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February 17, 2025 16 mins
Over the past 36 years, The Jazz Foundation of America has grown from a local New York City effort to serve a few dozen musicians, to a national non-profit, assisting nearly 7,000 musicians nationwide.  Our guests are Joe Petrucelli, Executive Director of The Jazz Foundation of America, and reknowned photographer Richard Corman. JFA is proud to present A Wonderful World Exhibition: Jazz and Blues Musician Portraits by Richard Corman, an extraordinary photographic exhibition that celebrates iconic figures of jazz and blues. Proceeds from sales of photos from this exclusive showcase, on display at the Wild Geese Gallery on the Upper West Side through February 2025, will directly benefit JFA’s Musicians Emergency Fund, providing critical assistance to artists in need. For more, visit jazzfoundation.org.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly
conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on
one oh six point seven Light FM.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thanks for listening to Get Connected. Being a musician can
be a very satisfying creative endeavor, but like most other
artistic paths, it can also be very challenging. Over the
last thirty six years, the Jazz Foundation of America has
grown from a local New York City effort serving just
a few dozen musicians, to a national nonprofit assisting nearly
seven thousand musicians nationwide. Our guests are Joe Petrocelli, Executive

(00:36):
Director of the Jazz Foundation of America, and renowned photographer
Richard Corman. JFA is proud to present a wonderful world exhibition,
thirty seven Jazz and Blues Musician Portraits by Richard Corman.
This is an extraordinary photographic exhibition celebrating the iconic figures
of jazz and blues. Proceeds from this sale of photographs

(00:57):
from this exclusive showcase, which is currently on display at
the Wild Geese Gallery on the Upper West Side, will
directly benefit JFA's Musicians Emergency Fund, providing critical assistance to
artists in need, Richard Corman and Joe Petrocelli, thank you
for being on get.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Connected my pleasure.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
The Wild Geese Gallery, I'll tell you where the exhibition
is four to seven three Amsterdam, between eighty seconds and
eighty third. It is free and open to the public
through the end of the month the end of February.
You can find out more at Jazzfoundation dot org. And
I thought we'd start with Richard Richard as a portrait photographer.
Your portfolio of work, which is on your website, people

(01:36):
can get a sample of it at Richardcorman dot com
includes work of you photograph, James old Jones, John Michelle, Bosciat,
Philip Seymour, Hoffman, Whitney Houston, all these iconic names. You've
been documenting musicians affiliated with JFA for the past decade.
I wonder how this collaboration came together. How did you
come to work with Jazz Foundation.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
I was introduced to Joe and the prior executive director.
I was enamored, intrigued by what they do, their mission,
and I was initially invited to fly down to New
Orleans with them to document the tenth anniversary of Katrina

(02:16):
in twenty fifteen, where we photographed roughly sixty six of
the musicians that they take care of and support, and
that began the process.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
It is.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
An incredibly unique community of individuals. I have photographed, as
you stated, all kinds of people, but I've never been
around a community like this. What I mean is when
they come before me, when they stand in front of
my camera, there is a sense of their souls just

(02:52):
pour out of them. I don't know why or how,
but it's just consistent. There is I assume it has
something to do with their passion for who they are
and what they do, but it is almost effortless on
my part. I'm just I become a voyeir if you will,

(03:12):
because they stand there and it's just that passion, that
fierce sense of what they love doing most comes through
their best truths, if you will.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
There is something about these photographs. There is some sort
of aura or glow or whatever you want to say.
No matter what they're doing right, it's in their eyes,
it's in their body language. These are thirty seven photographs
more familiar names, less familiar names. When you were thinking
about what photographs you wanted to include, because this does
go back almost a decade, about a decade. What did

(03:45):
you want the show to express.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
As a whole The joy for what they do, the passion,
my interest in particular photographs, my ability to see behind
their eyes, so it allows them to tell their own stories.
A certain rhythm to the exhibition, the installation. Most of
them are black and white. There are some color images.

