Summer Soft: A Preview of Coming Publications at Call & Response, With a Note on Steve Coleman's Subpoena
Hello and happy summer. Thanks for hanging in there during my Substack break this month. Early May found me reflecting on how best to proceed with this newsletter. I was tempted to join the platform’s trend of brief, declarative three-paragraph posts. They’re popular. Testing out a few super-short posts could be fun this summer. But consulting with writer and reader friends, including several of you subscribers, yielded the feedback that anyone who’s cultivated a capacity to write longer essays, connecting disparate ideas and occasionally even penetrating to deeper truths, has a literary and possibly moral obligation to do so. At least some of the time. So this past month, I’ve been slowly crafting reported and/or reflective essays on various subjects to be published here throughout the summer. More on that below in a moment.
First, a difficult subject. Another reason for the publication break was my dismayed sense of déjà vu when I received some outraged messages attacking my character in mid-May. These messages arrived in reaction to a Facebook post by musician Steve Coleman in which he accused me, among others, of harboring information that would somehow exonerate him in his dispute with musician Maria Grand about their relationship. In 2018, I reported on the We Have Voice collective, of which Grand was a member, for National Public Radio and Chamber Music America. Neither article mentioned Steve Coleman or referenced his relationship with Maria.
The relationship at issue began when Maria was 18 and Steve was 52. Maria alleged Steve used his position of relative power and influence to manipulate her into a sexual relationship—she didn’t, however, claim the relationship was non-consensual. This now seven-year-old conflict long ago had its day in the court of public opinion and the actual court of law. Steve sued Maria for defamation; Maria countersued for intentional infliction of emotional distress. This legal action ended in a stalemate, with a judge denying the claims of both parties in 2021.
In 2019, Steve served me and several others subpoenas, seeking all communications that referenced, concerned, or related to Steve, Maria, or the We Have Voice collective, as well as any “documents evidencing Maria’s future performances.” In the Trump era, subpoenas have increasingly been weaponized against journalists. They can be discouraging to a free press. Even if a journalist can withstand the legal intimidation a subpoena presents, addressing one, especially as a freelancer, requires considerable time and resources, diverting a journalist from reporting and writing. They’re no fun. On Facebook in May, Steve alleged that reporting by women journalists on Maria Grand’s career and the We Have Voice Collective was an act of conspiracy against him. This framing is not only inaccurate but extremely harmful to an already beleaguered journalism field, eroding the scant remaining public trust in media.
In July, I’ll consider some intricacies of this saga in a larger essay—one of those I’ve been crafting slowly these past few weeks—about how I managed to find some soul-saving perspective during the tumultuous identity politics of 2017-2022. This essay will not condemn or exonerate anyone. I’m aiming to rectify what I see as a lack of nuance in identity politics discussions, especially in the jazz world.
For now, I’ll conclude with a sentiment of goodwill. The Buddhist in me can’t help it. As Steve stirs animosity toward me, costing me colleagues, my genuine wish is that he focus wholeheartedly on music and creative pursuits again. Genius grants shouldn’t be wasted on lawsuits. In other words, it’s long past time for everyone to get back to the work they do best.
This Summer at Call & Response
Do you need a mood cleanser? Me too.
Thanks to Stevie Wonder for modulating so beautifully through seasons of love and loss and easing us into the here and now.
This summer, besides the aforementioned essay on my experience with identity politics, especially in the jazz world, which will be a two or three-parter, we’ll catch up on some artist interviews I’ve been conducting. Two are coming in June. Also, look for a piece on evolving notions of “giftedness” over the decades and how singing an 80s hit at a 6th-grade talent show saved me from some pitfalls of precociousness.
I’ll continue the spin-off series to Hard Truths for Poor Artists, which I’m now calling The Art of Frugal Hedonism. In these uncertain times, almost everyone I know is cutting back on expenses and saving money. This is where artists shine. We’re virtuosos of living well on low incomes, spending as little as possible without sacrificing pleasure, inspiration, or satisfaction. In February, I covered how to have a frugal but fabulous day of art, culture and beauty. In April, I explored budget travel as an alternative mindset, with luxury redefined according to one’s true aims and pleasures on a trip.
Sharing expense numbers for our working/family trip to Greece was especially popular. Expect more $$$ numbers here as I explore other subjects in budget living and frugal hedonism.
Speaking of which, this summer I’ll share a DIY project: my husband and I are renovating our house’s garden level and garage into a rec room and music space for the 13yo’s teen years. It will come as no surprise to Call & Response readers that we’re doing it on an impossibly small budget, with recycled materials, our own labor (my husband Marc is super handy), and sheer will. Monday is the first of many trips to ReStore.
Before we demo the first wall in June, I’ve created some pleasant outdoor spaces at home. Refuges from the renovation.
I’ll save my backyard garden and hammock refuges for future posts.
See you next week with some real live writing.
XOMM
Oof I was threatened a few weeks ago with a defamation suit for my writing about ICE raids. It’s no fun. Keep writing! BD
Looking forward!