NOT JAZZED

Musician Speaks Out About Canceled Kennedy Center Performances

“The name displayed on the building itself represents a mentality and practices I always stood against,” the saxophonist said.

A musician whose former band canceled their upcoming New Year’s performance at the unofficially renamed Kennedy Center wasn’t afraid to be candid about the reason why he’d never step on that stage again.

Acclaimed tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, a former member of the jazz septet The Cookers, wrote about his feelings about performing at the historic performing arts center, which now bears Donald Trump’s name on its exterior.

“I would never even consider performing in a venue bearing a name (and being controlled by the kind of board) that represents overt racism and deliberate destruction of African American music and culture,” Harper said on Facebook Saturday, responding to a comment on a post from Jazz Stage.

“The board running the center at this time, as well as the name displayed on the building itself represents a mentality and practices I always stood against. And still do, today more than ever,” he added.

“After all the years I spent working with some of the greatest heroes of the anti-racism fight like Max Roach and Randy Weston and Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Stanley Cowell, I know they would be turning in their graves to see me stand on a stage under such circumstances and betray all we fought for, and sacrificed for, but also betraying all the listeners that believed (and still do) in our cause and our music.”

The Cookers also released a statement on their website about their “last-minute” decision to cancel their New Year’s Eve shows, but it did not explicitly allude to Trump.

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“Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice,” it read. “We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it.”

“To everyone who is disappointed or upset, we understand and share your sadness,” it continued. “We remain committed to playing music that reaches across divisions rather than deepening them.”

On December 18, the Center’s board—in which Trump, as chairman, installed his closest allies—voted to rename it as “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Despite objections from the Kennedy family and a lack of legal basis to make such a decision, the president’s name was added to the building’s exterior the next day.

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The Cookers aren’t the only musicians to pull out of their performances at the Center.

Musician Chuck Redd, a legendary jazz drummer and vibraphonist who has performed alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Byrd, backed out of this year’s Christmas Eve event at the last moment—despite headlining the annual performance since 2006.

“I did choose to cancel our Kennedy Center Christmas Eve Jazz Jam when I saw the name change happening last Friday,” Redd, 67, said in a statement to CNN.

“I’ve been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change,” he added.

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Redd’s decision drew the ire of the Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, who called it “intolerant” and a “political stunt.”

Grenell said in a letter to Redd, obtained by the Associated Press, that the Kennedy Center would seek $1 million in damages from the musician.

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New York dance company Doug Varone and Dancers also announced the cancellation of two shows at the venue scheduled for April.

“It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating,” Varone told The New York Times.

When reached for comment, the Kennedy Center referred the Daily Beast to a statement by Grenell, which was shared on X on Monday.

“The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership,” Grenell wrote. “Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs.”

“Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome. The arts are for everyone and the left is mad about it,” he added.

Editor’s Note: The day after publication, a representative for The Cookers said Harper had left the band two years ago and was expressing his general feelings about The Kennedy Center. We are happy to make this clear.

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Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

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