(04:07):
It has nothing to do with their names. There are
some people that are more that are more legendary if
you will. But there was just a feeling of vibe,
a rhythm, if you will, that they shared with me
and hopefully are sharing with others again.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
This exhibition is on display through the end of the
month at the while the Geese Gallery. You can find
out more at Jazzfoundation dot org. All of the proceeds
from this exhibition. It's free and open to the public,
but the proceeds from sales go to benefit JFA's emergency Fund.
So Joe. The Jazz Foundation of America, as I mentioned,
has been assisting jazz, blues and roots artists for thirty

(04:47):
six years. What does that mean? Every day?

Speaker 4 (04:49):
So every day, the Jazz Foundation provides assistance to musicians
who are struggling or in crisis due to illness, age,
downs in work, natural disasters, or other circumstances. So practically speaking,
we're helping with housing, providing referrals for pro bono healthcare,

(05:12):
creating and producing meaningful gigs, public service concerts, and providing
direct financial assistance.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
These are people who have fifty sixty seventy year careers.
We see them on big stages, small clubs. They teach,
they compose, they record, they continue to practice throughout their lives.
But can you talk a bit about the reality of
the life of a gigging musician.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
The life of a gigging musician is a constant challenge
and it's a constant forge. And we see this because
jazz artists in so many cases are fortunate to be
able to just continue to refine their craft with age,
and as the years go on, the deeper the music gets.

(06:03):
But as time goes on, musicians are facing more issues,
you know, with with health crises or just a catastrophic
accident could could derail them. You know. Combine this with
the realities of life in the music industry, where jazz
has always been sort of a marginal fraction of the whole,

(06:28):
and music overall seems to be more and more devalued.
It's difficult to make a living, and artists don't have
the safety net. Jazz artists don't have a four to
oh one K plan or you know, adequate insurance. You know,
so often, so we consider the situation to be and
the proposition of the Jazz Foundation to be, that these

(06:50):
artists give heart and soul to provide meaning and beauty
to our lives, and they get far too little in return.
So the Jazz Foundation provides a way of giving back.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
We're speaking with Joe Petrocelli. He's executive director of the
Jazz Foundation of America and renowned photographer Richard Corman. They
are collaborating for a Wonderful World exhibition, thirty seven jazz
and blues musician portraits by Richard Corman, on display at
the Wild Geese Gallery on the Upper West Side through
the end of the month. You can find out more
at Jazzfoundation dot org. You're listening to one Izo six

(07:22):
point seven light FM. I'm Nina del Rio and as
I mentioned in the intro, JFA offers approximately seven thousand
assists every year. In addition, about twenty five individual musician
emergency cases a day This exhibition particularly benefits the Emergency Fund.
People don't want to ask for help, no matter who
they are, But then you have an emergency, what do

(07:44):
you help within these cases?

Speaker 4 (07:46):
You're absolutely right, it's very difficult for people to ask
for help. The Jazz Foundation tries to foster an environment
of trust and compassion and understanding and the utmost discretion.
You were fortunate to have a community of artists who
have had experiences with Jazz Foundation who can refer their

(08:10):
colleagues to us. And you know, we have a wonderful
empathetic staff of case managers and social workers who create,
you know, a setting where artists can share the circumstances
in their lives openly and we can really tailor assistance

(08:31):
to every individual. We recognize that there are so many
different situations facing facing artists, and this could be Presently,
we are providing relief to musicians and families who lost
their homes in the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. We
have ongoing work with musicians affected by the hurricane and

(08:55):
flooding in the Asheville, North Carolina area in September, and
as Richard mentioned, our relationships with the artists in New
Orleans go back twenty years or more to Hurricane Katrina.
So really, our objective when we're assessing a case or
doing an intake is to just kind of take a

(09:16):
pause and say, what are your priorities right now? How
can we help? What can we do to facilitate a
recovery for you? And this can be temporary housing expenses, relocation,
instrument replacement, or just support for basic needs groceries, clothing,

(09:38):
and really, I think the personal connection that our staff
makes with the musician community is so important too, and
such a value in itself. So often we hear from musicians.
It's wonderful just to be able to speak to someone
and share what's going on in their lives.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Jazz Foundation also eads work opportunities. All any musician ever
wants is their next gig, no matter what their age is.
And this exhibition is also a performing opportunity. You have
two more free performances coming up along with this exhibition, Joe, Yes.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (10:13):
The Jazz Foundation produces community concerts or across the country
year round, so all together last year in twenty twenty four,
we had close to eight hundred shows, reaching an audience
of almost sixty thousand listeners. In person. This is audiences
of all ages. These are venues from public schools to

