Kennedy Center’s Christmas Eve Jazz Show Cancelled After Trump Name Change

[sonnymax]

Kennedy Center’s Christmas Eve Jazz Show Cancelled After Trump Name Change

[felser]

Hard to respond to this without getting flagged for political content!

[mikeweil]

It's not about flagging members. Of course politically motivated decisions affect the jazz world, but experience showed that discussing these here does not lead anywhere. 

[paulfromcamden]

Politics aside I imagine many musicians will now think twice about performing at a venue that sues for $1m following a cancellation.

[sgcim]

I know Nothing!!!!!!!!!!

[Milestones]

If anyone questions you about political content, say, " I don't recall."

 

[Stompin at the Savoy]

Apparently the Christmas Jazz Jam was a free event held on the Millenium Stage.  So there was no revenue lost.  

[bertrand]

1 hour ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

Apparently the Christmas Jazz Jam was a free event held on the Millenium Stage.  So there was no revenue lost.  

It had moved to the terrace theater in the last few years for more space, but still free. There were never any tickets to buy.

[Patrick]

I’ll confess that I have never heard of it, despite being a KC subscriber for 20+ yrs (until this season). 

[Holy Ghost]

YUK, in no political direction 😁

[clifford_thornton]

https://open.substack.com/pub/dadadrummer/p/what-is-the-artist-to-fascism?r=7ikr1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

good piece by Damon Krukowski (Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi)

[Dub Modal]

17 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

https://open.substack.com/pub/dadadrummer/p/what-is-the-artist-to-fascism?r=7ikr1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

good piece by Damon Krukowski (Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi)

That is a good piece. Thanks for the link. 

[Rooster_Ties]

Re: the million dollars that the TKC center are suing those no-good scoundrel scofflaws for (i.e. the musicians who cancelled)…

People forget the immeasurable reputational damage to the person whose name had been newly added on to the outside of the Kennedy Center building.

If a few hundred members of the public suddenly couldn’t go to what was to have been a simple, low-key free holiday jazz jam/concert — that might even irreparably sully the name of he who can’t be mentioned here.

[clifford_thornton]

the only "Kennedy" that should be mentioned here without issue has a name that begins with Edward and ends with Ellington. The other guy, well......

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm hearing that The Cookers cancelled as well. It sounds like most artists are bailing.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

2 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Re: the million dollars that the TKC center are suing those no-good scoundrel scofflaws for (i.e. the musicians who cancelled)…

People forget the immeasurable reputational damage to the person whose name had been newly added on to the outside of the Kennedy Center building.

If a few hundred members of the public suddenly couldn’t go to what was to have been a simple, low-key free holiday jazz jam/concert — that might even irreparably sully the name of he who can’t be mentioned here.

Someone who plays that venue after all the absurd things that have happened will suffer possibly greater reputational damage.

But I still can't get over suing an artist for cancelling a free concert.  This is supposed to be a center that patronizes and supports the arts and here they are suing an artist for a million bucks for not doing a free concert?  Harrumph!  With a sugar daddy like that it might be time to go on a diet.

Edited December 29, 2025 by Stompin at the Savoy

[bertrand]

The amount of misinformation on Facebook regarding this matter is mind-boggling. Among other things, Billy Harper was asked about it by some interviewer and said he would never play there. Some concluded that it was this comment that resulted in the Cookers being canceled. Nonsense - Harper left the band two years ago.  He was just saying that he himself would not play there.

Also, some dude wanted to go down a racial rabbit hole. Unfriended that dude quickly.

Edited December 30, 2025 by bertrand

[felser]

34 minutes ago, bertrand said:

The amount of misinformation on Facebook regarding this matter is mind-boggling. 

 

Imagine that, misinformation on Facebook.  Shocked!  Shocked!

[bertrand]

Even by Facebook's incredibly low standards, the nonsense spewing regarding this debacle has been shocking. And why ask Harper about it? Any journalist who has done a drop of research will know that Harper's departure was not under the best of terms. Asking him to chime in is just sensationalism. But the media these days is a big part of our problem. Not doing their job.

Edited December 30, 2025 by bertrand

[T.D.]

2 hours ago, felser said:

Imagine that, misinformation on Facebook.  Shocked!  Shocked!

Indeed! 🤣 Honestly, I'd expect to find little but misinformation on Facebook. And reading Facebook comments is akin to masochism, I've no time for that.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

3 hours ago, bertrand said:

The amount of misinformation on Facebook regarding this matter is mind-boggling. Among other things, Billy Harper was asked about it by some interviewer and said he would never play there. Some concluded that it was this comment that resulted in the Cookers being canceled. Nonsense - Harper left the band two years ago.  He was just saying that he himself would not play there.

Also, some dude wanted to go down a racial rabbit hole. Unfriended that dude quickly.

Well, there is a recent Washington Post article which includes this: 

Quote

Saxophonist Billy Harper, a member of the Cookers who played in groups with Art Blakey and Max Roach, was more explicit about not wanting to perform at the Kennedy Center in an interview quoted on the Facebook group Jazz Stage on Saturday. He said:  [yatta yatta yatta]

So the Post says "harper, a member of the cookers..." which is possibly where the misinformation started.

[GA Russell]

USA Today:

Jazz band cancels New Year's Eve performance at Trump-Kennedy Center with 2 days' notice

[bertrand]

2 hours ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

Well, there is a recent Washington Post article which includes this: 

So the Post says "harper, a member of the cookers..." which is possibly where the misinformation started.

Yes. Bad journalism.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I think a lot of the confusion over Billy Harper still being a member of The Cookers stemmed from the fact that many (most?) of the band pictures used on Facebook were older ones from when Billy was a member. I know that I was surprised when I saw one of them, thinking, "Billy's back with the band"?

If you saw any of the initial posts, Billy simply clarified that he was no longer a member of the band. When he kept getting called out it by several people, he then posted his thoughts on it. I don't think he planned to get so involved in this but people wouldn't leave him out.

[clifford_thornton]

If I look up the Cookers on google, much current or recent-enough pr on the band still lists Harper as a member. I don't know the whole story (and maybe nobody outside the band does), but wasn't following closely enough to realize that he'd split.