Yoshi's "Shamed"

[Unk]

Shamed, Yoshi's pulls CD, apologizes

Club hit sour note with lack of black musicians on record

Jesse Hamlin, Steven Winn, Chronicle Staff Writers

Saturday, June 2, 2007

The managers of Yoshi's jazz club said Friday that issuing a 10th anniversary CD with no African American musicians was "a huge mistake" and "a major oversight." In the wake of complaints by some African American musicians and community leaders, the club issued an apology and withdrew the disc.

With "Live at Yoshi's: Anniversary Compilation" off the market, the club plans to create a new recording that more accurately reflects the musicians who play the 340-seat venue at Oakland's Jack London Square, said Joan Rosenberg, marketing director for the club.

Yoshi's had sold about 500 of the 1,000 CDs it began offering on its Web site last month. The disc, the first made by Yoshi's, was not distributed to stores.

"We really messed up on the CD," said Yoshi's owner Kaz Kajimura. "We apologize to anyone who feels slighted by this omission, as that was never our intention."

The musicians on the disc include pianist Marian McPartland, singer Madeleine Peyroux, the late guitarist Joe Pass and Latin percussionist Poncho Sanchez.

Kajimura and Yoshi's artistic director Peter Williams attributed the botched CD to haste and expediency. "This was done on the spur of the moment, and we didn't have a lot of time and research to put into it," said Kajimura. Yoshi's began working on the project in late March to mark the club's 10 years in Oakland in May.

Eight of the 10 tracks, from four different musicians, came from Concord records, one of the world's largest recording labels. The other two came from San Francisco radio station KFOG's archives.

"That was the easiest, quickest thing to do," said Williams. "We assumed Concord would have the most music recorded live at Yoshi's." When the new CD is made, he added, it will include African American musicians recorded live at Yoshi's on such labels as Verve, MaxJazz and Blue Note. That will involve more elaborate negotiations for rights and licensing fees.

"If Yoshi's is calling this an oversight, then maybe there needs to be a larger discussion about the dynamic of what jazz is all about," said Glen Pearson, an African American musician and College of Alameda instructor. "Diversity is a word that gets kicked around a lot these days. But how sincerely or honestly is that concept really being applied? Or is it just a politically convenient term to use?"

Williams said race and ethnicity are "things that I just never think about when I'm booking the club. It always comes out that we have a great mix. I'm very comfortable with what we've done."

Kajimura said that more than half of the musicians who play Yoshi's are African American.

Orrin Keepnews, the famed Bay Area-based jazz record producer who put out classic albums by Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins and many others on his Riverside label, calls the Yoshi's CD affair "an embarrassingly small deal.''

"With all due respect to the venerable Marian McPartland, whom I love and have always loved, there's nobody on that record of major current importance," said Keepnews. "The club put out an anniversary record that was thoughtless and not very well put together. They limited themselves to material recorded live at the club. You have a half-dozen things here that don't have the making of a significant or representative record, regardless of what color anybody is.''

As for Yoshi's pulling the CD in reaction to the controversy, Keepnews said: "It's become very customary when you make a big public mistake to then withdraw as much as you can. It's been going on at all the networks recently. It's childish. If you're insulted, you haven't removed the insult by removing the product. I don't think Yoshi's necessarily insulted people, but it wasn't a very bright thing to do. But I don't really think it's any kind of fatal mistake.''

Black saxophonist Howard Wiley thinks Yoshi's had no choice but to pull the CD. "I think it's the right step, to turn a negative into a positive. Let's all come to the table now and play some beautiful music together."

The racial mix of musicians in this summer's Downtown Berkeley Jazz Festival also came into question this week. Susan Muscarella, who is booking the festival through the sponsor, Berkeley's Jazzschool, was in a diversity committee meeting there Friday afternoon. "We're addressing the issue across the board, in all our education and performing programs," she said, calling charges of racial imbalance "unfair and ungrounded."

Muscarella said the Aug. 22-26 festival is about halfway planned. "My problem now is how to book African American artists when they might think they're only being invited in response to the controversy."

E-mail the writers at jhamlin@sfchronicle.com and swinn@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...NG6QQ69RE31.DTL

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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[Unk]

As many of you know, I've had a long, strong dislike for Yoshi's. I won't comment further here, other than to wish Yoshi's and the whole jazz community 'peace'.

Edited to add: ...and I don't think Yoshi's management is racist.

Edited June 3, 2007 by Unk

[Spontooneous]

In a related story:

One of the fine jazz concert presenters here in Kansas City just announced their 2007-2008 series. There isn't a single African-American among the leaders. Or among the announced sidemen.

[Chuck Nessa]

Dickheads abound and they have power.

[Kalo]

I predict that the next wrinkle in the story will be that Japanese musicians protest their lack of inclusion on a CD sponsored by a venue called "Yoshi's."

But seriously, it's kind of amazing for a jazz anthology to have no African Americans represented on it. Note in the article posted by Unk above that the "Artistic Director" of Yoshi's shuffles the blame off on Concord Records...

[Soul Stream]

But seriously, it's kind of amazing for a jazz anthology to have no African Americans represented on it. Note in the article posted by Unk above that the "Artistic Director" of Yoshi's shuffles the blame off on Concord Records...

To be honest about it, the Joey Defrancesco cuts are with George Coleman and I would say that it could go under either artists name as it's definately a equal partnership. Joey's the Concord artist, hence the name, ect. But saying no black artists are represented is kind of white-washing it (pun intended) considering George Coleman is blowing the hell out of the saxophone on it. Maybe they can get Najee now.

