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Tania León
On the Cover

Tania León: A Celebration of Diversity in Composing and Life

Tania León

Tania León of Local 802 (New York City) conducts the Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) in the premiere of her work Pa’lante. (Photo credit: Craig Mathew)

The music of North America would be vastly different if not for the richness brought from other cultures. That’s one reason why the career of Tania León is so remarkable. If she had not bravely come to the US on a 1967 “Freedom Flight” from Cuba, she would not have gifted New York City and the country with her talents and influence, inspiring generations of artists. The pianist, composer, conductor, and educator’s career culminated in the founding of her own composer organization and festival seven years ago.

“I wanted to create something that brought composers together from all walks of life,” says León. Founded in 2010, her nonprofit Composers Now is dedicated to empowering all living composers, while celebrating the diversity—in gender, culture, genre—of their voices and contributions. This month, composers gather in New York City to take part in this year’s theme: “the impact of arts in our society.”

“We have more than 99 events all over the city—each attended by the composer,” says León. “It’s a very inclusive audience.”

A proud and longtime member of Local 802 (New York City), León recalls joining the union early in her career when she was as an accompanist and worked as a music director and conductor for Broadway shows, including The Wiz and The Human Comedy. “I’ve worn lots of different hats, and all the while, backed up and supported by the union. A lot of musicians depend on Local 802. The AFM is a core organization—instrumental to having a career in music.”

Cuban Roots

Tania León

Tania León of Local 802 (New York City) looks on while Henry Louis Gates, Jr., speaks at a September 2017 event commemorating the anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock High School. (Photo credit: Blake Tyson)

Though she grew up poor in Havana, León’s entire family supported her remarkable musical talent. Her grandmother insisted she be admitted to the music conservatory at age four, before she could even read. Her grandfather purchased a piano for the household when León was five. An avid reader, her grandmother often spoke to her about artists—Marian Anderson, Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Leonard Bernstein—many of whom Tania later got to work with.

When she was nine years old, León’s teacher casually planted the seed of her becoming an international pianist. While performing in France, he sent her a postcard of the Eiffel Tower. “It had such an impact; I kept saying to my family that one day I would live in Paris,” says León.

Before leaving Cuba, she earned a BA and MA from Carlos Alfredo Peyrellade Conservatory, and simultaneously, earned her CPA from the school of commerce—in case her dream of being a musician never materialized. “My family did so much to give me the best education they could,” she says.

Arriving first in Miami, she knew the city could not offer the opportunities needed to launch a music career. She explained her predicament to a church sponsor. Three days later she had a one-way ticket to New York City, which she has called home ever since.

León was able to work as an accountant at the Americana Hotel, while she worked towards validating her degrees in the US. “Following an audition, I was given an almost instant scholarship from New York College of Music and they sent me to study English at New York University [NYU],” she says. Eventually she earned her BA and MS from NYU.

Soon after arriving in the country in 1967, she became aware her new home was facing challenges—protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War were in full swing. While New York City was diverse and accepting, the unrest in the country raised her consciousness. “At NYU there was a rally every three days and the suspension of classes. Because I didn’t speak English, my classmates would tell me what to scream when we attended the rallies,” she says. “Within that first year after my arrival, Martin Luther King was assassinated.”

“When I first saw what was going on with desegregation I was saddened,” she says. Coming from a multi-racial background, racism was not something she had experienced up to that point in her life. “My neighborhood [in Cuba] was integrated. We were unified in that we were all poor.”

Racism is something she’s never been able to wrap her head around. “I don’t care what you look like. There are no two people in the world with the same skin tone; we are all different,” she says. “We all reflect each other; we are all created in the image of one another; and everyone has something to give.”

Birth of a Composer

A chance meeting with Arthur Mitchell, the New York City Ballet’s first African American principal dancer, changed the course of her life. She had agreed to sub as a ballet accompanist, and during a break, she met Mitchell when he heard her playing. “The door opened and there he was; it was like he’d come out of a movie set,” she says.

Eventually, he asked if she’d like to help with his new project, Dance Theatre of Harlem. Motivated by the assassination of King, Mitchell had the idea of using art, specifically dance, to affect social change. León became the organization’s first music director. Eventually, Mitchell inspired León to create her first composition, Tones, which she dedicated to her grandmother.

