SYMPHONY NOTES

BY KEVIN JABLONSKI

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The year 2020 was not a good one for the Nashville Symphony or its musicians. But with the beginning of a new year, there are hopeful signs of a brighter future.

In December, AFM Local 257 came to an agreement with the Nashville Symphony Association (NSA) to end the furlough of the Musicians of the Nashville Symphony. The musicians began receiving a $500 weekly stipend on January 3, 2021, and since then we have been working with the NSA again in a flexible and creative way to pursue our common mission.

Making music remains our biggest priority and goal, but there are also other ways we are working together with the symphony management during this exceptional time. The musicians are participating in educational initiatives, engaging with the community in virtual events, and developing a comprehensive safety plan in conjunction with symphony staff which will enable us to return to our beloved concert hall. The agreement provides health insurance benefits for the musicians for the duration of the agreement, which culminates on July 31, 2021. Due to the short-term nature of the deal, negotiations between symphony management and musicians will continue with the goal of reaching a new agreement before the start of the 2021-22 season. There is still a long road of recovery ahead, but we hope this agreement is a first step back to normalcy.

During the 6-month furlough last year, the Musicians of the Nashville Symphony were busy working on their own to organize events to serve the community and simultaneously raise money to support themselves. In October, we performed in person for a live audience for the first time during the pandemic in a series of outdoor concerts on consecutive Sundays. A socially distanced ensemble of about a dozen string players visited three different sites in our middle Tennessee community. We are grateful to Lebanon First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, and the Town of Ashland City for hosting these performances. Despite uncertain weather conditions on all three dates, many people still came to listen, and everyone had plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the music.

Our concert series with St. George’s Episcopal Church is still going strong, and we are glad to be continuing those monthly concerts. Even with our new agreement with the Symphony, the musicians will still complete the St. George’s series as planned through May.

Unfortunately, we had to postpone our November concert due to a positive coronavirus test among our musicians, but we plan to reschedule the program as soon as possible. Check out stgeorgesnashville. org/inexcelsis for upcoming concert dates and other information.

This past fall, the musicians also participated in a monthly volunteer opportunity run by Musicians Mission of Mercy. Several symphony players joined the effort to help sort, pack, and distribute food to the community, especially targeting the hard-hit musicians of Nashville. NSO bassist Matt Abramo was one of the volunteers who helped load boxes of food into the recipients’ cars, and he related how important and beneficial it was for these people. “They seemed to really be in need, and they definitely appreciated it,” Abramo said. “It was good to be with my colleagues doing this work together.” Abramo mentioned he was able to take a few extra boxes of food home with him to give to some of his neighbors, who are also musicians in need.

Since the beginning of January, our fundraising efforts have changed due to our re-employment with the Nashville Symphony. We are no longer raising money for our financial aid fund, which provided direct financial assistance to the musicians. We received many generous donations to this fund during the furlough, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who gave such meaningful contributions. We also ran a merchandise campaign at the end of the calendar year, where people bought t-shirts, sweaters, mugs, masks, and more with the logo and branding of the Musicians of the Nashville Symphony. All proceeds went directly into our financial aid fund to benefit the musicians. To see how you can best support us now, please visit our website musiciansofthenashvillesymphony.org.

The Musicians of the Nashville Symphony started an e-newsletter in September, and a team of musicians has been curating wonderful articles, news, and even cartoons about our latest activities. The issues go out monthly, and we plan to continue with these efforts, so feel free to subscribe on our website to keep up with the latest.

All in all, we are glad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. We’re looking forward to a happier, brighter, and more music-filled 2021, and we wish the same for all of you!

Musicians of the Nashville Symphony perform at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville Oct. 18, 2020

Jazz and Blues Beat

By Austin Bealmear

2020, what a year! And just as a ray of hope arrives with a new year, suddenly we have a car bomb on Second Avenue, a riot in Washington D.C., and record numbers from COVID-19. Among our downtown casualties was BB King's Blues Bar, already closed because of the pandemic. No word on future plans. With the concert, club, and studio scene still largely shuttered, maybe this would be a good time to pull out some of those old records and enjoy the classic sounds that have kept us musicians inspired for so long. So, after a short review of the current live scene, we'll note some places you can go to hang out and pick up a few hot sides you missed the first time around.

Clubs

At the City Winery downtown, country meets jazz this spring. Asleep at the Wheel presents its classic Western swing in two shows on March 4. Mandolin virtuoso David Grisman leads a trio for two shows April 3. Rudy's Jazz Room in the Gulch is completely shut down. They are asking for donations to support them until they can be-

David Grisman

gan presenting artists again. Carol Ann's Home Cooking Cafe on Murfreesboro Pike is still advertising blues jam sessions Tuesday nights, and they host Tennessee Rhythm and Blues Society events. Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar is still rockin' but they only schedule one month ahead.

David Grisman

Schools

At the Middle Tennessee State University School of Music, all live concerts remain cancelled. Spring concerts and recitals will be livestreamed only. In March go to their website for the Jazz Ensemble I and II, and a saxophone recital that includes Don Aliquo. In April you can dig the Percussion Ensemble, the Guitar Ensemble, and maybe some version of their spring Jazz Festival.

From its new location on Buchanan Avenue the Nashville Jazz Workshop is also continuing its six-week sessions of classes live via Zoom. nashvillejazz.org The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt currently has no jazz or blues in its livestream schedule. At the W. O. Smith Music School all lessons are via Zoom.

Vinyl venues

Like so many other businesses, local record stores are doing what they can to stay open, and this would be a good time to patronize these important components of our music scene. Masking and social distancing required. For my money, the best jazz and blues collections of records, CDs, videos, and books are at The Great Escape, with three locations: West Nashville, Madison, and Murfreesboro. They are open Wednesday-Sunday and they offer separate inventories through an online store and an eBay store. www.thegreatescapeonline.com. Phonoluxe Records Music & Movies on Nolensville Road is keeping its regular schedule of Friday-Sunday; good jazz and blues stock. www.facebook.com/ phonoluxerecords.

Third Man Records on Seventh Avenue has some classic blues on its own label's high-quality vinyl. Open every day, noon - 6 p.m., www.thirdmanrecords.com. Alison's Record Shop on Davidson Drive is open Thursday-Sunday. This small space is now limited to three customers at a time, but they have a separate online inventory and an eBay page. They also sell audiophile turntables and other equipment. www.alisonsrecordshop.com.

Over in East Nashville you can really get the music spirit in the church building that is now Grimey's New & Preloved Music. Open Tuesday-Saturday. Recorded in-store band performances can be viewed on their website, where you can also rent films on music! www.grimeys.com. A few blocks southwest is Vinyl Tap at Porter Road and Greenwood. Open Wednesday-Sunday, it's also a neighborhood bar where you can enjoy local and regional craft beer while looking through the new and used vinyl. www. vinyltapnashville.com. Another few blocks south is The Groove, an old house on Calvin Avenue, also open Wednesday-Sunday. Masks available if you forget yours, www. thegroovenashville.com. "Just take those old records off the shelf."