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Post by arty1 on Nov 15, 2005 13:22:40 GMT 10
As a woman jazz musician, (and not a vocalist) I think that this festival serves to alienate further the women in jazz in Melbourne. I do agree that having another jazz festival in the cultural calendar is a good thing, however, why should it be a gender specific festival? I personally have played in womens jazz festivals in the past, and don't think that this alienation that many of my co-workers talk of (the ol' women can't cut it stigma) is simply old news. THis festival serves to further alienate women in jazz, because of the exclusivity of the event, and the funding that this 'novelty' attracts.
Girls, bury the hatchet... Let's face it, there aren't many of us out there, and the bands at these festivals often have guy 'rig ins' .. so technically it doens't work anyway.
Instead, let's celebrate jazz - without the gimicks.
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Post by aj on Nov 15, 2005 13:23:56 GMT 10
well put, Reader !
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Post by tiger rex on Nov 15, 2005 14:12:52 GMT 10
well put arty!
(though i'm not sure what difference it makes if you're a vocalist or instrumentalist)
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Post by happy on Nov 15, 2005 14:22:19 GMT 10
As I have discussed here in other topics, not everyone is a natural networker, and trying to break into a scene and be taken seriously can be all the more difficult for women, who are often percieved as pushy or bossy when men taking the same stance are seen to be assertive, confident and assured. Sure, once you are accepted as part of the community everything's just fine, but in spite of the handful of fine names mentioned in this thread I would suggest that there are dozens of very talented and capable women who struggle to get the attention they deserve. I studied alongside a stack of them, most of whom appear to have drifted off the scene. I believe the most valuable service this festival provides is to allow a small window of affirmative action in what is always a challenging filed, regardless of your gender. Personally I have been introduced to the outstanding playing of a number of players through this festival - Monique DiMattina, Savannah Blount, Fran Swinn, I'm sure there are others I don't remember off the top of my head.
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Post by arty1 on Nov 15, 2005 14:58:30 GMT 10
tiger ... I guess the more traditional role of a woman in jazz is as a vocalist not instrumentalist (except maybe pianist).
happy .. regarding"this festival provides is to allow a small window of affirmative action in what is always a challenging filed, regardless of your gender."
yes, I agree it is a challenging field so why should we further seggregate ourselves from the community and from each other on the basis of gender?
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Post by belinda moody on Nov 15, 2005 22:26:34 GMT 10
Alienated???
My first gig was in an all women’s band. We met at a women’s festival run by Julie Macerlain in 1983. We got together Fridays and jammed till our first gig where we performed in a women’s pub for international women’s day. Was my first gig aged 16 and my older sister her friend and their boyfriends weren’t allowed in because no men were allowed in the pub. Now that was alienating!
Been playing professionally for 22 years and must admit that I haven’t really felt alienated because I’m a woman who has involved herself in the occasional women’s gig. Please folks, tell me if you've alienated me because I have totally missed it.
I'm proud to be participating in the next women’s festival; they have given me carte blanche for a project of my dreaming! I have been preparing for this one set of music, off and on, over the past four months. I wanted to do something really special and have been writing for a jazz trio, string quartet and 3 singers. What a luxury to be asked to be involved in this way and I am taking full advantage to make one of my dreams come true. My hope is that I will connect with people that will come to enjoy a night of never heard before music.
Arty1 please explain how you think I will alienate myself from anyone by doing this.
Conversely, I have been struggling with an original jazz trio, which I believe is a really shining trio. Banging my head against the doors of major festivals and venues that Australia offers it’s finest, with little success. I don’t think being a woman has anything to do with our unfortunate fate though.
It’s just dang hard to get people out. To get funding. to get a gig for something original.
Hooray for anyone that does manage any of the above, lets hope people connect with the music for whatever reason has brought them together.
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alison
Junior Member
oobleeedoooobleee ah ah
Posts: 98
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Post by alison on Nov 15, 2005 23:24:26 GMT 10
;D YAY!!!
preach it, Belinda!!!
