# Sexism in Jazz: Irvin Mayfield. Who Do You Love? Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/12/29/sexism-in-jazz-irvin-mayfield-who-do-you-love-video/
- Published: 2017-12-29T15:30:22+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**With the revolution busting men for sexually harassing women, the question has
been asked: How do you love someone who’s done something really bad? I imagine this
question is considered by everyone who’s had a kid who may turn out not so well (
having and raising a child is an investment of your time, love, money, after all,
as a parent). This may be a bit extreme, but Jeffrey Dahmer’s father professed his
love for his son even after he’d been convicted of totally horrific crimes. They’re
your kid, after all. They weren’t always a serial killer, right?**What about Sarah
Silverman’s statement about Louis CK? ““I love Louie,” she said, “but Louie did 
these things. Both of those statements are true. So, I just keep asking myself, 
can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them? I can mull that
over later, certainly, because the only people that matter right now are the victims.
They are victims, and they’re victims because of something he did.”The fact is that
there are multitudes of people who have done bad things and abused others in some
pretty nasty ways. Does their bad behavior cancel out our appreciation of their 
talent and their vision? All of these men, for example, were known to have abused
women emotionally or sexually in some way: Albert Einstein, Miles Davis , Woody 
Allen, Roman Polanski, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Bill Clinton, James
Brown, John Lennon, Chuck Berry…the list is very, very long (growing daily, and 
historically).

And then we come to people who have a vision for good, but who have broken laws 
in making their vision come true. I’m referring to Irvin Mayfield and Ronald Markham
because I believe that had a vision and that they meant to do good things for the
community.I distinctly remember when Mayfield and Markham created the New Orleans
Jazz Orchestra in 2002. Markham came to my office and told me about a vision of 
creating a homegrown orchestra that would consist of Mayfield as leader and the 
cream of the crop of New Orleans jazz musicians. The concept was modeled after Wynton
Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center (Mayfield admired Marsalis and wanted to emulate
his successes).

I loved the idea but cautioned Markham that setting up something like this would
be difficult to sustain monetarily, because while the idea is wonderful, there probably
weren’t enough financial sponsors in New Orleans to create and maintain it. Support
of a jazz orchestra at that time (2002) wasn’t top-of-mind for the sponsors of non-
profit endeavors.

But Markham was very optimistic that they could make a go of it. I pledged OffBeat’s
support in their endeavors.

Both Mayfield and Markham were tight with then-mayor Ray Nagin, and had found a 
way to tap into a deep well of money http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/entertainment_life/
music/article_d17ea608-e50f-11e7-8135-4b70bebbbdea.html (the Wisner Foundation, 
which the Mayor of New Orleans controls) to finance NOJO.

When Nagin left office, the money well dried up, but Mayfield/Markham by that time
had used their combined talent, good looks and charm, and intelligence and quick
wits to figure out how to wiggle their (and NOJO’s) way into the top echelon of 
New Orleans sponsor/funders who were apparently blinded by the glamour and cachet
of music—and the guys themselves. Mayfield and Markham cultivated the crème de la
crème of board members, most notably Ron Forman of the Audubon Institute, who formed
the board of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. They also engineered a board friendly
to their financial machinations at the New Orleans Public Library Foundation, one
of whom was Ron Forman’s son. There’s a lot more to this story, but it most probably
will not end well for Mayfield and Markham. There are 19 serious counts in the indictment
that was handed down by a federal grand jury.

These guys are in deep trouble. There was a vision, but they got sucked into the
idea that their vision also came with a lot of money for them personally. Just dumb.
And sad for them and their families.

It’s generally agreed that hubris, arrogance and the creation of an upscale lifestyle
for both of them men put them where they are today. What bothers me the most is 
that they had a beautiful vision for the New Orleans Jazz Market and the Jazz Market
that’s been sullied by the methods in which they created it. The NOJO is still operating,
but struggling mightily. The Jazz Market’s major sponsor Peoples Health pulled their
name off the Jazz Market. Will these institutions be able to continue and thrive?
I certainly hope they do. They deserve our support—without Mayfield and Markham.

Can we continue to love and support the concept, the vision of Mayfield and Markham’s
fertile brains? They meant to do something good for music and musicians, but let
their egos and screw up a really good thing for them, for music and the city. They
are to be pitied.

![Image result for Sexism in Jazz: Irvin Mayfield 2017](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.
staticflickr.com/7497/15458464794_607726ee32_b.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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