"It is
more beautiful to trust in God. The beautiful in this world is all from his
hand, declaring the perfection of taste …"
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Judy Chaikin – The Woman Behind the Band
Courtesy of Director/Producer - Judy Chaikin
In Part II of my
coverage on The Girls in the Band, I
bring to Interiors another Female
Interview Series, speaking with Girls in the Band Director, Judy Chaikin.
After interviewing Ms.
Chaikin and conducting background research, I learned of the years she has
dedicated to this historical project, her fundraising efforts and the hours of
material gathered, which has allowed her to extend the film into an educational
platform with post-commentary footage, offering poignant realities on the sexism
female musicians encountered during the early jazz years, coupled with an enriching analysis on the current state of jazz.
Coming from a family
of musicians and understanding the value of a music education, this is a woman
whose unwavering determination has allowed us to experience a film that is
quickly becoming a scholastic legacy on the history of jazz, as it bridges
various interdisciplinary studies across academia.
This is Chaikin’s
story on what it took to create this labor of love, the funders who made it
possible, and an overview of her filmography.
Interiors of Man: Please begin with the
moment you became aware of female jazz musicians
from the big band era and how your awareness of them inspired you to make this
film.
Judy Chaikin: A friend told me she had
met a woman who was in her late 80’s who said she had been a drummer with a big
band in the forties. When I looked her
up online I discovered that it was an all-girl band she had been with and then
I learned that there were hundreds of all-girl bands but not very much was ever
written about them.
IOM: One of the main funders for The
Girls in the Band was Hugh Hefner.
Share with us what this project meant to him.
JC: I have no way of knowing what the project
meant to Hugh Hefner. He never shared
his reasons for wanting to support it but he has always been a big supporter of
jazz and has had many women performers in his Playboy Jazz Festival at the
Hollywood Bowl.
IOM: And
Herb Alpert was another supporter.
JC:
Herb was a personal friend and he had helped finance my first film,
“Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist.”
That film was nominated for an Emmy award and Herb was proud of that and
decided to support this film as well. He
gave me a matching grant and one year to fulfill it and Hugh Hefner stepped in
and matched Herb’s grant and eventually doubled it.
IOM:
The film is educational in
itself, exposing the public to female musicians during the height of gender resistance,
while illuminating the political confrontations these women encountered with
Jim Crow laws as a racially integrated band.
JC:
That is why the film is now part of the curriculum in Women’s Studies,
African American studies and Jazz Studies.
We recently received an e-mail from the head of the Jazz department at
Yale University informing us that ever since he saw the film he has completely
revised his curriculum on the history of Jazz.
IOM:
Two points that stood out in your
and Michael Greene’s commentary footage were your referencing the unfortunate
losses we’ve incurred due to the lack of school bands, and Green emphasizing
the fundamentals of a K-12 music curriculum to produce the type of professional
musicians that were prevalent before the cuts in music education.
JC: Yes that is still the current
situation.
IOM:
Being a graduate of AFI’s
Directing Workshop for Women has more than likely predisposed your interest in
films about women, as with GTB and your docu-drama on Sojourner Truth. Takes us through your journey in deciding to
create the Sojourner documentary.
JC: I was predisposed to
making films about women long before the DWW.
Even the Blacklist film was made from the point of view of the wives and
children of the men who were blacklisted.
My first directing job was a stage play called “Womanspeak” in the late
sixties during the initial years of the Women’s Revolution. It was all about the historical women who had
done important things. Margaret Sanger, Victoria Woodhull, Sojourner Truth,
etc. The play starred Jane Fonda.
The film on Sojourner Truth was a
job for hire. The production company
came to me with the concept. I was more
than happy to work on it but I did not initiate it.
IOM:
Before closing with a quote from
Executive Producer, Michael Greene, what new projects would you like to add to
your filmography?
JC: I would like to do a film or a TV series
about an African American all-Girl band.
That’s what I’m working on now.
IOM: Look
forward to seeing it.
For more information on
The Girls in the Band’s education platform, visit http://thegirlsintheband.com/education-project-and-platform/
________________________________
“… Jazz was a place where white America and black America had this very
synergistic connection.”
– Michael Green
(Audio commentary from The Girls in
the Band)
_________________________________
_________________________________
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Links to Excellence – Women who fought to Play
Courtesy of Director/Producer - Judy Chaikin
It was determined female musicians of the big band era who
paved respect for their female successors, seizing opportunities to showcase
their talent during the draft of WWII as they filled the void left by male
musicians.
The Girls in the Band
is a revealing documentary, lending historical insight into the discriminatory
obstacles females encountered during the prevailing days of segregation and
gender bias.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Warsaw Brings Music to the Schools
 |
| Courtesy of MeMA |
Growing up in the 60s
and 70s, music was a fixture of the American household – the lyrical vein of
social gatherings, promoting stimulating conversations; and if drowned out by
human engagement, its voice would suddenly rise in silence, by which its depth
of composition would be heard.