“One day Arthur said to me, ‘Why don’t you write a piece and I will do the choreography?” recalls León. “The whole experience moved me so much that I wanted to change my major to composition.”

Similarly, on the suggestion of Mitchell, León first conducted the Juilliard Orchestra for a Dance Theatre of Harlem performance in Italy. “The next thing I knew, I was in the pit and the next day my picture was in the paper with the caption ‘woman conductor,’” she says. “When we came back, I studied conducting.”

León never thought she would write an opera either. When she was first contacted by Munich Biennale festival founder Hans Werner Henze to write one, she thought it was a joke. Her opera, Scourge of Hyacinths, commissioned in 1994 and based on a BBC radio play by Wole Soyinka, won the BMW Prize for best new opera at the festival in 1999.

León instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert series in 1978. Over the years, she’s advised and worked with dozens of other organizations, among them: The New York Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Sonidos de las Americas Festivals, International Alliance of Women in Music, Quintet of the Americas, Symphony Space, Sphinx Organization, Orquesta Sinfonica de las Americas, altaVoz, and Chamber Music America.

Today, León is an inspiration to young composers, a cultural activist, and a champion for contemporary music. She has been a professor at Brooklyn College since 1985 and is a City University of New York (CUNY) distinguished professor since 2010. As a professor, she sees her role as supportive: teaching students to believe in themselves and helping them to bring out their best compositions.

“I encourage them to follow their beliefs and support them spiritually—to find who they are. We all get preoccupied about how to start a piece and the first time the piece is heard by others. In my teaching, I incorporate everything—how to bow, how to address an audience, and how they are going to make a living,” she explains. “After years of working, you develop your voice. And hopefully, with that voice, you can write in different styles.”

Return to Cuba

Even she had to find her voice. Early in her composing career, in 1979, León visited with her father in Cuba. She played him some of her compositions. “Before I left, my father said my music was very interesting, but asked ‘where are you in your music?’ Unfortunately, that was our last conversation and I was left with that question, not knowing what he meant,” she says.

As she thought about her trip and Cuba, it occurred to her that she could include traces of the music of her primary culture in the music she was composing. Shortly after, she began Four Pieces for Cello. “The third movement, ‘Tumbao,’ refers to my father’s way of walking—very happy from the heart. That was my first gesture where I included myself,” she says.

In 2016, León was invited to return to her birthplace to perform for the first time. She conducted the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba in a program that included one of her works. León, who has memories of attending the symphony’s concerts with her grandmother, dedicated the performance to her ancestors.

The Little Rock Nine Opera

Tania León

(Photo credit: Andrea Morales)

León is currently working on her latest commission, The Little Rock Nine opera. Commissioned by the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), the opera tells the story of the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957. Rollin Potter, former dean of UCA’s College of Fine Arts, came up with the idea and Thulani Davis wrote the libretto.

As she researched the project, León was deeply moved. Research is important to any commission, she explains. “When you get a commission and you have to start writing, you panic. What is important to say? You have to get inspired. At least with an opera I collaborate with the librettist.”

She first met with historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., historical researcher for the opera. Then, in September 2017, at the event “Imagine If Buildings Could Talk: Mapping the History of Little Rock Central High School,” she met the surviving Little Rock Nine and even some reporters who had covered those defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

“They spoke and gave their stories,” says León. “I remember all my dreams when I was studying at their age. I believe in empathy and compassion. You have to put yourself in the heart and shoes of the characters. I’ve been trying to hear the syntax of the Little Rock students.”

One thing León has felt strongly about is the Little Rock Nine’s chorus. “I hope the members of the chorus will address diversity to show how much we have grown in compassion and empathy,” she says. The premiere of the opera (in concert form) will be at the high school around the end of 2018 or early 2019.

Commissions & Accolades

In December 2017 León’s composition Ser, commissioned for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, premiered. Other recent premieres include Pa’lante, (commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Youth Orchestra LA), Ethos (commissioned by the New York State Council of the Arts for Symphony Space), del Caribe, soy! (commissioned by Saint Martha Concerts for flutist Nestor Torres), and Inura (commissioned and premiered by Dance Brazil).

In January, it was announced that León was selected for a $50,000 United States Artists (USA) fellowship. In 2017, she was honored as one of Musical America’s 30 Professionals of the Year. Among other honors, she was awarded the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, ASCAP Victor Herbert Award (2013), and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2010. She has also received accolades from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, and Meet the Composer, among others.

