Interestingly, a few weeks after this year's edition, back on June 15th, a new threat to the festivities emerged. As previously stated, the Jazz Awards should have happened many years ago, but a coalition of Jazz industry forces was never able to pull it off. With giant egos in need of massage, and personal agendas requiring immediate attention, any meeting to bring about a Jazz Awards ceremony, proved fruitless.

Yet Michael Dorf was able to create a Jazz Awards under the auspices of his Texaco then Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival.

And so a number of 'key' industry types received this letter, dated July 1st, from Howard Applebaum, the Associate Publisher of Billboard, and Paxton Baker or BET on jazz.

"We are pleased to inform you that Billboard Magazine and BET ON Jazz are partnering to present a Jazz conference and televised award show. Our goal is to create an annual, world class event about the music and the business of Jazz. The first event will be held June 7-9. 2000, in Washington D.C."

After describing the tentative working order of the "conference,", the letter continues:

"Because of your leadership role in the Jazz community, we would like you to participate as a member of the steering committee for this event. Your input will be invaluable in helping to determine a number of programming issues."

Obviously Mr. Dorf touched a raw never among certain quarters of the Jazz industry when he was able to successfully present his event. These unseen "power-brokers" obviously don't like Mr. Dorf stealing their limelight, now preferring to present instead a "world class event." Better, bigger, newer, and "official," more in keeping with the needs of the "industry."

Judging from the insipid and banal programming of BET-On Jazz, perhaps the least watched cable channel ever created, it seems highly unlikely that anyone associated with that less than competent organization could possibly better the current Awards. As for Billboard Magazine, certainly a paragon of journalistic mediocrity, what has that publication ever done to assist in the presentation of Jazz? Steve Graybow's regular Jazz column is appreciated, and informative, but in Billboard's eyes, it would that seem Jazz is a second-class citizen, relegated to back of the book status, simply because of the revenues Jazz produces.

If the powerful forces at play in the Jazz industry were mafia crime families, Mr. Dorf would probably be swimming with the fishes right now, as would I.

Interestingly, at the "meeting," where both Mr. Dorf and George Wein were present, Mr. Wein, hardly Mr. Dorf's most ardent supporter, actually defended his sometime antagonist. Mr. Wein acknowledged the existing ceremonies and questioned why there should be another.

Insiders who attended the meeting reported that there was nothing of substance resolved. What else is new? At this writing, there is nothing definitive planned, just a tentative date for this "official " event, which is, interestingly, exactly one week before the Third Annual Jazz Awards next June.

How will this effect Mr. Dorf's affair? Will the Billboard/BET event actually happen as planned? Does anyone really care?

Stay tuned.

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