These were the times
when music appreciation started in the home with meaningful lyrics, conveying messages
of self-respect, civil liberties, love, peace, and compassion for mankind.
As the concept of
musically inclined homes from “the parents’” generation has decreased, today’s
youth are being deprived of a comprehensive musical experience with historical weight.
This cultural deficit
makes another argument for music in the schools and has inspired me to invite
Jeanne Warsaw-Gazga, Founder of the non-profit mission MeMA (Motivate and
Encourage Music Appreciation), as lead guest for my 2017 Female Interview
Series on Interiors.
Interiors of Man: Let’s start by
discussing the music curriculum you have brought to the Chicago Public Schools through
MeMA, and the music deprivation you’ve witnessed with students being unaware of
the music you’re exposing them to.
Jeanne Warsaw-Gazga: The MeMA-Music curriculum exposes
students to many of the legendary folk, rock, R&B and gospel/spiritual
songs during the 60s-70s, that were instrumental in making a social revolution
and changing public opinion against the Vietnam War. Our curriculum also features a brief history
of Hip-Hop from its inception in the late 70s to today, and current pop music
with socio-political messages. Many
students are completely unaware of this music, and in particular, African American
students are unaware of the (importance of) staple songs from their own culture
during the Civil Rights Movement and during the 70s. In addition, students from all cultures and
backgrounds know very little about the difference between Hip-Hop as a
“culture” and rapping having its own category. I think the uniqueness of our program is how
we integrate current event issues and satirical/infotainment video clips into
the curriculum that students really enjoy, and they love diving deeper into
discussions with their peers.
IOM: And not to mention the importance of students listening to songs beyond their traditions – whites listening to
Marvin Gaye’s concept album and blacks listening to John Lennon.
JWG: The MeMA program also features socially conscious music
from other ethnic groups such as Latin, Ethiopian, Muslim and really any other
age-appropriate music I find from around the world. This makes the program more inclusive with
schools that have a broader demographic, and at the same time, students become
aware of issues in other countries and they can compare and contrast to the
current issues we face in the U.S.
IOM: As a veteran music promoter,
with over 20 years in the music business, what lasting impressions, moving moments
or experiences have conscience-minded recording artists left on you?
JWG: As a young girl, I was very much into
music, and so ending up in the music business gave me the opportunity to meet
many interesting artists who were writing great lyrics. Having discussions with these artists about
their music and lyrics always inspired me.
At concerts, I would look around at the people attending the show and
get the chills over how the music affected them and brought people together
from all different cultures. A great
example is Janet Jackson’s concerts.
I’ve never seen so many different types of people gathered in one big
space, getting along and enjoying themselves.
IOM: There’s a famous poet who
once intimated that great music is just as important as great literature,
pointing out the enrichment it can provide in childrearing … reading to the
child at bedtime and filling the home with quality-inspired music.
JWG: I solely agree. I think with music, the song lyrics as
literature is more impactful and better remembered when backed with a song;
especially with tone and instruments taking on emotional sounds.
IOM: Do you think we have abandoned
music that demands an emotional investment?
For instance, Kevin Ross’s “Long Song Away” is refreshing and fearfully
nostalgic as we have become homesick for music that puts us in touch with our
hearts.
JWG: Well ... I think us
older folks feel this way, however, I’m not too sure about the younger
generation. Although, I do think young girls
pick up on the emotion in songs more than young boys do. Nothing better than an awesome, nostalgic
R&B tune with great lyrics, unless you’re a 15-yr-old white or black kid
into Too$hort or Migos. I think there
are songs out there that demand an emotional investment, however, you have to
look for them or hear about them from a friend.
IOM: Anything else you’d like to
tell us about yourself and the program?
JWG: I never realized how
much emotionally the MeMA program would affect me. I see so many kids open up who have never
raised their hand or spoken in the classroom, and suddenly they’re involved in
discussions and, will come up to me after class and recommend a song or talk
about a social issue. Teens, I think,
want to talk about things that are going on in their lives and with our program;
they feel safe about having discussions which can sometimes be difficult at
home, or non-existent. I’ve had parents
personally thank me for “helping bring out their child’s feelings” in creating
their culminating social justice projects.
Some kids stay in touch with me too.
I want to follow each and every student throughout their lives, but I
know that’s not possible. I do know that I’ve introduced most of these kids to
music they’ve never heard before and some kids research the artist or google more
music from the era on their own.
For more on MeMA and
Jeanne Warsaw-Gazga, visit the following:
Friday, March 31, 2017
“Destiny
is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.” – J. K. Rowling
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