Kennedy Center jazz performance canceled due to renaming fight
An annual Christmas Eve jazz tradition at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts was abruptly canceled after the center’s board voted Dec. 18 to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building. Jazz drummer and longtime organizer Chuck Redd said he pulled the “Jazz Jams,” which he has overseen as 2006, after seeing the venue’s updated name online and on the building. The renaming prompted objections from the Kennedy family and a Dec. 22 lawsuit by Rep. Joyce Beatty, who says federal law still designates the site as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center and the board lacks authority to rename it. Othre performers have also withdrawn from kennedy Center appearances since Trump returned to the White House, including Lin-Manuel Miranda canceling plans for Hamilton.
Holiday sour note: Kennedy Center jazz performance canceled due to Trump renaming fight
An annual Christmas Eve jazz tradition at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was abruptly called off after the venue’s board moved last week to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
Chuck Redd, the musician who has overseen the Kennedy Center’s Christmas Eve “Jazz Jams” since 2006, said the decision to cancel the performance came after Trump’s name was added to the venue.
Redd told the Associated Press that seeing the updated name first appear on the Kennedy Center’s website and then on the building itself prompted him to pull the show.
The Kennedy Center’s board unanimously approved a Dec. 18 vote to rename the venue the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” triggering immediate objections from members of the Kennedy family who said the move eroded President John F. Kennedy’s legacy.
Ex officio board member Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) filed a lawsuit on Dec. 22 challenging the move. Beatty argued the board lacks legal authority to alter the center’s name. Federal law still designates the venue as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and the statute that created it does not grant the board power to rename it.
BEATTY SUES TRUMP AND GRENELL OVER KENNEDY CENTER NAME CHANGE
After Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, a number of performers withdrew from scheduled appearances at the Kennedy Center, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who canceled plans to stage the musical Hamilton at the venue.
Redd’s career has included extensive international touring and collaborations with prominent artists, among them jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, according to his biography.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
