The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The letters here do not necessarily express the views of Local 802. Send letters to the editor or write to Allegro, Local 802, 322 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036. Letters must be no more than 300 words.

MODELING DIVERSITY

Thank you for your recent articles featuring women, the #MeToo movement and equality in music.  Reading the Emerging Artist Project update, I am disappointed to see a panel of 16 jurors that includes only two women and no women of color. Representation matters, and we should model diversity in our actions, especially for emerging musicians.

–Kallie Ciechomski

(Local 802 replies: Representation does matter and Local 802 is committed to modeling diversity in all areas of union representation. With two women and four musicians of color, this year’s list of jurors for the Emerging Artists Project was not as diverse as it should have been. Many women, including women of color, were invited to serve on our panel, but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts and time constraints. We prioritize policies of inclusion and equity, and we will continue to strive for diverse participation in our programs and initiatives.)

HIT ON THE HEAD

I enjoyed Roberta Fabiano’s tribute to Peter Duchin in the March issue of Allegro. Roberta and I were on a Duchin date in a Southhampton tent some time ago. When the band was on a break, I was surveying the female partygoers at the wedding when a heavy photographer’s light blew over in the wind and hit me on the head. Not knowing what else to do, I fell to the ground and began bleeding profusely. A partygoer with medical experience came over to me to stop the bleeding. Roberta saw that the situation was under control and wanted to document what was happening. (Some might know that Roberta is also a talented artist). I was finally able to obtain a copy of what Roberta drew that night. See a copy of the sketch below, which Roberta has now provided to me after all these years.

–Mark Fleischer

PRESSING DOWN BUTTONS?

As an instrumentalist who has spent a lifetime trying to increase and expand my endurance, range, projection, dexterity, lung capacity, muscle memory, breath support and more, I was stunned to read on page 19 of the February issue of Allegro that we non-vocalists are “just pressing down buttons.” Wow. Really? Guess I’ve been trying too hard.

–Scott Robinson

(Editor’s note: Scott is referring to this article: www.local802afm.org/allegro/articles/jazz-steps-out-the-musical-spirit-of-jazzmeia-horn)