Today marks a major moment in U.S. history, as we welcome our 44th president, Barack Obama into office. For the first time in United States history, an African American citizen will hold the highest office in the nation and serve as our country’s face around the world. The cultural ramifications signal a major change in United States society that is long, long overdue. Our country faces one of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, a fact that has impacted the lives of our country’s rich and poor. As people loose jobs, make lifestyle changes, and face unrealistic mortgages, most of us look ahead towards an uncertain future with a dismal forecast. We remain locked in a never ending war that has taken the lives of far too many people and cost our country billions of dollars. Every exit strategy seems unrealistic, and each day the bloodshed multiples beyond the most horrific expectation. Our environment faces the consequences of decades of irresponsible lifestyles and corrupt business practices. Unless changes occur soon, we’ll be passing a barely inhabitable planet to our children with irreversible problems beyond their control. For eight years, we’ve simply watched the state of nation rapidly worsen, with little control over our path; today we’re hoping that path can change.

Obama ran his campaign on a promise of hope and change, exerting a contagious energy that swept the country off its feet and revived a long forgotten optimism. As we look into the next four years, the majority of the country believes that we can beat the problems that stand in our country’s path. We’re all looking at the big issues and small problems that face our country and we’re finding faith in our ability to control our own destiny. In the arts, we’re seeing a release on the creative opportunities that have been stifled for so many years now, and anticipating a new type of support for our individual art forms. Mr. Obama has a wealth of issues to tackle in the next four years, probably an unrealistic list of problems to overturn. Ecomony, war, environment, education, and more - these will most likely be the first items on his agenda, justifiably so. Yet those of us in the artistic community, in specifically the Latin Jazz community, can’t just sit and underplay the importance of our interests. While Mr. Obama’s attention does need to go towards these issues, he also needs to hear our pleas and help strengthen our community. With that in mind, I’ve covered a few important areas of interest for the Latin Jazz community that Mr. Obama should address over his next four years in office.

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Open Artistic Exchange Between Cuban and United States Musicians
Despite the fact that the United States has held an economic embargo against Cuba for decades, the policy surrounding artistic exchange between Cubans and Stateside musicians has changed between administrations. During the Clinton administration, I had the privilege to see Irakere, Los Van Van, NG La Banda, Chucho Valdes’ combo, and more Cuban Jazz superstars live in concert. Travel programs were established that allowed for musicians from the United States to study in Cuba with some of their best musicians. Recordings were made that featured combinations of the best musicians from the United States and Cuba. Cuban artists traveled to the United States and participated in educational programs such as the Stanford Jazz Workshop and clinics at the Berklee School of Music. The United States public reached an unparalleled level of interest in Cuban music, musicians from Cuba brought new musical ideas back to the island, and there was an inspiring sense of collaboration in the Latin music community. These opportunities disappeared in 2001 when George W. Bush took office and rode a hard line stance on any type of exchange with Cuba.

Although Obama’s official stance on Cuba supports the economic embargo on the island, the administration’s position on artistic exchange remains fairly vague. I would hope that Obama considers the immense possibility of an open and flowing artistic exchange between Cuba and the United States that allowed musicians, visual artists, playwrights, and more to share their talents. A new generation of Cuban musicians has come to age during the Bush administration, with new performance techniques and collaborative configurations; in most cases we haven’t even heard these musicians in the States. The Stateside Latin Jazz world has exploded in the past eight years, with young musicians bringing the genre to a whole new level of artistry. Put these two worlds together and the inevitable sparks would be amazing; it’s an event that I know I want to see and hear. The artistic and cultural benefits of this type of exchange would be memorable and push the jazz world into a new direction that would create a positive association with both countries. The goodwill built between Cuba and the United States during this type of exchange would be a positive step towards bridging the political divide and move our world in the right direction. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for artistic exchange during the Obama administration.

More Support For Arts Education
Education in general was hit pretty hard during the Bush administration, and “No Child Left Behind” definitely left arts education far behind in the country’s priority scheme. The “core” subjects were emphasized, and arts often took a backseat when instructional planning and funding were discussed. This was not true everywhere in the country; the arts thrived in some areas where it floundered in other places. Some fortunate students may get to perform in classical, jazz, Latin, and popular settings by the time they graduate from high school; some of the less fortunate students were lucky to receive any instrumental or vocal instruction. That divide needs to unified, with all students taking part in a broad music education that builds performance skills and lifelong appreciations for a broad collection of musical styles. Young people are certainly exposed to music - from iTunes to YouTube or even Limewire, our youth has more access to more music than every before in the history of the United States. Still, they have to look for the music on the internet, it doesn’t magically appear; while they may stumble upon some jazz or Latin music, they will most likely miss the most important artists unless they are guided towards it. We need our schools to provide young people with a broad musical perspective or we will be breeding a generation of Rock Band junkies that see artistry through one set of musical eyes.

