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More artists canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center after US President Donald Trump's name appeared in the building, and jazz supergroup The Cookers pulled out of a planned New Year's Eve concert.
The new round of cancellations after Trump put his name on the building follows an earlier backlash from artists in the spring. After Trump removed the Kennedy Center's board in February and installed himself as the institution's chairman, performer Issa Rae and producers Hamilton canceled planned events, and musicians Ben Folds and Renee Fleming resigned from their advisory positions.
New board voted to add Trump's name to the buildingformerly known as John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts earlier this month. The building's full name is now the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The Cookers, the jazz supergroup that has been performing together for nearly two decades, have announced they are leaving the lineup. Jazz New Year on its website, stating that “the decision was made very quickly” and acknowledging the disappointment of those who may have planned to attend.
The band didn't mention the building's renaming or the Trump administration, but said that when they returned to performing, they wanted to make sure “the venue can celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it,” reiterating a commitment to “playing music that spans all departments rather than deepens them.”
However, one of the group members openly spoke about renaming. On Saturday, saxophonist Billy Harper said in comments posted on Jazz Stage's Facebook page that he would “never even consider performing at a venue that has a name (and is controlled by some sort of board of directors) that represents blatant racism and the deliberate destruction of African-American music and culture.” The same music, the creation and development of which I dedicated my life to.”
The renaming was approved by Trump's board, according to the White House. Harper said both the board and “the name on the building itself reflect a mentality and practices that I have always opposed. And I still perform today more than ever.”
The jazz group's decision comes after several other artists pulled out of performances in recent days. Folk singer Christy Lee announced on social networks she canceled a performance scheduled for January, saying that performing there would mean losing her integrity.
Doug Varone and Dancers, a dance troupe from New York, also said on social networks on Monday they will no longer perform as scheduled in April because adding Trump's name to the building was too far gone.
Richard Grenell, a Trump ally whom the president chose to head the Kennedy Center after he ousted previous leadership, published Monday evening on Xstating: “The artists who are now canceling performances were booked by the previous far-left management.”
In a statement to The Associated Press, Grenell said Tuesday that “the last-minute cancellations prove that they have always been reluctant to perform in front of everyone — even those with whom they disagree politically.”
He added that the Kennedy Center is “inundated with requests from real artists who are willing to perform for everyone and reject political statements in their work.”
Kennedy Center officials have not yet said whether the organization will file a lawsuit against the jazz group, as Grenell said after musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance.
Redd cited the building's renaming as his reason for leaving. Grenell said he would seek US$1 million in damages from Redd for what he called a “political stunt.”
Former US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and the following year Congress passed legislation naming the center a living monument to him. The scientists said any changes to the building's name would require Congressional approval; The law specifically prohibits the board of trustees from turning the center into a memorial for anyone else or placing another person's name on the building's façade.
