I intend to purchase a $35 ticket to the Bessie, Billie and Nina: Pioneering Women in Jazz concert at Polsky Theatre. Performances by Tahira Clayton, Vanisha Gould and Charanée Wade in the Midwest Trust Center’s Jazz Winterlude series on March 6 will almost certainly be enjoyable.
Even though Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone merit the utmost respect, the booking is part of a pervasively discouraging trend. Honoring past heroes is commendable. Neglecting present innovators is detrimental. Angel Bat Dawid, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Esperanza Spalding are among the many artistically vibrant artists currently embodying the rebellious legacies of Holiday, Simone and Smith.
The conservatism of Jazz Winterlude is understandable. Past bookings by forward-thinking artists including Terri Lyne Carrington and Julian Lage received tepid public support. Curating a sanitized past is safer than presenting a divisive present.