(10:38):
nursing homes, inclusive of art galleries of course, but parks
and community centers and museums. Really our mission is provide
that gig because yes, the work often slows down. Artists
are kind undercompensated, underappreciated, and we want to provide a

(10:59):
sort of steady gig for them, but also provide access
to the public that might not otherwise see these shows
to really experience world class music at no cost to them.
So what we're really excited about our programming at Wild
Geese at this exhibition because not only are these fantastic
artists on the calendar, but they are also artists who

(11:21):
are featured in the exhibit. So in a couple of days,
we have Danny Mixon and Antoinette Montague that's on February nineteenth.
They are both kind of New York City treasures in
their music is a soulful blend of blues and jazz,
and Danny Mixon and Antoinette Montague are Jazz Foundation veterans

(11:44):
who have performed at our galas, at our loft parties,
in these community programs. They are wonderful ambassadors for the music.
And then on the twenty sixth of February, we have
a very special performance by the Bethune Big Band, which
is led by an incredible bassist named Paul West. Now

(12:06):
Paul is turning ninety one this year. He played with
He made his recording debut with Ray Charles in the
nineteen fifties performance Dizzy Gillespie. He now leads an eighteen
piece band that rehearses every week in the Washington Heights
section of Manhattan that his brother Lannie founded. So this
is a wonderful tribute to his brother and a legacy

(12:28):
band and rare opportunity to see a big band in
a small gallery space.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
It's going to be a very full space, a very
full room, I imagine. So back to the exhibition. A
Wonderful World Exhibition thirty seven Jazz and Blues Musician Portraits
by Richard Corman is open and free to the public
to the end of the month. Richard, what is I
think when you work with every person, maybe these people
in particular, how do you determine what you want to capture?

(13:00):
Some of these people have more serene photos, Some are
captured clearly midward, what do you want to capture and
what do you hope people take away from.

Speaker 3 (13:08):
The show, Nina, Photography is very much like jazz. It
is a total improvisation. You have expectations about people, about
what you think something might be, and the reverse happens,
and you have to be prepared for anything. I have
some of these musicians playing for me, singing for me

(13:30):
because it felt right. I have Roy Haynes who was
had full on dementia who we just had to wait
for a moment when he connected with me and we
took the picture. I have now one hundred year old
Marshall Allen, who was just so beautiful. I just you know,

(13:51):
and I was so attracted to his hands and he
just put them up in front of the camera, not
because I asked, but I don't know, I just felt
it and it just became something more than I would
have expected. Taj Mahal gave me a concert in his
dressing room, you know. Jasma Horn was singing from me,

(14:14):
you know, and there were tender moments. Benny Golson brought
his daughter Brielle to the Apollo and just the two
of them together, I mean, we just lost Benny, you know,
so there were moments where things came up that I
could not have expected, where they really did allow me
to see behind their eyes. And ultimately, the reason why

(14:37):
I do what I do is because I'm incredibly curious
about people. I always feel responsible for those in front
of the camera, and these are they are all heroic
figures to me because of the way they approach their work.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
They're just lovely photographs. But there's so much more than that.
And one of the great things about this exhibition if
you're not able to visit it in person, actually see
the photographs in a very small version on the Jazz
Foundation dot org website, but I urge you to see
them in person if you can at the Wild Geese
Gallery four seven three, Amsterdam between eighty second and eighty third.
The exhibit free and open to the public, with two

(15:14):
performances coming up as well on the nineteenth and the
twenty sixth. As Joe mentioned, all the proceeds from the
sales of the photos will go to benefit the Jazz
Foundation Emergency Assistance Fund. You can find out more at
Jazz Foundation dot org. Joe, Petrocelli and Richard Corman thank
you for being on Get Connected.

Speaker 3 (15:35):
Hey at you.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
This has been get connected with Nina del Rio on
one o six point seven light Fm. The views and
opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views
of the station. If you missed any part of our
show or want to share it, visit our website for
downloads and podcasts at one oh six to seven lightfm
dot com. Thanks for listening.
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