[Chuck Nessa]

But seriously, it's kind of amazing for a jazz anthology to have no African Americans represented on it. Note in the article posted by Unk above that the "Artistic Director" of Yoshi's shuffles the blame off on Concord Records...

To be honest about it, the Joey Defrancesco cuts are with George Coleman and I would say that it could go under either artists name as it's definately a equal partnership. Joey's the Concord artist, hence the name, ect. But saying no black artists are represented is kind of white-washing it (pun intended) considering George Coleman is blowing the hell out of the saxophone on it. Maybe they can get Najee now.

Give me a break.

[Soul Stream]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

[Guy Berger]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

First off, it's pretty clear from Yoshi's booking policy that they're not racist.

Second, the article makes it pretty clear that the CD's contents were determined by expediency. If they'd actually been willing to spend time and money on licensing fees, etc, the CD wouldn't be packed with 2nd tier artists.

Guy

Edited June 4, 2007 by Guy

[J Larsen]

There are many things about the bay area that I don't miss.

[randissimo]

There are many things about the bay area that I don't miss.

Word... I lived in Oakland from 12/85 to 11/89 and though there were many things I loved and miss, there were many things I too don't miss like the congestion, cost of living, earth quakes, and the $40 jazz gigs..

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

see i was saying yoshis sucks years ago but no one listened to me-- all i have to say is: i told you so

[Soul Stream]

and the $40 jazz gigs..

...hey, that's everywhere ain't it?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

yeah, & how many black jazz organ players are under the age of 60? (50?) how much longer will Joey be alive w/his health problems?

You hit it there, Clem. I can only think of one - Lloyd Wilson - and I can't be sure of his age. I saw him in 1990 and I guess he was in his early thirties then. And even then, I was astounded to come across a young black organist!

MG

[Claude]

If the CD is not even representative of the music that has been played at Yoshi's in the past 10 years (only 6 artists, most of them from the Concord catalogue), why bother if it is representative of the various communities within the jazz scene?

The most embarrassing thing about this is that they wanted to sell a Concord promo sampler as a Yoshi anniversary celebration CD.

[Jim Alfredson]

yeah, & how many black jazz organ players are under the age of 60? (50?) how much longer will Joey be alive w/his health problems?

You hit it there, Clem. I can only think of one - Lloyd Wilson - and I can't be sure of his age. I saw him in 1990 and I guess he was in his early thirties then. And even then, I was astounded to come across a young black organist!

MG

And Neal Evans, the guy from Soulive. There are a ton of young people playing the Hammond in the gospel realm. Yeah, not jazz, but they are helping to keep the instrument alive.

I don't really know what this has to do with Yoshi's, though.

[king ubu]

There are many things about the bay area that I don't miss.

I've never been there (or to any of the Americas at all), but knowing this site here, I think there should be loads of interesting things going on there!

http://www.bayimproviser.com/

[Soul Stream]

Hey, there's plenty of young black jazz organists out there Nate Lucas, Gerard Gibbs, and a lot of local guys I've met over the years. But however you slice it, the best young ones right now are white...Joey, Larry Goldings, Sam Yahel. Akiko Tsuruga is a young japanese chick who is killing. Still, were back to a segment of people that want to have an ethnically-correct jazz musician. But it doesn't matter...the best ones are still Lonnie, Mel Rhyne, McGriff, Gene Ludwig, Reuben, Rhoda Scott, Trudy, ect....

[Tom Storer]

When a minority making up roughly 15% of the national population creates a style of music so brilliantly expressive that it crosses over not only to the rest of the national population but to the rest of the entire world, the percentage of the originating minority among practitioners and most certainly among audience members can only drop. The more successful the music is, the steeper the drop. It's mathematical. And, unavoidably, the music will change. It already has and it's not about to stop.

[Stefan Wood]

Plus, how many young folks, no matter what their race, are interested in jazz?

[sheldonm]

yeah, & how many black jazz organ players are under the age of 60? (50?) how much longer will Joey be alive w/his health problems?

You hit it there, Clem. I can only think of one - Lloyd Wilson - and I can't be sure of his age. I saw him in 1990 and I guess he was in his early thirties then. And even then, I was astounded to come across a young black organist!

MG

...Chris Foreman~

[Chuck Nessa]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

No conspiracy. I do think the cd "representing" jazz at any club without ANY black leaders is not "innocent". It is just stupidly insensitive and out of thouch with the music and the audience.

[Guy Berger]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

No conspiracy. I do think the cd "representing" jazz at any club without ANY black leaders is not "innocent". It is just stupidly insensitive and out of thouch with the music and the audience.

I'll completely plead ignorance to the following question -- are there African American artists on Concord that have recorded at Yoshi's?

Guy

[PHILLYQ]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

No conspiracy. I do think the cd "representing" jazz at any club without ANY black leaders is not "innocent". It is just stupidly insensitive and out of thouch with the music and the audience.

I'll completely plead ignorance to the following question -- are there African American artists on Concord that have recorded at Yoshi's?

Guy

Mulgrew Miller & DeeDee Bridgewater, probably many others.

[Guy Berger]

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

No conspiracy. I do think the cd "representing" jazz at any club without ANY black leaders is not "innocent". It is just stupidly insensitive and out of thouch with the music and the audience.

I'll completely plead ignorance to the following question -- are there African American artists on Concord that have recorded at Yoshi's?

Guy

Mulgrew Miller & DeeDee Bridgewater, probably many others.

Miller's album is on MaxJazz -- is that a Concord label?

Bridgerwater's album is on Verve.

Guy