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Post by Johnny on Nov 16, 2005 7:16:02 GMT 10
Really Belinda, I don't think it's because you are a woman that you find it hard to get gigs and festival invites....it's because you're a jazz musician. Didn't you launch a CD at Bennett's last week? So it's not like the only opportunity you get to do this kind of thing is at a womens festival. Sure, the concept of being commissioned to write for a obscure ensemble is a great one, it's just that it would be even greater if it was open to all of us....(yes, I am man, hear me whimper) I think that arty was trying to get the point across that festivals like this serve to alienate you from the others in the jazz community who aren't allowed to take part, not the public. It does annoy me that there is no "Melbourne" jazz festival, yet there is a womens jazz festival. I mean come on, it's extremely tough to be a musician full stop, no matter what gender.
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Post by Kenny on Nov 16, 2005 7:18:08 GMT 10
We are all prostitues here i.e. none of us can cast the first stone, so get over it. AND how could anyone knock Gid and Peter Knight? Two of the nicest most lovely people in the jazz scene who do so many good things for other people. Tsk tsk tsk. You should be ashamed of yourself and you won't even post your real name (cluck cluck cluck). I endorse vicki and peter fully. It's too rich to anonymously blast people for taking a gig without knowing the full story and without posting details of the way you go about imposing such a hard line on yourself and yet still manage to eat. |
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Post by Vicki HB on Nov 16, 2005 8:07:42 GMT 10
Johnny said: "Really Belinda, I don't think it's because you are a woman that you find it hard to get gigs and festival invites....it's because you're a jazz musician. Didn't you launch a CD at Bennett's last week?"
Hey Johnny did you READ Belinda's post? She said the opposite of what you are implying and it was Alison Wedding who had a CD launch last week, not Belinda, but you know all those women musicians look the same, don't they?
No one is banned from taking part in the Women's jazz festival, it employs as many men as it does women. The bands are led by women.
Also if you think that the world is free of gender bias you are living in cloud cuckoo land. Things are better now for women in many places for sure, but we are not given equal opportunity yet and I doubt we ever shall.
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Post by tuggsey on Nov 16, 2005 8:18:59 GMT 10
Seriously - I cannot see how a women's Jazz Festival alienates anyone in our little corner of the world here.There are countless other "factions "and divisions within the music scene generated by hardcore stylistic preferences which we should be far more concerned with. I guess I can understand why people feel threatened - its so difficult to get new music off the ground . The Half -bent festival this year as most of us know did not receive the support from the music community that it previously had.This is a festival with a true community spirit and what most would consider to be great gender balance in its choice of artists.Attendances at many of the Lebowski gigs has been slow.It would be fair to say that the future of both of these is uncertain.Every platform needs support from the community,not just the ones that may comform to your own personal groove.
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Post by belinda moody on Nov 16, 2005 10:42:48 GMT 10
Thanks for pointing out that gig last Thursday Johnny.
It's happening again this Thursday. 9.30 pm.
Bennetts Lane, city.
Rajiv Jayaweera will be gracing the stage along with Colin Hopkins and myself.
so, what on tv this thursday night?
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Post by Bubbah on Nov 16, 2005 13:32:31 GMT 10
Received from Amnesty today:
"Violence against women is the most widespread human rights abuse in the world. Every day, thousands of women and girls are abused in their own homes. They are raped in armed conflict or murdered by their families. They are attacked for speaking up and defending women’s rights."
Equality, where are you?
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Post by tiger rex on Nov 16, 2005 14:15:24 GMT 10
a major issue here is that funding for jazz (projects, festivals, publicity) in this country is in finite supply, infact it is desperately under-attended to...
SO...i would just rather see this cash go to jazz in general rather than 'women in jazz'.
ther eis NO melbourne jazz festival next year, a fucking awful actuality..so yes, I feel that these funds have been misdirected.
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Post by Kenny on Nov 16, 2005 14:32:49 GMT 10
a major issue here is that funding for jazz (projects, festivals, publicity) in this country is in finite supply, infact it is desperately under-attended to... SO...i would just rather see this cash go to jazz in general rather than 'women in jazz'. ther eis NO melbourne jazz festival next year, a fucking awful actuality..so yes, I feel that these funds have been misdirected. Another way of looking at it: If some of the very finite jazz funding didn't go to the women's festival, who's to say it would automatically go to somewhere else in the jazz community? Could be it's actually a way of getting more out of the funding dollar. |
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