Jazz on the Vine Hosts Discussion on Jazz in the Digital Age

Panelists discussed ways jazz can be enjoyed as an insider with the help of digital technology and social media during the presentation, 'Reaching the Audience: Jazz in the Digital Age', held at the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead on Saturday afternoon. The panel was part of Jazz on the Vine concert series and presented by the East End Arts Council.

Panelists were Adam Schatz, a concert promoter and founder of Search and Restore; Lara Pellegrinelli, an NPR journalist and Princeton University professor; and Ken Druker, general manager of Jazz at Lincoln Center Media. The discussion was moderated by Bob Barta, Vail-Leavitt board president, jazz educator and jazz musician. The two-hour program had panelists describing their experiences using Internet technology to reach existing fans and educate possible new ones.

The panelists agreed that connecting jazz listeners to jazz performers or to jazz history is being accomplished, in part, with the help of the Internet. These include virtual classrooms with live chats, posting concert footage using audio clips and video clips, and using websites as information portals.

Jazz at Lincoln Center offers free audio clips and podcasts from performers who have played at one of their clubs and other perks on its website. These resources are designed to peak interest and reach out to potential audiences and expose jazz to listeners, said Druker.

“Live performances can be given away on the website and it builds an audience,” he said.

Allowing students from different universities and colleges to log on and connect to each other in a class eliminates the physical distance between jazz fans, Pellegrinelli said. It also provided freedom to converse with the professor directly, she said. This may not happen in auditorium-sized classrooms where teaching assistants are often the point person after class ends.

“They can create a conversation that crosses geography,” Pellegrinelli said. “It’s democratizing the learning environment.”

Schatz said he used the project fundraising bidding site, Kickstarter, to launch a documentary of the current NYC jazz scene for his non-profit, Search and Restore. Search and Restore is "dedicated to uniting and developing the audience for new jazz music,” according to the website.

Schatz set a goal of raising $75,000 in 50 days and reached the goal on the final day, he said. Kickstarter uses an all-or-nothing philosophy, he explained. If the financial goal to fund the project is not reached, none of the donations can be received, he said. The process was stressful and he recommends setting lower financial goals to hedge the odds of achieving full funding, he said.   

Panelists rejected the idea that jazz gentries had splintered or strayed too far from original forms to harm the field of jazz and scatter the form beyond recognition. Druker and Pellegrinelli said education was important to sustaining jazz. Schatz placed emphases on the musicians and music. He said fans will continue to be attracted to jazz, in whatever form appeals to them personally, thereby sustaining the genre.

It’s too soon to tell the impact new technology is making on jazz or the expansion of audiences, said Pellegrinelli.

Schatz said that Twitter is not effective in describing live music or the experience of being there as concerts unfold. He doesn’t believe Twitter can broaden audiences or bring new fans to musicians, he said.

“Embellishment is a good idea,” he said. “Chartrooms is a really good source, afterwards. Twittering at a concert is hard. It’s about the music and not about Twittering…It’s the music that will attract new audiences and not technology.”

Panelists agreed that technology is a new way for the jazz community to connect. This doesn’t mean traditional ways of going out to hear live music, discovering jazz scenes in person and connecting to those with similar interests is being supplanted, said Druker.

“Every town has pockets where music is played and community is created,” he said.

Schatz said tapping into the jazz scenes that are happening now is what’s important. Technology can help people know what’s around and where to hear it, he said.