Even today, León retains her sense of wonder about the world, recalling the sequence of events that brought her to where she is today. She remembers her excitement about witnessing last year’s eclipse in Central Park. She still cannot understand, with the vastness of the universe, why people put so much emphasis on how we look and speak.

“We are riding on this vessel and there’s this universe we don’t even know about. It doesn’t make sense that we don’t respect each other,” she says.

Recent News

Unplugged in Cuba: Local 5 Member Plays Havana’s Streets

Local 5 (Detroit, MI) member Ed Zelenak (far right) plays with Cuban street musicians near the Ambos Mundos Hotel in Old Havana, where Ernest Hemingway famously stayed and wrote some of his most celebrated novels.

“My father taught me the old standards, swing, and Latin-influenced music,” says guitarist Ed Zelenak of Local 5 (Detroit, MI), adding that it served him well on his 2017 visit to Cuba. He seized upon the opportunity to visit the island when the US embargo was lifted.

In Old Havana, it’s not uncommon to find American and Cuban musicians casually playing together on the streets. Drawing on the dance music his father taught him, he says, “I fit right in with these guys. Playing with Cuban musicians, we were kindred spirits—I felt like we were soul mates.”

Havana’s Splendor

The streets and alleys of the city virtually echo with the sounds of Nat King Cole, The Beatles, Sam Cooke, and the Eagles. “People want to hear Hank Williams, Bob Marley, Four Tops, nothing modern,” Zelenak says. Cuba is a dual society—boasting old world architecture, art galleries, swanky hotels, and famous performing arts venues. But music is as rich a tradition in the streets and with the average person. “If I were in Cuba today, I’d be a street musician, instead of playing in a concert hall.”

Although the country is slowly becoming unfiltered—WiFi is only available in a handful of public spaces—journalists, artists, and musicians have become creative in gaining access to the world. Cubans’ relationship to music is unique. It’s continuous, Zelenak says. “Long after the band packs up after playing in front of the bars and restaurants, you can hear them singing on their way home.” They play more traditional instruments, like the three-string guitar, the classic tres guitar, horns and trumpets, and Cuban percussion instruments—some more primitive than others. He says, “They’ll play sound effects on cow skulls.”

Union Family

Zelenak, whose entire family had been involved in the union and Local 5 from the 1920s—now including his son Elliott—says, “In my street travels, I spent a lot of time talking to musicians and writers about unions and getting compensated. Many talked about secret associations—informal groups that meet to support each other. Unions are still a long way off. The objective one day would be to set up rates for performers.”

At this point, the money musicians make, he explains, is tied to the restaurant industry. “On almost every corner, there’s a band playing; they’re there every night. They’d roll a piano out. Guys would have trumpets and trombones. They’re there to attract business.”

Although the conversations about unions seemed promising, he says musicians with whom he corresponded were reluctant to continue the dialogue. In addition, Trump Administration initiatives to restrict commerce between the two nations may destroy hopes of organizing, he says.

Zelenak was introduced to music by his father who had a big band post WWII in which the teenage Zelenak played guitar and piano. It was a meaningful way for father and son to connect, but one that ended abruptly when his father died. Zelenak was only 18 years old. Music helped him survive the loss of his father, but also provided a practical motivation. He took over his father’s band, which comprised two of his three brothers. Playing gigs at night, eventually he managed to put himself through law school.

Today, he still leads two bands, a nine-piece dance band called Little Davy and the Diplomats (minus his brother Dave Zelenak, who is now a judge) and a four-piece combo with fellow Local 5 members Ted Blankenship, George Katsakis, and Al Ayoub.

Music Pays Off

Throughout a busy law career, he continued to pursue music. Recently, Zelenak tried his hand at country music (with a lawyerly spin) penning the song “Repossess My Love.” Several years ago, he wrote “Oblique Samba,” which he describes as a contemporary version of “The Girl from Ipanema”—the story of a street musician serenading a cleaning woman at a hotel in Old Havana. He got the opportunity to introduce the song in Cuba first on the street with other musicians and then at the Hotel Santa Isabella where it was warmly received.

“They just love talking about music, from the hotel clerks and bellmen to women working in the rooms. Music is something everybody loves there,” he says.

