrina (Blue Note), before he gets here.

Flava Flav: from fighting the power to frying the chicken
Ok, so while I’m at it, Public Enemy is on my mind. While I’m at The Atlantic’s site, I see the piece “Flavor Flav vs. KFC: A Dispatch from Flav’s Fried Chicken” (posted Jan. 27) by Joe Fassler, an M.F.A. fiction student at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, host of The Lit Show on KRUI Radio and webmaster for two literary journals, A Public Space and The Yale Review.

Fassler interviews the 51-year-old Flav ( he notes it’s always 4:30 — at least, that was the time Flav’s huge clock pendant read throughout the Monday-night opening of his restaurant) and runs down the minutes at the FFC launch in Clinton, Iowa.

At 8:55, he writes, “Flav returns and snatches the microphone from the MC. ’I just want to thank everybody for coming down and being part of this historical event,’ he shouts. ’Welcome to FFC!’ Fans shout, ‘We love you!’ ’I love you too,’ Flav snickers and then launches into a long, hyped-up speech.”

Fassler continues, “I’d planned on asking him if FFC reflects Public Enemy’s politically charged messages in any degree, but by now I don’t have the heart — it’s clearly a business venture foremost, not a humanitarian endeavor. Still, Flav does seem sincerely invested in Clinton, Iowa.”

Jazz and the global future
Enough about speeches. Politics. Chicken. I want to get back to Obama’s “We do big things” theme. And to channeling enthusiasm.

Imagine if the jazz industry embraced this vision, along with a solid plan for focusing on what we share instead of what divides us. Although, sometimes it’s necessary to go there. Think of the bigger cultural responsibilities that we share when it comes to not just Americans but to educating and enlightening the global community. Jazz plays a positive role.

Again, I must ask the question: How do we as an American jazz family win the future, continue to channel enthusiasm, reinforce confidence, build trust and strengthen relationships?

Perhaps, President Hu’s comments at the state dinner regarding the relations between China and America shed some light on our international jazz family. We should pursue our national and international relations with a stronger conviction, with a broader vision, and with a proactive approach. Take solid steps, make pioneering efforts, make new and bigger contributions, and fully tap the potential of opportunities for steady growth. Maybe then we will yield more bountiful fruits. In the words of Obama: We will move forward together or not at all.
Sounds like channeling for big things to me.

Robin James welcomes reader responses to jamesonjazz@spokesman-recorder.com.