[JPL] Jazz Diplomacy - Interview with Detroit Gary Wiggins

[Jazz Promo Services]

http://www.culturaldiplomacynews.org/index.php?aid=280

Jazz Diplomacy - Interview with Detroit Gary Wiggins

2008-06-02
In the late 1950's and early 60's, during the acme of the Cold War, the
United States turned to cultural diplomacy to gain critical support in its
ideological battle with the Soviet Union. In an unprecedented display of
cultural outreach, the US state department first sent (involuntarily) jazz
legend Dizzy Gillepsie and later Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious
Monk, Herbie Hancock, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. These musicians were
sent to Afghanistan, India, Turkey and other seemingly neutral states whose
allegiance was sought after in the competition between the US and "Big Red".
The Jazz Ambassadors Program was launched at the height of the Cold War to
bring the best of current American trends and culture to the rest of the
world. The program not only focused on Iron Curtain nations but also on the
Third World where many developing countries were exploring communism as a
viable political identity. The concept was simple: show those states and
their respective populations ­ regardless of their economic and social
status in society ­ how cool and free the US was in hopes that they would
turn their attention away from the Soviet block. This was the first truly
effective example of American cultural diplomacy.

Fast forward fifty years, and I find myself face-to-face with legendary
jazz, rock'n roll and blues musician Detroit Gary Wiggins to discuss how his
music is used as a tool of cultural diplomacy in contemporary society. In
addition to addressing the abovementioned topic, I came away from the
interview with a few lessons on the history of African-American music, the
Berlin jazz scene and ­ for lack of a better cliché ­ life from someone a
little older and as I soon discovered, a little wiser than myself.

Detroit Gary Wiggins has been around for a minute; he was born in Detroit,
Michigan and first put his skills to work professionally in 1969, releasing
his first 45' in 1970. He performed several times at New York's famed Apollo
Theater and The T.P. Warner in Washington, D.C. and spent considerable time
in Chicago's infamous north side, L.A., Sacramento and Hawaii before
crossing the pond and establishing himself in Europe in 1983. He has
successfully established his reputation in France in addition to regularly
playing gigs in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, and the Scandinavian
countries. He currently calls Berlin home. His intimate and emotional
performances are still well known to those who are familiar with Berlin's
famous live music scene.

RS: You have traveled the world entertaining and captivating audiences from
Panama City to Pompeii; what culture or country have you most taken to and
why?

Detroit GW: You know, from everywhere I've been, I still think Europe is the
place to be. My favoriteŠ my personal favorite spots are still France and
Germany. France manŠ, Paris especially, is elegant and opulent and you just
don't see that type elegance as commonplace back in the States or anywhere
else for that matter. Then Germany, I like Germany because of its
understated elegance.
            
RS: Where have you not had a chance to visit that you would like to maybe
hit up in the future?

Detroit GW: In terms of regions, the one place I don't think I am ready for
is Third World Africa. I just don't think I would be able to handle that
type of culture shock. Maybe if I get around to it I would like to get to
Cape Town, but from what I understand that's not really Africa as the
greater population knows it so it don't really count. I am too urban to
experience that type of culture shock. I never got around to going to
Vancouver or Montreal either; I have heard good things from both spots.
Other than that, wherever the next gig may be. There is a stage in every
town.

RS: The jazz scene is very different in the States than it is in Berlin;
Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Northern California all have distinctive styles
and levels of appeal. Does the culture here in Berlin compare to any of
those scenes or is it just a mix of different flavors?

Detroit GW: Each region in the States is different, for example in North
Carolina, they don't call it jazz or blues, to them it's called beach music,
Chicago is really a blues town and the south is a totally different sound
altogether but still considered blues. When it comes to Europe, jazz and
blues shows here are a special event, and people want to hear all styles and
genres; also it's rare that you get a band in Europe where everyone is from
the same region back home. That is how music and diplomacy are
interconnected. You have to be flexible, stay true to yourself or in the
case of diplomacy let's say the ideals that you came to represent, but
adjust yourself to your audience to maximize the effectiveness of your
delivery. In the states cats are usually consistent with their music; they
play their jazz and go home and won't compromise... But in Europe, to be
successful, you have no choice but to be flexible, I always play my gig but
I will always adapt to my audience and environment which I think is an
important lesson not only for musicians but anyone else who wants to listen.

RS: Berlin has rich jazz history, considering its ties with the US
throughout The Second World War and the Cold War in addition to its
ancestral ties to Lion and Wolff. (Aside: Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff were
two Berliners who first heard jazz in Germany and then emigrated to New York
and started the infamous Blue Note Records.) Did that have any bearing in
you settling here?