Nowadays, he plays a lot of hotel lobbies, which he prefers, saying, “It’s restoring the personal touch of live music. I’ve played in hotels all over the world.”

In fact, Zelenak just returned from Jamaica, where he performs every New Year’s Eve at the Day-O Plantation with legendary reggae and calypso artists Paul Hurlock, Ernie Smith, and Cabot Paul, all members of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians. Although he would love to return to Cuba, with stricter regulations in place, one needs State Department approval. In the meantime, he says, he’ll be in Los Angeles and then Paris in the spring.

“I look at my approach to music as a dual language—romance—both in the writing, the lyrics, and the performing.” He recalls what his son once said to him, “Music is an international handshake.” Zelenak adds, “You don’t have to speak their language, music does all the talking.”

Local 5 members work at the Detroit Athletic Club (L to R) Ted Blankenship (upright bass), George Katsakis (tenor sax), Ed Zelenak (keyboard), and Al Ayoub (guitar).

Recent News

Six Steps to a Musician’s Successful Online Strategy

Today’s music business allows artists to communicate, interact, and sell directly to their audience like never before. While many artists and bands use social media randomly, according to author Bobby Owsinski, not having an overall social media strategy results in ineffective promotion and wasted time. In the second edition of Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band, and Your Music Online, Owsinski gives detailed tips for exploiting social media. Here are his six steps to successfully plan your online strategy.

  1. Make your website your main online focal point. Make sure that all your important information is curated there and that it’s easy for a site visitor to find. Among the important elements of a successful site are: a name that’s easy to spell and remember, a design that reflects your brand, and content created for search engine optimization (SEO). Content should include an “about us” or biography page, contact information, the ability to subscribe, a press section, booking information, and social media connections.
  2. Create accounts on the “Big 4” social networks.

    Facebook—Regardless of how you feel about Facebook, you still need a presence on it for no other reason than its easy proximity to lots of potential new fans. If you’re just starting out, you might want to start with a personal page instead of a fan site though. It can be embarrassing to have a fan page with only a few followers. A personal site is a way to gain some momentum before you make the leap.

    Twitter—People who dismiss Twitter likely aren’t aware of how to use it for promotion. It’s extremely powerful for attracting new fans and keeping your current ones instantly informed.

    YouTube—Videos are such a major part of any musician, artist, or band’s online presence that you need your own channel to exploit them successfully.

    Instagram—Instagram participation is not yet a necessity, but it’s growing and has a number of unique features that work particularly well for the music business.

    Other networks—There are a ton of other social networks and many of them might deserve your attention at some point. There comes a point where the amount of time invested versus the potential outcome just doesn’t balance out. This is why you should probably stay with the previous four networks, or even just a few of them, until you’re really comfortable. Then, you might decide to take on another one. The only exception would be if a big portion of your audience is on a particular network other than the “Big 4.” In that case, you might want to substitute that network for Instagram.

  3. Use a social media broadcast app for all your updates. An app like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite is one of the keys to streamlining the process. It saves time and makes what you do online more efficient.
  4. Develop your social media sites so they all feed viewers into your website. The key is to make sure that any viewer on any site is aware that you have a website and knows that it’s the main repository of information about you.
  5. Be sure that email list subscribers from all sites go to the same master list provider. Different mailing lists don’t do you much good if you have to create a separate newsletter blast for each one.
  6. Find third party help when you get to the point where you’re overwhelmed. As your popularity grows, at some point social media management may get too complex to maintain and third-party help is needed. This is usually a good thing, since that means you’ve progressed to where things are so massive that you can’t keep up. Furthermore, a company that specializes in social media management can keep you current with new tools and techniques that you might not be aware of. Even when outside help arrives, remember that you are still the one who drives the bus. Be sure to take part in all strategy discussions, but leave the actual facilitation to the company or person that you hired.

Today, having a sound social media strategy is the key to successful promotion. The order of importance of your online components should be: website, mailing list, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram, blog. The order for social networks may shift, but your website and mailing list should remain the most important.

Bobby Owsinski covers each of these components to your online strategy in-depth in the second edition of Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band, and Your Music Online, available at BobbyOwsinski.com.

Organizing

Organizing for Inclusion: Thinking Differently

by Keith D. Nelson, Local 369 Secretary-Treasurer and Member of the AFM Diversity Committee

In 1980, I proudly joined AFM Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV). At that time, every hotel and casino that had a showroom contracted union musicians. The majority of casino and cabaret lounges, private bars, clubs, and restaurants that featured music employed union musicians. You really couldn’t be a professional musician in Las Vegas without being a member of the AFM.

