Interesting post and discussion by Nate Chinen about grants and commissions in jazz.
Commissions… have become a fundamental part of the jazz economy. And, I’d add, now a significant factor in jazz’s creative life. Last year I confessed some guarded ambivalence about this fact in a related Gig column, musing about the specific qualities of these “new jazz works” that tend to look good in grant-proposal form.
And more…
I would be curious to know how musicians feel about the state of commissions. Does the current system create more or less freedom(s), more or less pressure(s)? And I’d love to hear what other listeners think.
Detailed and thought-provoking comments follow from many musicians, including Ronan Guilfoyle, Vijay Iyer and Ellery Eskelin. RTWT here.
h/t Darcy James Argue, with his own perspective on the issue as a recipient of U.S.-based and Canadian grants.
