Take Five With John Beaty

John Beaty

Columnist since 2011

John Beaty is the frontman of the band Beaumont and one of the founders of the Stretch Movement. Follow him on Twitter @beaumontnyc.

Recent articles (4 total)

Published: November 21, 2011

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What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?
Rebranding! The Stretch Movement will not go away; I have paid my debt to jazz in the form of inflated tuition prices. None of us owe jazz a life of poverty. Jazz will always be survived by men like Wynton Marsalis. The instrumental virtuosity of the jazz tradition is sellable, but the word "jazz" limits all hopes to gain a younger following. Talk to any record executive (that has sold records), say the word "jazz," and watch the door close.

What is in the near future?
I will be attempting the world record for longest note in one breath on any instrument at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Studies on Monday November 28, 2011 at 9 PM. I will also speak about the Stretch Movement as well as answer questions about the Stretch Movement.

Then, on December 3, 2011 at 8 PM at the Delancey in NYC, Felix Pastorius, Chris Ward, Zaccai Curtis and I will be debuting the Stretch Genre to New York audiences. $10 for the entire night, 21 and over.

By Day:
After my video interview with Bret Primack, the Stretch Movement has become a 14 hour a day job!

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:
A lawyer to battle the cost of education in America and put an end to student loans. Living in New York and having been down to Occupy Wall Street, it is clear a huge issue is how children born in the early '80s were taught all through grade school to excel, to go to college, to get a degree, to have a better life. Many of us paid, at minimum, $60,000 to $100,000. Starting a four-year degree today at a private school can cost close to $200,000, and that is for a jazz degree. There are so many reasons this has happened, but it must change for the future of America.

Photo Credit
Agnes Fohn

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