As a sophomore at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the opportunity to join the union presented itself when I was hired as a relief bass player for the Folies Bergère show at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. Back in the 1980s, shows ran seven days a week with three shows on Sundays! College music training had equipped me with sight reading abilities, and a “take-care-of-business” approach (i.e., show up on-time and do the job you are asked to do). Education, coupled with youthful energy and a concept for multiple music styles, multiplied my one relief night at the Tropicana into three to four nights with the Lou Elias Relief Orchestra for additional shows.

As a 20–year-old with primary interests in building monster skills and making money, I didn’t fully understand the necessity for the musicians union or the vital benefits it would soon provide me—prenegotiated television contracts, prenegotiated recording contracts, union representation, employer pension contributions and associated vesting requirements, and employer paid health insurance. I never considered that one day my career would be directly affected by AFM contracts, labor rights, and reuse/royalty payments. Soon I would learn the importance of these benefits and protections.

In a blink of an eye, I was 30 years old with concerns for the aforementioned. To my surprise and elation, the AFM had structures and support systems that had been working on my behalf—royalty and reuse payments and a pension! Left to my own devices, this would not have been the outcome.

Thanks to the AFM, I enjoy much security and peace of mind in a profession that has faithfully served me and my family well. Equally important, I have a financial future and a secure music career to look forward to.

Choosing music as a career and having my dreams supported by various AFM contracts has been key to making a living as a musician. Today, thanks to my appointment to the AFM Diversity Committee by AFM President Ray Hair, I have the opportunity to promote the positive aspects of our union and hopefully represent its openness to accept all musicians, inviting them to enjoy the benefits of AFM membership.

The Diversity Committee’s goal, passion, and commitment are to expand an already inclusive environment for all aspiring musicians throughout the AFM. My hope is that minorities will, at the minimum, populate the AFM in proportion to their American population percentage. For example, Hispanics make up 17% of the population, so our goal is to have at least 17% Hispanic AFM membership; Blacks make up 13% of the American population, so our goal is to see Blacks make up 13% of the AFM membership.

Ethnic background is not the only focus of the Diversity Committee. We are also striving for wider participation of musicians from all music genres. We are interested in creating an inclusive, united environment for musicians. In addition to classical music and other popular genres, we welcome those who specialize in Polynesian, Arabic, African, Asian, alternative, Jamaican, gospel, contemporary Christian, hip hop, and more. We want musicians from all backgrounds, beats, hooks, and rhythms to know they are welcome and encourage them to make their local chapter of the AFM their home.

The existence of a Diversity Committee is evidence that the AFM is committed to reaching out to musicians of diverse backgrounds. Implementing our desires and goals at the local level is a challenge we all face. The committee asks challenging questions such as: how do we create meaningful relationships with musicians that don’t generally think of the AFM as an association that will benefit them? Asking the question is only the first step. Of course, the patent reply is “you have to organize,” which is true!

One alternative is to think and operate differently in organizing. For example, here in Las Vegas, our executive board is grappling with the challenge of engaging millennials—a beautiful and unique group. Millennials aren’t beating our door down to be a part of our local due to no fault of their own. Admittedly, we don’t exactly speak the same language. So we are actively pursuing them. We identified a 24-year-young musician with great leadership potential and consistently invite her to our board meetings. As an observer, when she chooses to comment, we recognize her, give her the floor, and take notes!

We are inviting nonmembers to our Local 369 functions as observers, and if music is being performed, we are creating an opportunity for them to perform as well! If all are wanted, then all must be welcome to observe our operations and conversations.

Another example is gospel and contemporary Christian musicians. Almost every community has them. They are easy enough to engage, but our local isn’t heavily populated with them. We need them to teach us how to attract their participation. We need to create relationships with any groups of performing musicians that have a presence in our communities, but lack representation in our locals.

As 2018 gets underway, please challenge yourself to invite new musicians to your union functions. Share the International Musician magazine with a nonmember and follow up with a conversation about whatever they highlight. By accepting the above challenges you are thinking and operating differently in how we organize!

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and for working with your local to encourage union membership.