Detroit GW: It's bigger than Berlin. I wanted to be part of a history of
musicians who leave the US and relocate in Europe. I wanted to start a trend
which I have effectively done. From a cultural diplomatic standpoint, I
helped pave the way for a lot of musicians from the states to come overseas
and assisted them in establishing themselves in making a good living doing
what they love. Berlin was attractive yes because of the history, but also
because it was a city in the truest sense, and having grown up in Detroit I
was used to that metropolitan lifestyle. RS: Is Detroit still in your heart?
Detroit GW: Detroit till I die, I never forget where I came from, I walk
Detroit, talk Detroit, dress Detroit but in a way it has also become a
method of selling myself over the years, yes people come to see a sax gig, a
mighty fine sax gig I might add, but they also come to see "Detroit". I have
sold my image and sold it well. I am proud of where I come from and glad to
share a little piece of American culture with my global audience. My
diplomatic tool has been my sax, and it has worked well, it has taken me
through a lot of different doors and allowed me to meet people from all
walks of life.

RS: In your opinion how has jazz and the blues broken down the cultural
barriers that exist between the U.S. and the rest of the world?

Detroit GW: First of all I don't see any barriers to break down when it
comes to my music. What it has done is introduce other musicians to our way
of playing our instruments. For example, there are not that many artists
over here playing the blues anymore, less playing old school rock n' roll on
a horn, but I have given them all a style to run with, I don't know if you
call that breaking down a barrier but it definitely has created a certain
bond between cultures. To tell you the truth there are more barriers within
America right now, regardless of the state of international affairs, than
between the US and the rest of the world.

RS: You have been in this game for longer than most contemporary billboard
artists have been alive. In your experience when have you seen your music at
its most and least effective as a tool for cultural diplomacy?

Detroit GW: There was a time where it was a lot more prominent, it was very
hip and in style throughout the 80's, there was just a lot of activity,
festivals, concerts and events that just brought people together who would
normally not associate with one another. It was a trend, just another
fashion I guess. But when you bring various people together and they have
music as a common theme, they inevitably begin to discuss other issues such
as politics and certain socially relevant issues in a tolerant and
open-minded a manner. I was a witness to a lot of that type of discourse and
can honestly tell you it made a difference. And it all stemmed from the fact
that people were just feeling the music. Also the day the wall came down, I
remember it like it was yesterday, even I was dancin' up on that wall....
With regard to the least effective point in recent memory, it had to be
after September 11th man, I remember, I had a gig that night and one person
showed. After that we felt a shiftŠ. RS: Was it right after 9/11 or in the
years that followed? Detroit GW: No, right after 9/11, the next day, we
literally felt a shift in attitude Š One agency that we worked with no
longer wanted to hire any American acts and certain festivals that we used
to attend regularly started giving us the cold shoulder. Just another
obstacle though, would not be called life without'em, we had to build the
momentum up again and we eventually did.

RS: I am sure you will agree that "Jazz can communicate what words cannot"
(Clynton Powell III, Prof. , USC). But how exactly does jazz really
communicate certain values that seem to be still lacking in our present day
society such as tolerance, respect and acceptance?

Detroit GW: Well, that's a good question; there are a couple of ways I can
answer that. For one, when you approach the music intellectually. There is
no doubt that we are dealing with a much more positive vibe than a negative
one. And our music hits places inside you that words would never be able to
penetrate, thus inevitably transferring that positive energy to your soul
and psyche. Also it's been said before that the tenor saxophone is the
closest instrument to the human voice and therefore it's sometimes better
understood than anything you read or hear.

RS: The international disdain for current American foreign policy is no
secret. As an American artist/musician living abroad, do you feel exempt
from this prejudice?

Detroit GW: I think that being a musician, we are exempt from our political
views to a certain extentŠ Audiences know we came here to bring something
positive, unaffiliated with political policies. We bring something positive
to wherever we play, something therapeutic, a stress releasing mechanism
with a completely apolitical agenda. We are here for the people man, and you
know what, that is what makes us unofficial diplomats: we are representing
and communicating our culture within a culture.

RS: Would you agree that jazz and blues music has been replaced by hip hop
as the new musical tool for cultural diplomacy? And if that is seen as true,
how do you feel about certain messages, primarily in mainstream rap music,
that advocate and encourage the objectification of woman and the promotion
of drugs and violence?

Detroit GW: First of all I don't think it's been replaced; you can't just
replace that much success, fame and tradition. However, I do think it's an
addition, or for better words evolution of our culture. Original rock'n
roll, jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, soul, and now these rap cats, there will
always be a common threat woven throughout these genres that leaves it
within our culture and you know what, one day this current trend will evolve
into something else and that will take over. With regard to the negative
connotations in today's rap music, you have to understand that these cats
are just telling the story that they see within their community. If you
listen you will hear the ills of the community, it's a shame that they see
what they do. Just like the blues 50 years ago, it's basically painting a
picture of their collective experiences. In the beginning they are telling a
story about things they would see in the ghettos, crime, the drugs, in
addition to telling a story of what they would like to have, the Bentleys,"
ice", mansions. It's just a personalized reflection of the communities that
they see.

Interview by Robert Santarelli

Gary Wiggins is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural
Diplomacy, and Director of ICD's 'Music as Cultural Diplomacy' Programme.