Our music scene is a direct result of the education that our musicians receive at a young age, and the Latin Jazz world needs them to be exposed to a wide variety of music and genres. The same way that a young musician’s education cannot be complete without a healthy dose of Bach, Beethoven, Ellington, and Basie, they need to take the time to learn about Puente, Palmieri, Pascoal, Piazzolla, and Valdes. Our government needs to provide ample funding for a complete music department in every school that connects students with all styles of music. Every school should involve hundreds of students in their music department and each one should have a chance to perform in symphony orchestras, choirs, jazz big bands, and full Latin Jazz ensembles. The government also needs to provide incentives for musicians to take the leap into teaching and focus their energy upon strong pedagogy. Teaching music to any age of student is never easy, and unless it looks like a bright future, not too many people will be committing their life to it as a career. The government should make a valid attempt to connect schools with the greater musical community, bringing artists into schools on a regular basis. Imagine the impact that young people would feel if they had regular contact with artists like Justo Almario or David Sanchez; they would be practicing their instruments with a passion! They would leave those experiences with a greater appreciation for the art form in general, and they would be more likely to support music in their adult lives. The Obama administration needs to recognize the importance of imparting music onto a new generation of young people.

Government Funding For Artistic Projects
As Obama strives to recharge the economy, let’s hope that he looks beyond the traditional idea of “business.” Artistic output circles through our system actively - from live performance to recorded works, it’s a natural human instinct to consume artistic work, and most people are willing to pay for it. Once the Obama administration recognizes the arts as an important piece of our economy, they need to look beyond the “big business” of the arts world. Large music companies, massive movie production houses, and corporate television stations are feeling the economic slump, but they still have resources to create products. It’s the independent artists that are often dealing with less commercially accessible art forms that need a financial boost from the government; and that’s a place where you’ll generally find the cutting edge Latin Jazz artists. Musicians that are exploring the connections between culture, society, and artistic expression need to be supported in their pursuits. We need the government to recognize those artists as important contributors to society, fund their substantial projects, and then help spread their products across a broad population. Our general public would gain a broader taste of the artistic world, artists could live a comfortable life, and the government would have reached beyond the basic necessities to give back to our society.

There are many steps that the Obama administration could take to support the arts across the general public. The establishment and support of local arts organizations from performing ensembles to community interest groups would certainly inspire interest. Imagine a Latin Jazz big band featuring the best local players from your scene that regularly performed the works of O’Farrill, Machito, Puente, and more - every town should have one! The government needs to provide a major budget to funding organizations like the NEA and perhaps create more organizations like this that could serve specific artistic needs. Every year, cutting-edge musicians like Dafnis Prieto, Elio Villafranca, Arturo O’Farrill and more could find funding for new and innovative projects that pushed the limits of the genre. The government should recognize important artists, both old and new, from every genre with national broadcasts and presidential endorsements. Every United States citizen should be exposed to the work of John Santos, Mongo Santamaria, and Cal Tjader. Most importantly, Obama needs to create a position in his administration that deals specifically with artistic relations - a person in charge of finding artists and connecting them with the government. Many governments around the world already have a secretary of the arts of minister of the arts position, sadly enough, the United States has nothing even remotely like this. A petition exists online to support a suggestion from Quincy Jones that supports this position - you can sign it HERE. Let’s hope that Obama listens and acts on government support for Individual Artists.

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As we inaugurate Barack Obama, take a minute to dream - what issues do you think the Latin Jazz community needs to bring towards the attention of our new president? It’s a moment to get lost in our hope and feel the optimism. So with that in mind, leave a comment and let us know how you think the new administration can help the Latin Jazz community!

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Check Out These Related Posts:
One Latin Jazz Album That Obama & McCain Have To Hear Before Election Day
5 Artistis That Are Making Us Question Our Assumptions About Latin Jazz
Reflections Upon An Influential Education: 10 Albums From Irakere Alumni
Looking At The Bigger Picture: Irakere Alumni on Video

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