On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician

June 18th, 2024

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photo by Rhonda Dorsett

The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in  Olympia, Washington

February, 2024

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“Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”

– Betty Friedan

 

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Dear Readers:

…..I had an outpouring of thoughts and emotions during the recent 50-day car trip adventure I took to mark my 70th birthday.  Fortunately, few were of the dreadful and dark variety that one may expect at this stage of life.  I chalk this somewhat surprising lack of anxiety up to the many role models who came to this age before me.  Here are three, along with “resolutions” gleaned from their examples:

…..-My grandparents, who lived into their 80’s and whose joy for life they openly displayed during their 70’s was an antidote to the consternation they could have otherwise displayed.  The sound of their laughter and the loving expression they wore when greeting me at their door remains a constant presence for good in my life.

With their example, I am determined to show this same goodness to others, to display courage and grace in the face of age, and to be a role model for younger people.

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 …..-My father. Working until age 80, he had boundless determination and a strength of purpose connected to his family and business, and an ability to find and enjoy success through hard, honest work, and respecting those who helped him achieve it.

With his example, I’d like to stay vital by doing what I love, and to honor and respect the people who contribute to whatever success and happiness I come by.

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…..-The many elder writers contributing to Jerry Jazz Musician – some of whom I have known for ten years now (and some who have gone silent in the last year or two).  The wisdom that shows up in their language and the joy they display when their work is chosen to be shared with this community is evidence of an ongoing spirit and a humble contentment.

With their example, I hope to maintain my own creative spirit for as long as my energy and passion for life lasts, and to have an appreciation for what I achieve.

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…..And, maintaining my creative spirit is critical if my desire to continue editing and publishing Jerry Jazz Musician – which I have done since 1999, when I was 45 – lasts well into my 70’s.

…..There are challenges, of course, beyond maintaining a creative spirit, not the least of which is the reality that what this website has become is in opposition to what the dot-com world is today – an environment of spam, pop-ups, chatbots, porn, unseemly advertisements, clickbait, political garbage, false information, and sinister scams and personalities.  And that’s just in the dot.com world!  Meanwhile, social media has trained users to spread falsehoods without consequence (leading to our post-truth world), and our restless, impatient brains have forced content providers – forever chasing “likes” that can be monetized –  to create material that is consumed in seconds.  As a result, a dearth of meaningful content and even less depth of soul is found online.  It won’t get better anytime soon – it is projected that by 2026, 90% of the content available on the Internet will be created by artificial intelligence, so unremarkable content will be incessantly generated, ads to support it will be relentless, and misinformation (and misinformers) will divide us further.

…..MMy vision for Jerry Jazz Musician to publish human-generated, soulful, original content that celebrates a rich, historic culture – and to do so without being a repository for advertising – flies in the face of such a gloomy environment.  I am determined to remain a noise-free island for creative expression, and to keep the experience of visiting this website rewarding and hassle-free. But I am also left trying to understand how a content-heavy site can survive when users of the Internet have been trained to scroll and troll rather than enrich and inspirit.  It can be done with determination and effort, but that isn’t enough without revenue to support it.

…..The good news is that the number of people visiting Jerry Jazz Musician is up 25% over last year.   Thousands of people are landing on this website every month.  The challenging news is that the cost of publishing the content is up in terms of personal time, energy and expense – not a good recipe for publishing a website that doesn’t generate advertising revenue.

…..So, before I appeal for your support, I want to share a little more about my vision for Jerry Jazz Musician over the short and long term.

…..I am proud to report that I have entered into an agreement with the Portland, Oregon-based book publisher Unsolicited Press, and our initial venture will be the creation of an anthology of previously unpublished jazz poetry, which will be available sometime late 2024/early 2025.  This will provide me with an opportunity to take what has been successful on jerryjazzmusician.com into the printed book world, creating a potential revenue source as well as new avenues of reach for the poets and writers published within it.  (You can learn the details about how to submit your work at the conclusion of this post).  Several other poetry anthologies are also being imagined and planned, and there may come a time for other options as well (i.e. short fiction collections, interviews, etc.)  The only impact this will have on the website is that following the publication of the Summer 2024 poetry collection, the large jazz poetry collections that have been published three times a year since 2019 will only be available in printed book form.  Individual poems and smaller poetry collections will continue to be published on this website.  They will remain robust and appear often, leaving ample opportunity for poets to share their work.

…..In the long run, my desire is to find a path where Jerry Jazz Musician can survive me.  This site is not a “blog” that depends on one person to write the content – it is a publication made up of a publisher, editor, and contributing writers (in the neighborhood of 500 at last count).  While I created the website and fostered an environment in which this community can thrive, I also just happen to be the editor and publisher at this stage of its existence – one who is willing to make investments in time, energy and money.  With proper guidance and initiative and quality of spirit and vision, a (paid) editor succeeding me can provide inspiration for the many talented writers – of this and subsequent generations – wishing to share this corner of their creative lives on this platform.  And, importantly, an inspired editor with a knowledge of how to build a bigger audience and also generate revenue (without becoming another ad-filled website) can give Jerry Jazz Musician a chance at long term survival.

…..So, I appeal to readers to help me get there.  In the short term, I wish to raise enough revenue in order to publish the website so the cost of doing so won’t negatively impact the quality of my life during my 70’s, and in the long term to raise enough money to inspire and pay qualified people to carry on with this work beyond my days.   My health is good, my energy and enthusiasm is high, and, in the words of Ms. Friedan, I will embrace this new time of my life as a “stage of opportunity and strength.”  With that energy – and reader support – there is a real possibility that I can turn this vision into reality.