Jeff lorber
Member Profiles

Pianist Jeff Lorber: A Career Built from Coast to Coast

Jeff lorber

Jeff Lorber of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA).

Pianist Jeff Lorber of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) says he felt like he had access to the world stage growing up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. He saw the genesis of rock and roll up close. Local record label Cameo Parkway put out a string of hits with Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, and The Orlons. Plus, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand premiered there in 1950. The city offered more inspiration in the way of homegrown jazz talent—Jimmy Heath, McCoy Tyner, and the Brecker Brothers. During the same period, John Coltrane famously lived there.

As a teenager, Lorber played with local R&B bands. At Berklee College of Music in the 1970s, his tastes veered toward jazz and fusion. “I knew if I was going to be an instrumentalist, I’d have to get better at jazz. It was a way to get vocabulary and to become better as a musician,” he says. “Berklee aligned curriculum to the local scene that allowed students to go out and make a living in the music business. It gave us tools to analyze music—taking it apart and putting it back together to understand it—and make our own music.”

In many ways, the Jazz Workshop at Berklee was almost as valuable as taking courses. He says, “Every week there would be somebody absolutely great playing: [Local 802 members] George Benson, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson. I saw Miles Davis play a number of times during that era.” Lorber followed Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, as well as R&B acts like The Crusaders, and Grover Washington, Jr.

But it was Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda album that most inspired him. He remembers thinking it was revolutionary, “Wow, that’s what I want to do. I want to play funky jazz like that.”

Lorber moved to Portland, Oregon, where he formed The Jeff Lorber Fusion. The group released a self-titled debut album in 1977. “There were lucky coincidences, but it’s also about being able to take advantage of those lucky breaks,” Lorber says. “We were touring, selling records. It was a good time in the music biz. We were signed to Arista records and they had good budgets to make records and promote B artists.”

“Then one day Clive Davis [Arista founder and president] decided he wasn’t into jazz anymore. He got rid of his jazz division almost overnight. The few who were left, he wanted them to do R&B vocal stuff,” says Lorber. “That was a mistake. We were on a trajectory to having a solid fan base and touring a lot of pretty big venues. When we radically changed what we were doing, we lost fans.”

Lorber briefly launched a solo career with a release in 1982, but took a break from solo recording and composing, opting instead to work with other artists. There were a few hits on Arista, “Step by Step” (1985) with Audrey Wheeler and Anita Pointer. He moved to Warner Bros. and had another hit with “Facts of Love,” with Karyn White. He recalls working with the R&B duo René Moore and Angela Winbush. “I loved the music we made, the records, and what I learned working with them.” He says, though, “Most of the time vocal overpowers instruments.” He resumed his solo career in 1991 with Worth Waiting For.

Lorber says union scale was important. “Most guys would get double scale for gigs—and having that standard in place created a level playing field where everybody knew the value of a musician’s time. You didn’t have to negotiate each time.” When he lived in Portland, early in his career, Lorber says, “We used to do Musicians Performance Trust Fund gigs. Here in LA, a lot of people do jam sessions and rehearse at the union hall.” Lorber says he’s a supporter of any organization that looks after musicians. “[Otherwise] we’re out here on our own.”

For a number of years, Lorber has battled Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a congenital disease, which has affected many members of his family. A kidney donated by his wife 11 years ago saved his life. “When you face a life and death situation, you know what’s important. I try to spend my time doing things I love doing, which is playing music and composing,” says Lorber, who says about 600,000 people in the US and two million worldwide are afflicted with PKD.

The proceeds from Lorber’s record of bebop standards, Jazz Funk Soul (Everett Harp and the late Chuck Loeb), go to PKD research. Lorber says, “I love the straight-ahead jazz. You can hear bebop phrasing in the solos.”

Lorber’s most recent album, Prototype (2017), was nominated for a Grammy. “I’m just grateful I’ve had a chance to make a career doing music. I love living in LA and working with the great talents here on a regular basis,” he says. At present, he’s doing some composing and planning an upcoming tour of Southeast Asia.

Health, Resources

Eating Healthy on the Fly: Don’t Let Fast Food Slow You Down

Eating HealthyFor musicians on the road, eating healthy food can be hard. Restaurants and mini-mart offerings can add unwanted calories quickly, but they are often the only option.

