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More artists cancel scheduled performances kennedy center Jazz supergroup The Cookers pulled out of a planned New Year’s Eve concert after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the facility, with the organization’s president saying the cancellation belied the artists’ reluctance to see their music as cutting across political divides.
Jazz supergroup The Cookers, who have performed together for nearly two decades, announced on their website that they were withdrawing from the Jazz New Year’s Eve event, saying “the decision was made very quickly” and acknowledging the frustration of those who might have planned to attend.
The band made no mention of the building’s renaming or the Trump administration, but did say that when they return to performances, they want to ensure “the room celebrates the full presence of music and everyone in it” and reiterated its commitment to “playing music that bridges divisions rather than deepens them.”
The group may not have directly addressed the Kennedy Center’s issues, but one of its members has. saxophonist Billy Harper said in comments on the Jazz Stage on Saturday Facebook The page reads that he “would never even consider performing at a venue that bears a name (and is controlled by a board of directors) that represents blatant racism and the deliberate destruction of African American music and culture. I have dedicated my life to creating and advancing the same music.”
according to White HouseTrump’s handpicked board of directors approved the name change. Harper said the board “and the names displayed on the building itself represent a mentality and approach that I have always opposed. And continue to oppose today more than ever.”
Richard GrenellTrump’s ally, whom the president chose to head the Kennedy Center after ousting the previous leadership, posted on X on Monday night that “artists now canceling shows were booked by the former far-left leadership,” suggesting those bookings were made under the Biden administration.
“The last-minute cancellation proves that they are always unwilling to perform for everyone — even those with whom they disagree politically,” Grenell said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, adding that the Kennedy Center has received “an influx of inquiries from real artists who are willing to perform for everyone and who reject political statements in their art.”
Kennedy Center officials did not immediately say whether the entity would take legal action against the group, as Grenell said it would after musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance. After Reade withdrew his decision, citing the renaming of the Kennedy Center, Grenell said he would seek $1 million in damages for what he called a “political stunt.”
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and Congress passed a law the following year naming the center his living memorial. Scholars said any change to the building’s name would require congressional approval. The law specifically prohibits the board from converting the center into a memorial for anyone else, or from etching someone else’s name on the exterior of the building.
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Associated Press writers Steven Sloan and Hillel Italia contributed to this report.