SONNY GREER WAS RIGHT

Sonny, Ellington’s long-time percussionist and friend, wasn’t known for philosophical utterances, but one of his has stuck in my mind for decades. Its subject: generosity.

Brother Greer tells us, Cast your bread upon the sea and it comes back buttered toast, which is a witty way of saying that any generosity returns unimagined dividends to the giver.

I think about this a good deal, and have seen it in action. The clenched hand is met with its mirror image, as is the open one.

Last week, WordPress, the organ that enables me to send out blogposts to you on a fairly regular basis — fifteen years now — told me several times that I now could set up my blog to receive payments from readers. I am fortunate enough to not have to consider “monetizing” JAZZ LIVES, and I have no desire to say, “Hey. Pay me for that ______ music you say you like,” because I feel that would taint the enterprise.

BUT I have no trouble asking my readers to support a worthwhile enterprise that I hope many of them rely on already. That enterprise is the monthly newspaper, THE SYNCOPATED TIMES, created, edited, and published by Andy Senior of Utica, New York, since 2016. Astute readers, which means all of you, know that publishing such a paper is an arduous enterprise, and Andy has been making up financial deficits on his own for three years now.

Thus, the story on the front page of the April 2023 issue.

The Syncopated Times launches GoFundMe, seeks 501c3 status

Andy Senior, Publisher and Editor of The Syncopated Times, has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to shore up the paper’s finances prior to converting the entity from a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) under sole proprietorship to a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation. Since its launch in 2016, The Syncopated Times has been the only national publication devoted to traditional jazz, ragtime, and swing. The pandemic led to the closure of many of the jazz festivals TST counted on on as advertisers—which coincided with increases in the cost of paper, printing, and mailing, all making a for-profit model no longer feasible. Senior has been covering losses with his own money since March 2020.

A preliminary fundraising goal has been set at $60,000 so that a new 501c3 nonprofit organization under the name Syncopated Media can be established on a strong footing, with a view to expand beyond the monthly paper to cover the jazz scene and jazz history in the visual and audio formats that engage a modern audience. While The Syncopated Times in print (and online at syncopatedtimes.com) will remain the primary focus, the new organization will be able to secure grant funding to produce documentaries for YouTube, compile albums for Bandcamp, create podcasts, and resurrect Syncopated Times Radio.

Considering the current high quality of The Syncopated Times, which now operates on a shoestring budget, the new organization will be able to accomplish great things with whatever funding can be obtained beyond what currently comes in from subscriptions and advertising. Money raised in this drive will cover necessary expenses during the process of becoming a 501c3 corporation, and allow the new organization to start with a large enough budget to sustain operations until further funding from grants and individual donors can be secured.

Nonprofit status will come with many benefits for TST readers and the jazz community. The reorganization plan includes recruiting a large and experienced Governing Board to pilot the new nonprofit and greatly extend our reach, especially into school and community music programs. The Board will also ensure that the future of professional coverage of the traditional jazz, ragtime, and swing community is not dependent on a single owner-operator, but a reflection of the community itself.

The Syncopated Times will retain a paid subscription model, both in print and online, and count on both new readers and renewals. Subscriptions will account for the majority of our operating budget for the foreseeable future. The editorial process will remain the same for each issue, with Andy Senior editing, designing, and laying out each issue. Nothing will change for current subscribers.

Those considering a donation may visit the below link.

DONATE HERE

We gladly accept checks to:

The Syncopated Times
1809 Whitesboro St.
Utica, NY 13502

I know that not everyone who reads JAZZ LIVES or THE SYNCOPATED TIMES is financially comfortable. At times it seems as if the audience for “classic,” “hot,” or “traditional” jazz is shrinking more quickly than people who listen to other kinds of music. But I urge you to be generous — in the Sonny Greer way or in your own fashion. It will be a smaller, quieter, sadder world if this paper were to cease publishing.

I could have offered a number of pertinent sountracks, from MONEY BLUES to BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? to JUST A KID NAMED JOE, SHOE SHINE BOY, or MAMIE’S BLUES. You may hum and sing and play these songs and recordings at your leisure. But while you do, think of the unselfish joy of giving and the perhaps selfish joy of having something good to read every month.

Thank you.

May your happiness — and your generosity — increase!