Choose beverages with no added sugar or with few calories. Most stores stock fat-free or low-fat yogurt, fruit packs, and trail mix. Keep in mind that some prepackaged foods look like single servings, but actually contain multiple servings. Avoid obvious bad choices: fried food, high-fat meat, and milk shakes. Instead, choose sandwiches with fewer toppings and no cheese. Opt for salads with low-fat or fat-free dressing, replace French fries with sliced fruit, and swap out fried meats for grilled options or fish.

The good news about health halos is a bit more complicated. Fast food chains use the symbol to indicate a healthier option. This claim, however, usually overestimates the healthfulness of an item. Researchers note that consumers frequently confuse low fat with low calorie, resulting in overconsumption. Some veggie dishes pack nearly 1,000 calories, while a burger may have as few as 250.

According to the Food and Brand lab at Cornell University, “Consumers chose beverages, side dishes, and desserts containing up to 131% more calories when the main dish was positioned as ‘healthy,’ even though the main dish contained more calories than the ‘unhealthy option.’” The rule of thumb is always read the nutrition facts before ordering. (Now that restaurants are adding calorie counts to menus, it’s becoming easier to riddle out how much you will be taking in.)

Other recent studies done by the Food and Brand Lab found that “low-fat” labels on snack foods encouraged people to eat up to 50% more than those who saw labels without the low-fat claim. “Simply seeing the words low-fat encouraged people in these studies to consume 84 extra calories! This happens because when consumers see the low-fat label on a product, they automatically assume it has fewer calories.”

Got a smart phone? Get an app to count calories. The Fast Food Calorie Counter app ($1, for iPhone or Android) lists more than 9,000 menu items. Also, eat small with pint-size portions. The kids’ menu can save you calories. If it’s unavoidable to eat unhealthy at one meal, make sure the next choice is a healthy one.

Dehydration can cause sweet and salty food cravings. Stay hydrated and you will be less likely to snack. Fruits can add to overall hydration: lettuce and some vegetables have high water content, as do watermelon, peaches, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, and blueberries.

Banana, beans, greens

Maximize protein and plant-based foods. Plant-based foods plus plenty of protein keep energy levels up. Generally, avoid refined grains, sugary snacks, and fried foods. Called a super fruit, bananas are high in B vitamins, calcium, and other minerals, such as magnesium and iron. Dark leafy greens, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and fruits, and foods high in probiotics (fermented foods) all boost energy. High-fiber and nutrient-heavy plant foods that will burn for hours. Low-fiber and nutrient-light foods—simple carbohydrates—burn quickly. When you’re eating plant-strong, you won’t have the energy highs and lows.

Kale, mustard greens, collard greens, cabbage, and broccoli are high in nutrients and contain glucosinolates, which inhibit the growth of certain cancers. Swiss chard and spinach have similar nutritional value. What’s more, they are available throughout the year, and both are rich in iron, which carries oxygen to the blood.

Egg, salmon, almonds

Nuts are satisfying proteins that fill you up, although try to find the “no salt” option. They have heart-healthy unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and fiber. 

Eggs pack a punch, too. More than half the protein is found in the egg white, along with vitamin B2, and whites are lower in fat and cholesterol than the yolk. Egg whites are also rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12, and minerals, like zinc, iron, and copper.

If you like it, fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Like nuts, it is plentiful in omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamin D, a nutrient that most people are deficient in. It functions like a steroid hormone in the body. (Of the many unhealthy options at a McDonalds, the Filet-O-Fish contains a rather modest 380 calories.)

Health, Resources

2018 Brings Group Health Insurance Plan and New Members to Local 257

Local 257 (Nashville, TN) President Dave Pomeroy (left) worked out a deal with RJ Stillwell of Sound Healthcare to offer reduced rate health insurance to Local 257 members who live in Tennessee.

In December, AFM Local 257 (Nashville, TN), working with longtime health insurance advocate RJ Stillwell and his company Sound Healthcare, introduced three Blue Cross Blue Shield group health insurance plans available to members. The plans are all ACA compliant—one HSA qualified bronze plan and two silver plans.

“The rates are very competitive and much better than most options out there,” says Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy. “This is something we have been discussing and working on for a long time. We are very excited it has finally come to fruition.”

This unique and exclusive plan is only available to Local 257 members in good standing who live in Tennessee. Because the Blue Cross Blue Shield network we are using is a nationwide PPO (Blue Network P), it will be especially helpful for touring musicians, as many marketplace ACA plans do not have coverage outside your local area, unless you have a life-threatening emergency.