…..I wish to thank the many readers who have already contributed (in many cases more than once) hard-earned money toward the mission of Jerry Jazz Musician.  To those who would also like to, please click here for details on how to do so.

Onward!

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Joe Maita

Editor/Publisher

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photo by Rhonda Dorsett

Celebrating my 70th in St. Helena, California.  March, 2024

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Listen to the 1957 recording of Nat “King” Cole performing the Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein II composition “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” with Cole (piano, vocals); Stuff Smith (violin); John Collins (guitar); Charlie Harris (bass); and Lee Young (drums).  [Universal Music Group]

 

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Click here for information about the Jerry Jazz Musician poetry anthology to be published by Unsolicited Press

Click here to read  The Sunday Poem

Click here to read “A Collection of Jazz Poetry – Winter, 2024 Edition”

Click here to read “Ballad,” Lúcia Leão’s winning story in the 65th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest

Click here for information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction

Click here to subscribe to the (free) Jerry Jazz Musician quarterly newsletter

Click here to help support the ongoing publication of Jerry Jazz Musician, and to keep it commercial-free (thank you!)

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Jerry Jazz Musician…human produced (and AI-free) since 1999

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7 comments on “On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician

  1. Joe, happy belated 70th–nice thoughts on aging and keeping Jerry Jazz going strong. On a personal note, Jerry Jazz has been an oasis in the everyday, many times crazy world of writing, submitting and negotiating the publishing world. It can be a rat race and what Jerry Jazz provides is an outlet for my work that makes me feel accomplishment and reminds me of the love of jazz and expression that got me started on this path to begin with. So hang in there there and viva JJM!!

    1. Thanks very much for writing this, Dan. If Jerry Jazz Musician inspires your creativity and reminds you of your love of jazz in the ways you describe, then I have accomplished what I set out to do. Keep your wonderful poetry coming!

      Joe

  2. You are a poet in your own right Joe! You have a poet’s heart and a terrific vision! I appreciate your thoughtfulness about JJM that has become “home” to so many poets. Carry on my friend. 70 ain’t that old and with your family dNA you’ll outlive many of us who you’ve given so much to. Gratitude for your endeavors and love of jazz!

    1. Many thanks for your heartfelt comment, Judith. Being in contact with and surrounded by writers and poets and musicians is a great way to spend “elder” age!

  3. Hey Joe,

    Music keeps you young.

    I’m 10 years ahead of you
    and still enjoy jazz and other good music
    as much as ever.

    Art Abrams is more than 10 years ahead of me
    and shows no signs of slowing down.

    Glad you’re celebrating. Every birthday is worth celebrating.
    Keep up the good work for as many years as you can,
    and thanks or helping us all enjoy every one.

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Site Archive

In This Issue

painting of Clifford Brown by Paul Lovering
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring/Summer, 2024 Edition...In this, the 17th major collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician, 50 poets from all over the world again demonstrate the ongoing influence the music and its associated culture has on their creative lives.

(featuring the art of Paul Lovering)

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

The Sunday Poem

“menage a trois ” by debora Ewing...

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 5: “Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime”...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this fifth edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes of three novels that include stories about Scott Joplin, the primary forerunner and significant influencer of jazz.

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Short Fiction

Impulse! Records and ABC/Dunhill Records. Photographer uncredited/via Wikimedia Commons
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #66 — “Not From Around Here” by Jeff Dingler...The author’s award-winning story is about a Jewish kid coming of age in Alabama and discovering his identity through music, in particular the interstellar sound of Sun Ra..

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

What we discover about Kamala Harris from an armful of record albums...Like her or not, readers of this site will enjoy learning that Vice President Kamala Harris is a fan of jazz music. Witness this recent clip (via Youtube) of her emerging from a record shop…

Playlist

photo of Teddy Wilson by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Trios – Three’s Not a Crowd” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...In the history of jazz there have been many variations of instrumentation within the trio format (think of Benny Goodman’s trio or Jimmy Giuffre’s) but on this playlist, Bob Hecht concentrates on a handful of the classic trio configurations—either piano, bass and drums, or in a few instances, piano, guitar and bass...

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Book Excerpt

A book excerpt from Designed for Success: Better Living and Self-Improvement with Midcentury Instructional Records, by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder...In this excerpt, the authors write extensively about music instruction and appreciation records dealing with the subject of jazz.

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

MartyRus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Briscola” – a short story by Emily Xu...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – is an exaggerated version of the dynamism of domestic/romantic relationships between spouses and the difficulty to sustain a family.

Art

photo of Leroy Jenkins by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Leroy Jenkins...photos of the eminent free jazz violinist, taken at Amsterdam's Bimhuis on January 4, 1999.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 21: “The Blue Truth”...In this edition, the poet riffs on Oliver Nelson’s classic 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth as if a conversation between conductor and players were caught on tape along with the inner monologue of some mystery player/speaker of the poem.

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Jazz History Quiz #175

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
This famed jazz artist played the piano professionally as a seventh grader before switching to drums, learning to play in the styles of Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. Before forming his own band in the early 1950’s, he played with Mary Lou Williams (pictured) in New York, toured the South with Fletcher Henderson’s band, and was the drummer in Billy Eckstine’s group from 1944 – 1947. Who is he?

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America; an interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.