I Want My Jazz Membership Dues Refunded
[Arturo Gomez's reply to my letter below is reprinted in the comments section, as is my response to Art's reply.]
Attention: Carlos Landau CEO and Program Director, and Teke O'Rilley Development/Membership of FM 89.3 KUVO.
I demand my membership be refunded. Pro rate it if you must.
I am angered and left aghast by the decision to fade out Miles Davis' Love For Sale in the middle of John Coltrane's solo at 1:07 pm this afternoon during Jazz Appreciation Month.
There is NO excuse for the fade out: it was not the top of the hour (news), there was no national emergency, and there was no weather emergency. [Don't even try to tell me that the in-studio "guest" was on a "tight schedule".]
The dj decided it was time to put an end to Coltrane's solo so the we, the members that help keep jazz on the air, could listen to some local promoter talk about having had dinner 4 times with McCoy Tyner! SO WHAT! Is this what Jazz Appreciation Month means: Turn the jazz music off so we can talk - no - brag about our brushes with fame? Disgusting.
And the message sent to the listeners? Go on with your interruptions because when you've got something to say, the masters, the one's who have dedicated their entire life to creating music worthy of our attention, to bringing beauty into the world, should just put their instruments down so everyone can hear you talk about yourself using lame anecdotes to mask your failed attempts to actually create anything of importance!
KUVO sends the signal to jazz listeners that the music shall always be second to our need to blabber about ourselves. I do not sanction one cent of my money to fund that kind of behavior. Refund the pro rated portion of my membership dues back to me and take my name off of anything associated with KUVO other than the "Dissatisfied and Disgusted with KUVO" list.
Sincerely,
Ben Makinen
posted by Ben Makinen @ 5:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
-from the email exchange between Arturo and Ben-
[ARTURO];
I understand your ire, it pained Carlos and me to tell Gabrielle to
fade out
Miles, something we never had done before, but the "promoter" you
point out
that we allowed to talk was Mayor John Hickenlooper who was running
about 45
minutes behind schedule yet went out of his way to stop by although he
had
only 7 minutes before he had to be at a most important meeting about
city
affairs. It is my opinion that you have over reacted to this 1 time
infraction of our habitual policy not to fade out music or edit tracks
that
several jazz stations around the nation do on a regular basis. I ask
you
forgive our transgression as you're throwing out an entire barrill of
great
tasting apples because one has a bruise on it, again just my opinion.
I am
sure membership will comply with your wishes and refund your entire
amount
if you still desite that.
Arturo Gomez
Music Director, jazz89KUVO
The Oasis In The City
Colorado's First HD FM Radio Station
Celebrating 11 Years of Live Performances!
2006 & 2005 Jazz Station of the Year!!
[BEN]:
Thank you Arturo. Perhaps I did, as you suggest, overreact. It would be
near inconceivable for me to never tune in to KUVO again: I have been
listening to this point on the dial since Dennis Pappin (sp?) and The
Quiet Storm reined at KADX, just before KUVO was born.
Thank you for taking responsibility for the call to fade 'Trane's solo,
thus sparing Gabrielle the disgrace.
May I suggest that in the future, should such an occasion present
itself again, the dj make a brief explanation to the listeners ("We're
very sorry to have had to fade that last track... Our illustrious mayor
has a few important words to share..."). Such an announcement could put
people like me at ease, and would serve to comfort any new listeners
(members) that fade-outs are not generally endorsed by the station,
particularly during Jazz Appreciation Month.
Everyone deserves a second chance in my book and your considerate
letter has won me over Arturo.
Please leave my membership funds in your station coffers.
Sincerely,
Ben Makinen
[ARTURO]:
Thanks for your prompt reply. Saturday was the 4th Annual 5 Pojnts Jazz
festival and the Mayor requested to come by the station as he is a huge jazz
fan and before entering politics had several clubs where jazz was played,
hence his remark about hanging with McCoy Tyner. He was supposed to be here
at 11am to kcik off our live Hazel miller Band studio performance but
couldn't make it, then he was supposed to be here at 12;45 pm and finally
showed up after 1pm without any advisement from his staff, had we known he
was about to arrive, Gabrille wouldn't have programmed that lengthy piece by
Miles, moroever we didn't not know he had but a few short moments to spend
with us. He was also scheduled to be the emcee for the 5 Points Jazz
Festival Awards Ceremony honoring Ed Battle, Luise Duncan and Brad Leali,
due to an important civic event he had top take care on a Saturday he bowed
out of that responsibility. We are not privy to what occured to force the
mayor to run late and forgo his emceeing duties.
Thanks for your long time dedication to jazz and for being a member for so
many years....
Keep swinging
Arturo
This is Mike Pappas' comment on my initial email. Pappas emailed this to Arturo. Arturo forwarded it to me for my reading pleasure:
[MIKE PAPPAS-Chief Engineer,KUVO]
Ben must have been having a bad day channeling the spirits:
From his website:
Ben Makinen, award-winning producer, recording artist, and composer
(BMI), channels music from Mozart, Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin,
Brian Eno, Metallica and Zakir Hussein into one cohesive sound.
Seeing Miles Davis perform live three times and then meeting the
Dalai Lama in person forever changed the way Ben would approach the
art of music.
Give this nutcase his money back and let him haunt some other
station! Perhaps smooth Jazz 104 would be better for his personality.
Mike Pappas
I'm goin' wild listening to Michael Brecker's Tumbleweed on his new Pilgrimage album that just arrived in the mail. Great background for reading the comments on your blog-screed about KUVO fading Trane.
The music in my ears and the comments before my eyes made my spirits soar and soothed my soul. This exchange between you, Carlos, and Arturo should be submitted to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee as an example of how the world should work. What do we do when our buttons get pushed and we feel outrage? I want Justice. No, I want Revenge. Oh yeah, buddy? If you think that was bad, take THIS!@!!!# etc. etc. etc........and so it goes....too often.
But you guys, instead, did something marvelous. You talked to each other, got in each other's shoes...skin, maybe, laid out facts instead of epithets, brought the soaring tempers and issues down to earth and mended the community fabric. Cheers to all of you. I am truly impressed. Very cool. Cheers.
But what else should I expect from a great jazz station and from people who are infused with the spirit of jazz?
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