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Jazz Notes Continued from page 23
years, partly to focus on her own wellness. In 2020, under her company Revive Music, she embarked on yet another important mission; she described it by stating, “We now look to focus on another extremely important and vital part of advocacy and that is the health and wellbeing of each member and musician in our community.” During that year’s Winter Jazzfest, along with its founder Brice Rosenbloom, she coordinated a benefit show entitled ‘Revive Yo Feelings’ to benefit Jazz Foundation of America and MusiCares, that featured Robert Glasper. The initiative was organized to address the music industry’s surrounding issues of mental health, addiction and recovery (just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). “Meghan possessed a rare combination of intuitive wit, coupled with when to time a strike to present her artistic vision for success, and she miraculously accomplished it tenaciously!” said trumpeter and friend Charles Tolliver. Stabile collaborated with trumpeter and composer Igmar Tomas to form The Revive Big Band which he leads and is now in the process of completing its debut album. For approximately 13 years Revive Music Group promoted and produced live shows while maintaining an online publication, The Revivalist, in association with Okayplayer. “There is a lack of exposure to live jazz for the younger generation. A lot of young musicians were influenced by hip hop music and many hip hop artists sampled jazz music,” said Stabile during an interview with this writer in 2009. “We’ve
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS R T S & E N T E R T A
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Da Live concerts in unorthodox venues like Webster Hall, Le Poisson Rouge and little unknown spots on the Lower East Side that become a link that brings to- proved to be neutral territory for gether jazz and hip hop art- young jazz fans and the hip hop ists that don’t necessarily know crew. The admission was very reaeach other but have respect for sonable, no quiet rules, dancing each other’s creativity.” and talking permitted. Her conStabile presented her debut certs were packed and it was my concert series Revive Da Live first time seeing young jazz muin 2009 which featured Jeru the sicians and fans mixing it up with Damaja, Large Professor (pro- hip hop lovers and here I was the ducer for Common and A Tribe oldest in the place giving me hope
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another side of hip hop other than the stereotypical bling, bling, money and women lyrics.” Meghan Erin Stabile was born July 26, 1982, in Corpus Christi, Texas and grew up in Dover, N.H. She was raised mainly by her grandmother and an aunt, and had no relationship with her father. She was estranged from her mother, Gina Marie Skidds, who died last year. “I got kicked out of four schools—three high schools
out venues.” When she moved to New York in 2006, Stabile brought her new business acumen and a desire to bring live shows to the people. She started on a shoestring budget while waiting tables in the East Village. She developed her Revive Music into an institution, a New York Hang that brought musicians together for the greater good. Which wasn’t easy for a young woman navigating in a world of older men who weren’t looking for any changes in the system. Don Was, president of Blue Note Records, took notice of her accomplishments and partnered with the organization to release an album, “REVIVE Music Presents: Supreme Sonacy (Vol. 1),” in 2015. “I think Revive has a keen understanding of the basic nature of the music, which is that it’s got to keep moving forward,” Was said in press materials. “Not decade by decade, or year by year, but every day.” Others affiliated with Stabile’s mission were keyboardMeghan Stabile, photographed onstage with Robert Glasper during Winter Jazzfest 2020 (Jonathan Chimene/WBGO photo) ists Ray Angry, harpist Brandee Called Quest), and Daru Jones. that jazz was reaching younger and a middle school,” Stabile Younger, trumpeter Keyon HarThey were teamed with young people crossing genres. At the end told John Leland. “For fighting. rold, rapper producer Thunderjazz musicians like bassist/vo- of her concerts it wasn’t jazz or hip I went through a lot, and I made Cat, drummer Justin Brown and calist Esperanza Spalding, sax- hop it was good music. Stabile un- it through. It didn’t break me. So producer Raydar Ellis. ophonist Marcus Strickland, derstood Duke Ellington’s state- always having that strength has “…The music community, drummer Chris “Daddy” Dave, ment “there is only good music been able to pull me through any known for its power to uplift, must alto sax Jaleel Shaw, and pia- and bad music.” She combined the type of situation.” unite to combat all stigma and nist Aaron Parks. Over the years Black music tradition with today’s She attended Berklee, in Boston, misinformation related to mental Stabile continued to work with music for digestion by larger audi- as a guitarist and a singer, but health by promoting messages these artists which developed ences that included many races of eventually decided on music busi- of wellness through music,” said into a friendship that grew until various ages and circumstances. ness courses. The seeds for con- Stabile in 2009, extracted from a her untimely passing. cert promotion and producing larger statement. “Our message “I’m so honored to have been During an interview with The came from her experiences at the not only serves our communipart of many of the projects you New York Times in 2013, she noted, local hangout spot Wally’s Cafe, ty of musical innovators but also presented. They were always “We have a strategic plan to get where jazz musicians played reg- the audiences receiving the music so much fun and you brought both hip hop and jazz fans togeth- ularly. Stabile told “Jazz Night in and thus humanity as a whole.” so many people of all ages and er. The show is a vehicle to educate America.” She began to wonder In addition to her grandraces together with those shows,” the audience about hip hop and “why this music isn’t readily avail- mother, she is survived by a stated Shaw. jazz, some have never seen a live able, or why this music isn’t on the sister, Caitlin Chaloux, and a Stabile presented her Revive jazz performance. It also shows radio, why this band isn’t selling brother, Michael Skidds.
