Skip wrote:

Maybe moreso, because this purports to be different. But Patricia Barber -- a very well-positioned person with a pronouncedly intellectual socio-political adgenda and a deal with Blue Note -- wins out.

more and more the major labels are having their artists (or these artists themselves) are trying for these types of arts grants, which, of course, makes it ever *more* difficult for the small fry to get their hands on something like this type of help with their projects. I have SOME familiarity with how this all works and Herb's letter is basically spot-on. Of all the US artists I work with, the only person who has ever had any kind of luck whatsoever getting a grant for his work is guitarist/composer Nick Didkovsky. Other artists (most notably saxist/composer George Cartwright - who I personally think extremely highly of as a composer) has never been able to get anything, despite having a pretty good track record and the 'smarts' and organizational skills to 'play by the rules' as Herb basically put it.

Then again, I doubt that Sonny Rollins addressed them and HE got the Guggenheim.

Did somebody (grant writer? management? record label?) address them ON BEHALF of Sonny? That's what I would guess. Part of my day-to-day job is writing support letters on behalf of my artists/bands 'to whom it may concert' when/if my artists apply for these grants, so I've seen a bit of the process. Elsewhere, it's quite different: Many, many of my French, Canadian, English, Dutch and Belgian artists have gotten at least some money or support from grants; there's just more money for the arts in other places. How you feel about this (and how this is paid for) is another story.... <grin> Steve Cuneiform Records