[jja-announce] last night's panel, Monday night's online forum

[Jazzmandel at aol.com]

Hi JJA members -- 

last night in New York a diverse, typically opinionated panel of journalists, 
musicians, and political activists considered the question of whether Music 
and Politics mix like Oil and Water. Nate Chinen, Patricia Parker, Steve 
Dalachinsky, Roz Monchet, Sue Mingus, Dennis Mitcheltree were the panelists, and we 
had Xeroxed "exhibits" for everyone of politically-oriented documents by Nate 
Chinen, David Adler, Javier Quinones, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the NY Daily News, 
as well as copies of the current Election Issue of Signal2Noise magazine. 

On Monday, several JJA members participated in the Jazzhouse forum on the 
organization's new bylaws and the nominations for interim board directors. This 
may seem like a pretty dry topic, but it's important if the JJA is to move 
forward that members be aware of the direction. Nominations for the board END ON 
MONDAY, and voting begins on Tuesday. 

You may nominate yourselves -- and there is a place on the application to 
make a statement of interest/point of view. We will have seven Interim Directors, 
one each to represent writers, photographers, broadcasters and members living 
outside the US; two at-large directors (who don't have to be JJA members), 
and the interim executive director (that's me). JJA attny Steven Robinson has 
explained in the forum, which remains online at Jazzhouse, and in an attached 
FAQ, what's at stake here. 

One thing that came out of the forum is the desire for a survey of members re 
the effectiveness and needs of the JJA. Other wants were for a membership 
drive, and more clarity of JJA purposes posted more prominently at Jazzhouse and 
in our membership brochures, and more mentoring programs. These all can be 
accomplished, if you members want to work on them. We should have the membership 
survey immediately after the election for Interim Board directors -- and we 
need to have a committee to put it together. If you want to be involved in the 
questions asked the membebrs, volunteer NOW. 

Thanks -- Howard