JAM Magazine: April/May 1998 Issue: Kenny G's Image

Kenny G's Image

(We, along with several other publications and jazz organizations, received the following regarding an award given to saxophonist Kenny G earlier this year. Not to beat a tired issue into the ground, but we thought this to be relevant to discussions in recent issues of JAM. -- Ed.)

NAACP
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215

Feb. 17, 1998

RE: "Image Award"

To the Board of Directors,

I recall that sometime back there was discussion about the leadership of the NAACP being out of step with the times and the people it purports to represent. If the recent decision of a committee within this organization to present the "Image Award" to Mr. Kenny G in the Jazz music category is true, then this organization is not only out of step, I dare say it has lost touch with reality!

Jazz music is not only a national American treasure (House Concurrent Resolution No. 57), it is a vital part of African-American history. To present this Image (award) to someone who epitomizes the commercial rape and blatant misrepresentation of this complex art form created primarily by African-American people is a travesty, a gross insult to jazz aficionados and a reprehensible choice. Kenny G is certainly not a master of the jazz idiom nor is he, in my mind, representative of the image of people who are constantly struggling to ensure that this national American treasure and vital part of African-American history receives the recognition and respect that it deserves in the country of its birth. I believe you have truly insulted jazz listeners and lovers all over the world with this decision.

There are perhaps hundreds of great Jazz Masters still living in this country who are much more deserving of this award. There are literally hundreds of young African-American jazz musicians, male and female, who are presently struggling to master their craft, present this music in an honorable way, and maintain a positive image for young people throughout the world by doing an outstanding job. Would you like a list?

As a jazz disc jockey at a historically black university on a station that reaches potentially 200,000 people, I'm going to be asking my listeners to protest this decision. I'm going to call my friends in the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) to protest this decision. I'm going to contact every publication related to jazz music to protest this decision.

This decision is a mistake and it does a great disservice to me, a life-long jazz lover and student of the history of this great art form and treasure that is jazz music.

Sincerely,
T. Sharif Abdul-Hakim
Communications Coordinator
KJLU 88.9 FM
Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO

cc: IAJE (national), IAJE (Missouri), Down Beat, Jazziz, Jazz Times, Midwest Jazz Society, Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, National Pastimes Productions, Jet Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Crisis Magazine, Jefferson City News Tribune.

RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 1998 MAIN INDEX

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© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		Kenny G's Image (We, along with several other publications and jazz organizations, received the following regarding an award given to saxophonist Kenny G earlier this year. Not to beat a tired issue into the ground, but we thought this to be relevant to discussions in recent issues of JAM. -- Ed.) NAACP 4805 Mt. Hope Drive Baltimore, MD 21215 Feb. 17, 1998 RE: "Image Award" To the Board of Directors, I recall that sometime back there was discussion about the leadership of the NAACP being out of step with the times and the people it purports to represent. If the recent decision of a committee within this organization to present the "Image Award" to Mr. Kenny G in the Jazz music category is true, then this organization is not only out of step, I dare say it has lost touch with reality! Jazz music is not only a national American treasure (House Concurrent Resolution No. 57), it is a vital part of African-American history. To present this Image (award) to someone who epitomizes the commercial rape and blatant misrepresentation of this complex art form created primarily by African-American people is a travesty, a gross insult to jazz aficionados and a reprehensible choice. Kenny G is certainly not a master of the jazz idiom nor is he, in my mind, representative of the image of people who are constantly struggling to ensure that this national American treasure and vital part of African-American history receives the recognition and respect that it deserves in the country of its birth. I believe you have truly insulted jazz listeners and lovers all over the world with this decision. There are perhaps hundreds of great Jazz Masters still living in this country who are much more deserving of this award. There are literally hundreds of young African-American jazz musicians, male and female, who are presently struggling to master their craft, present this music in an honorable way, and maintain a positive image for young people throughout the world by doing an outstanding job. Would you like a list? As a jazz disc jockey at a historically black university on a station that reaches potentially 200,000 people, I'm going to be asking my listeners to protest this decision. I'm going to call my friends in the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) to protest this decision. I'm going to contact every publication related to jazz music to protest this decision. This decision is a mistake and it does a great disservice to me, a life-long jazz lover and student of the history of this great art form and treasure that is jazz music. Sincerely, T. Sharif Abdul-Hakim Communications Coordinator KJLU 88.9 FM Lincoln University Jefferson City, MO cc: IAJE (national), IAJE (Missouri), Down Beat, Jazziz, Jazz Times, Midwest Jazz Society, Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, National Pastimes Productions, Jet Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Crisis Magazine, Jefferson City News Tribune. RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 1998 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.