"The Kennedy Center already saw a Christmas concert canceled in protest of its recent name change. Now, a pair of shows scheduled to take place at the once-prestigious Washington, DC, venue on New Year's Eve has been called off, also reportedly due the board's decision to rebrand as "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.""
"The New York Times reports that a pair of NYE concerts to be performed by the jazz supergroup The Cookers has been canceled. In a statement the band said, "Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice." Speaking separately to The Times, The Cookers' drummer Billy Hart said the Kennedy Center's name change "evidently" factored into their decision to pull out of the gigs, and added that the group was concerned about possible reprisals."
"Along with The Cookers, two other Kennedy Center performers have called off their scheduled gigs in recent days. Doug Varone and Dancers said they would no longer appear at the venue in April, while folk singer Kristy Lee pulled the plug on a show set for mid-January. These cancellations follow jazz musician Chuck Redd's decision earlier this month to pull out of his annual Christmas concert at"
The Kennedy Center's board voted to rebrand the venue as "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Multiple scheduled performances were canceled in direct response, including New Year's Eve concerts by the jazz supergroup The Cookers. The Cookers emphasized jazz's roots in struggle and freedom and cited concern about reprisals. Saxophonist Billy Harper said he would not perform at a venue he described as representing overt racism and destruction of African American music and culture. Other artists who withdrew include Doug Varone and Dancers, Kristy Lee, and earlier Chuck Redd.
Read at Consequence
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