The popularity of the hit TV series Empire has let loose a flurry of conversation about the the hip hop industry’s inner workings and joins ongoing debates about the future of music and the music industry. With that backdrop, Suga in My Bowl presents a dynamic and timely discussion on the question of Who Owns Music with a focus on the present and future Jazz scene.

We’ll discuss the role of “gatekeepers.” Who decides what music gets produced? Who decides what gets airplay? Who has access to clubs and gigs? Who shapes the opinions and ideas of what people hear? And what does this mean for listeners and the future of music? What can we do about it?

This event brings together musicians, writers and broadcast professionals to discuss these important issues and raise funds for listener-supported community radio!

Admission: $15 at the door and additional donations toward WBAI radio are enthusiastically encouraged!

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 7-9 PM

Location: Harlem RAW Space, 2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. (7th Avenue) between 121st-122nd Streets.

Subway Directions: 2 or 3 trains to 125th St and Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue); A,B,C,D trains to 125th St. and St. Nicholas Avenue.

Commuter Rail Directions: Metro-North to 125th Street and Park Avenue.

Bus Directions: M60, M100, M101, or Bx15 to 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. M7 or M102 to 123rd and Lenox Avenue. Or M2 to 123rd and Adam Clayton Boulevard.

Contact: sugainmybowl [at] gmail [dot] com

Participant bios:

William Parker – William Parker is an improviser, and composer. He plays the bass, shakuhachi, double reeds, tuba, donson ngoni and gembri. Born in 1952 in the Bronx, New York, Parker has studied bass with Richard Davis, Art Davis, Milt Hinton, Wilber Ware, and Jimmy Garrison. In 1995, the Village Voice called Parker “the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time.” With dancer Patricia Nicholson Parker, this husband and wife team have been involved with artist collectives and the grassroots loft jazz scene since the 1970s. Through dogged determination, their Vision Festival celebrates 20 years in 2015. Parker is also a theorist and author of several books including a collection of writings titled Who Owns Music.

Sheila Anderson – Sheila Anderson is primarily associated with being an on-air host and programmer at WBGO-FM, but is also a consultant for Jazzmobile and emceed their wildly popular Grant’s Tomb concerts for 8 years. She has also produced a jazz series at the Newark Museum. Anderson is also the author of several articles and books, including The Little Red Book of Musician’s Wisdom; How to Grow as a Musician: What All Musicians Need to Know to Succeed.

Rene Marie – René Marie, the award winning singer whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel, has quickly become a heroine to many; a woman of great strength exuding stamina and compassion; often explaining how finding her voice and self through singing gave her the courage to leave an abusive marriage. But since the release of her recording debut, Renaissance, this Colorado based heroine has also evolved into one of the greatest and most sensuous vocalists of our time. Her 2014 I Wanna Be Evil release was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Quincy Troupe – Quincy Troupe’s energetic, highly syncopated poetry melds contemporary music rhythms—such as rap, jazz, and be-bop—to a “furious rush of images, sometimes jarring, arising from personal experience,” according to Los Angeles Times critic Tony Perry. Celebratory, but also cautionary, Troupe’s subjects range from jazz and sports to racism and urban decay; a member of the Watts Writers Workshop in the 1960s, he is frequently grouped with Black Arts Movement writers like Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, and Haki Madhubuti. Troupe’s editorial skill was instrumental in the landmark publication of Miles: the Autobiography. He currently edits Black Renaissance Noire, New York University’s Africana Studies Department’s journal.

Ahmed Abdullah – Ahmed Abdullah leads the group Diaspora (Dispersions of the Spirit of Ra), which combines poetry and lyrics with a large instrumental ensemble. He formed Melchizedek Music Productions in 1995 with his wife, Monique Ngozi Nri. Together, they have produced concerts locally and abroad. In 1998, Abdullah was offered the position of Music Director of Sistas’ Place in Bedford Stuyvesant. Since then, he has introduced many of the adventurous musicians of the 70’s Loft Movement to this venue with great success. His vision has allowed for the expansion of its Saturday Night Jazz programming, from a bi-monthly to a weekly format initiating several new forums along the way.

Host bios:

Joyce Jones is the creator, host, and executive producer of Suga in My Bowl on WBAI Radio. She has also created and produced several radio documentary specials. She is also a graphic designer, percussionist and has had her photography published in Black Renaissance Noir.

Hank Williams is assistant producer for Suga’ in My Bowl and produces the weekly “On the Bandstand” segment as well as running the show’s website, where he has reviewed several jazz festivals. His writing has also appeared in Left Turn magazine and American Music Review. He also teaches at Lehman and Hunter colleges in the City University of New York system.