“I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway…”

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Dee Dee BridgewaterUp until this moment in time I could not have been convinced that I would ever quote Billy Joel in a column. But reading an article about cultural closures I was reminded how lucky we are to be living in a community that is blessed to have leadership (even in the wake of this terrible pandemic) that recognizes the fact that culture builds community and keeps us strong. In even the darkest days, culture is a beacon of light that soothes our souls.

Let me share what is happening to culture in America…and those special people who provide the music, song, dance and other cultural activities that bring joy to our lives. Clearly, almost every industry has been affected, but here are some disturbing facts regarding the live entertainment industry:

● The legendary New York Metropolitan Opera has just announced its closure until September 2021. Their musicians, choirs, stage technicians, and more have been without pay since last April.
● The New York Philharmonic and many other orchestras across America have cancelled until fall 2021.
● Broadway is closed until mid-2021, and some shows until February of 2022.
● Cirque du Soleil went bankrupt and cut over 3500 jobs.
● Feld Entertainment (family tours – Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, circus, etc) has permanently fired 90 percent of their workforce.
● Live Nation and other concert promoters have laid off a majority of their employees.
● Talent agencies who plan and book concerts, appearances and festivals have laid off more than half their employees and/or gone out of business.
● Cruise boat artists are unemployed and amusement park productions have no idea when they will be rehired.
● There are no concerts, festivals, or tours scheduled until 2021 and if they don’t perform next year they are likely to go bankrupt and may never happen again. No major Jazz Festivals, no Coachella, no Bonnaroo, no Glastonbury, no Art Basel, no tours, no ballet, no opera…. it’s all gone.
● It is predicted that 90 percent of independent music rooms could close if this continues.
● Artistic and musical organizations of all kinds – choirs, theaters, orchestras, dance companies, festivals, music rooms, not to mention all technical and independent suppliers – all are trying to find alternatives to succeed in working.
● More than 12,000,000 people work in entertainment production and the performing arts. Culture, as an industry, is not insignificant and this industry can’t really reopen until mass gatherings are allowed. This doesn’t include the additional dismissal of technicians and box office staff, maintenance staff, safety staff and thousands of vendors.

Pinecrest Gardens is blessed to have leadership at the Village of Pinecrest that has allowed us to find an alternative route to #savethemusic. Through the generous support of sponsors, a few cultural grants and the love of long-time loyal jazz subscribers we have managed to bring our renowned and coveted jazz series to your home in spite of the costs of production and the challenges of producing livestream TV.

If you haven’t yet heard about our JazzAid series, or you believe it is not worth spending $15 for a show viewed in the safety of your home, you just might want to reconsider.

Our first show featuring John Secada was hailed by industry leaders as being the best livestream live jazz show they had ever seen. The Banyan Bowl loves the cameras and the cameras love our Banyan Bowl. The show looked and sounded PERFECT! Our professional production capabilities provided our viewers with a show that rivaled anything you would see on network television and the concert itself was spectacular.

Our next show is Saturday, November 14 at 8:00 p.m., featuring the great Dee Dee Bridgewater. With 20 albums to her name, Dee Dee Bridgewater is a daring performer of great depth whose singing talents have earned her the coveted title of NEA Jazz Master, three Grammy Awards and a Broadway Tony Award for her role in “The Wiz.” Yes, she is coming to the Banyan Bowl to perform in our second livestream event, and you and your family can see this concert for only $15 on any internet based device and even some smart TVs.

To learn more about our phenomenal jazz series and how you can see these shows from the safety of your home visit pinecrestgardens.org, click on entertainment, click on performing arts and click on JazzAid live. You will not be disappointed…I promise. Let’s keep these fires burning and support JazzAid Live from the Banyan Bowl…and if that isn’t reason enough, a significant portion of our proceeds will be donated to Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen to help feed victims of the pandemic in need of economic support. Please…join us!


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