The Council for Living Music and AFM, Local 802

Present

Jazz Mentors XIII: The Artist-Manager Relationship

with

Gail Boyd, Karen Kennedy and Michelle Taylor

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The Jazz Mentors series connects up-and-coming performers with some of New York City’s premier artists and jazz industry professionals to discuss the business of jazz. Led by preeminent leaders of the community, each forum features a panel discussion of how best to build and maintain a successful music career.

On December 11, 2017, acclaimed Artist Reps Gail Boyd, Karen Kennedy and Michelle Taylor will kick off a discussion of the artist-manager relationship, and will address such issues as: How do I know if I need a manager? How do I seek a manager? What do managers do? And most important: How do I work with a manager to ensure that the relationship grows and is mutually beneficial?

The Panelists:

Gail Boyd

Gail Boyd is President of Gail W. Boyd, P.C., an entertainment law firm, and Gail Boyd Artist Management, a wholly owned company of the law firm. She is a graduate of De Paul University and De Paul University School of Law. Ms. Boyd has been involved in entertainment law since 1976. She has been involved specifically in music with a specialty in jazz since 1979.

As a lawyer, Gail Boyd has represented jazz artists such as Betty Carter, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Gretchen Parlato, Record Executive Steve Backer, and Randy Weston and has consulted with several labels including Motema Records. Several artists on the Gail Boyd Artist Management Roster are Grammy © Award nominees and winners, and are critically acclaimed by the jazz press. Artists currently represented by Gail Boyd Artist Management are: John Clayton, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, Don Braden, Laurence Hobgood, Scott Tixier.

Karen Kennedy

Karen Kennedy is the founder and President of 24/Seven Artist Development, a leading artist management firm founded in1992 to provide full-range strategic marketing and career planning. She has successfully guided the careers of some of the top names in jazz many of whom have earned multiple GRAMMY© nominations including NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, educator, vibraphonist and composer Stefon Harris, pianist Jacky Terrasson, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, GRAMMY© winner saxophonist David Sanchez, pianist James Francies and guitarist/vocalist Camila Meza.

Prior to launching her business, Ms. Kennedy was an executive at several major record labels including A&M Records, Perspective Records and Silas/MCA Records. She currently lectures at various colleges and has taught at Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA, an M.A. in Counseling and College Administration from the University of Southern California and is a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at UCLA.

Michelle Taylor

Michelle Taylor began her music industry career working as a promotion and marketing executive at various record labels including Blue Note Records, EMI and Verve Records, where she supported such prominent artists as Diane Reeves, Bobby McFerrin, Najee, The O’Jays, Natalie Cole; legendary jazz vocalists, Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter; jazz saxophonists Maceo Parker and Stan Getz; The Harper Brothers Quintet and vocalist Shirley Horn.

After long stints heading up the marketing departments at RCA Records’ Novus label and its Urban Music Division—and later at Atlantic Record’s storied Atlantic Jazz label—she founded her own company, Passion Music Group (formerly, NIA Entertainment, Ltd), where she currently oversees the daily operations of this entertainment marketing company. As Founder and Managing Director, Michelle provides marketing services, event production and artist management representation for her clients. Her artist management list of clients over the years has included: violinist Regina Carter, pianist Tommy Flanagan, vocalist Carmen Lundy, drummer Lewis Nash, saxophonist Antonio Hart, guitarist Rodney Jones and vocalist Letizia Gambi. Currently Michelle is working with the young piano and organ phenomenon, Matthew Whitaker.

Jazz Mentors is made possible in part by New York City Councilmember Corey Johnson and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.