Local 257 is also offering a reduced rate to join or reactivate during the membership drive in progress now through the end of March 2018. Currently, new and returning members can waive the local and Federation initiation and reinstatement fees when joining Local 257.

The combination of the 2018 membership drive and the new health care plan has resulted in a dramatic increase in member applications since the announcement in mid-November, with more than 100 new members already signed up. This member benefit is one more tangible thing that the Nashville Musicians Association offers its members. For many who have been on the fence about joining in the past, this is already proving to be the tipping point to finally join the AFM.

As our membership numbers increase, so does our collective voice, and this creates the rising tide that lifts all boats. Solidarity rules!

Officer Columns, Secretary-Treasurer

End of Year Updates

Voluntary Compliance Program

Labor law compliance oversight is an important Department of Labor (DOL) responsibility. The magnitude of the task becomes evident if you add up all the locals in all the unions across the US that require oversight. As you can see, the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) has a daunting task of making sure unions are complying with the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). Labor organizations are required to file annual financial Labor-Management (LM) reports within 90 days after the end of their fiscal year. In general, AFM local officers act responsibly, performing this official duty in a timely fashion; however, from time to time some locals are delinquent.

The AFM participates in a Voluntary Compliance Partnership Program that affords national and/or international unions an opportunity to assist the DOL in obtaining delinquent affiliate reports. Each quarter the AFM receives a list of delinquent locals. We are requested to assist the DOL in getting the report filed or updating local officer contact information so the DOL can contact the officers directly. The AFM and the DOL meet annually to discuss delinquent local reports and share information. Together, over the years we have built a good working relationship.

LM Reports

Local officers need to keep in mind that LM reports must now be signed electronically by the local president and local secretary-treasurer. Each report requires two different electronic signatures. Those locals that only have one person serving in both capacities (president and secretary-treasurer) need to have their executive board authorize a second person (usually an executive board member) to also sign the report.

Remember, you must file your LM report within 90 days after the end of your fiscal year. Filing late is a violation that gets the attention of the DOL and may lead to a DOL audit of your local.

Bonding

The AFM purchases an umbrella bonding insurance policy covering AFM locals. Since each local is bonded in differing amounts, please contact Jonathan Ferrone at jferrone@afm.org if you are unsure of the bonding amount the AFM purchased for your local.

International Musician

The International Musician survey is now closed. There were 4,254 respondents with many adding additional comments. Thank you to all who took the time to share their thoughts by taking the survey. We are currently analyzing the information we received. In a future issue of the IM, we will share with our readers what we learn from your answers and comments.

The International Musician Editorial Board (IMEB) meets monthly prior to the publication of each issue in order to determine what content will appear in the magazine. Unsolicited articles that have been submitted to the IMEB editor (cyurco@bentley-hall.com) are considered for publication at IMEB meetings. The IMEB has sole discretion to determine what is published and in which issue an article will appear.

Additionally, readers of the International Musician have an opportunity to provide feedback about recent articles that have appeared in the publication. When submitting feedback, please adhere to the feedback requirements. All Feedback letters regarding articles printed in the IM must be typed, signed (with name, local, and phone number), and should be no more than 200 words in length. Feedback can be emailed to im@afm.org.

International Musician, Recent News

WestJet’s Encore Pilots Organize

Last month, 500 pilots for WestJet Airlines’ regional carrier, Encore, formally joined the Air Line Pilots Association, selecting the organization as its bargaining representative.

In a statement, WestJet, which once took pride in its nonunion corporate culture, said, “we are disappointed by this outcome.”

 

International Musician, Recent News

Missouri Workers to Decide Right to Work

The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office certified 250,327 signatures of registered voters, 78% more than what was required to put the question of “right to work” on the ballot in November 2018.

The measure proposed aims to ban the collection of union dues as a condition of employment. With less than 10% of Missouri wage earners in a union, the law would hurt nonunion workers far more than union members.

“Just the name ‘right to work’ is a lie,” says Western Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council Business Manager Tim Bell. “Federal law already protects workers from being forced to join a union. This is just a cash-grab, trying to take money out of the pockets of working people in Missouri.”

In 1978, when the right to work question was last on the ballot, 60% of Missouri voters gave an emphatic no.