{"id":2216883,"date":"2025-12-30T18:52:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2216883"},"modified":"2025-12-30T18:52:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:52:18","slug":"jazz-band-cancels-new-years-eve-performance-at-trump-kennedy-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jazz-band-cancels-new-years-eve-performance-at-trump-kennedy-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz band cancels New Year&#8217;s Eve performance at Trump-Kennedy Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p><story-emphasis util-module-path=\"elements\/story\" section=\"news\" link=\"\/news\"\/><\/p>\n<hr class=\"colorbar section-news\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"display-5 subhead spacer-small\">The last-minute cancellation by the Cookers follows the controversial Dec. 18 decision to rename the music, arts, and cultural institution to include President Donald Trump&#8217;s name<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"87958077007\" title=\"Jazz band cancels Trump-Kennedy Center show with 2 days' notice\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/videos\/stringr\/thumbnails\/87958077007.jpg\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Jazz band cancels Trump-Kennedy Center show with 2 days&#8217; notice<\/p>\n<p>A renowned jazz band, The Cookers, has canceled their New Year\u2019s Eve performance at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, two days before the event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p>An acclaimed jazz band has canceled its New Year&#8217;s Eve performance at the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/12\/19\/trump-kennedy-center-signage-name-change\/87845687007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump-Kennedy Center<\/a>\u00a0following the renaming of the institution.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>Though the Cookers did not provide a reason, the band said the decision on Dec. 29 &#8220;has come together very quickly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice,&#8221; <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecookersmusic.com\/\">the band wrote on its website<\/a>. &#8220;Some of us have been making this music for many decades, and that history still shapes us. We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/30\/USAT\/87953069007-the-cookers.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/30\/USAT\/87953069007-the-cookers.jpg?crop=2462,1847,x0,y302 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/30\/USAT\/87953069007-the-cookers.jpg?crop=1839,2451,x492,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/30\/USAT\/87953069007-the-cookers.jpg?crop=2462,1385,x0,y0 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"The Cookers\" caption=\"The Cookers are pictured\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The band continued to say that their hope &#8220;is that this moment will leave space for reflection, not resentment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;To everyone who is disappointed or upset, we understand and share your sadness,&#8221; they said. &#8220;We remain committed to playing music that reaches across divisions rather than deepening them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The last-minute cancellation follows the Kennedy Center&#8217;s board of trustees&#8217; controversial\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/12\/18\/trump-kennedy-center-takeover-white-house\/87829719007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dec. 18 decision<\/a>\u00a0to rename the music, arts, and cultural institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n<p><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jazz musician\u00a0Chuck Redd <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/12\/25\/kennedy-center-christmas-eve-jazz-cancelled-trump\/87913352007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">canceled a Christmas Eve performance<\/a>\u00a0in protest of the renaming.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/28\/USAT\/87937125007-usatsi-19909651.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/28\/USAT\/87937125007-usatsi-19909651.jpg?crop=924,693,x608,y77 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/28\/USAT\/87937125007-usatsi-19909651.jpg?crop=546,728,x774,y62 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/28\/USAT\/87937125007-usatsi-19909651.jpg?crop=1078,606,x539,y87 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"KEN BLEVINS, Wilmington Star-News via USA TODAY NETWORK\" caption=\"Chuck Redd performs with the Steve Washington Trio at the 43rd annual North Carolina Jazz Festival on Feb. 2, 2023, at the Hotel Ballast in Wilmington, North Carolina.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Redd&#8217;s decision prompted Trump-Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell to seek $1 million in damages for the &#8220;political stunt&#8221; that &#8220;has cost us considerably,&#8221; according to a Dec. 26 letter to Redd obtained by USA TODAY.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>In a Dec. 29 statement to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for The Kennedy Center doubled down on its criticism of Redd: &#8220;Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump-Kennedy Center over political differences isn&#8217;t courageous or principled \u2012 they are selfish, intolerant.&#8221;<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;The Trump-Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds. Great art transcends politics, and America&#8217;s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><media-gallery-promo asset-id=\"87845711007\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In addition to Redd&#8217;s and the Cookers&#8217; cancellation, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/29\/arts\/kennedy-center-new-years-eve-concerts-canceled.html\">the New York Times is reporting<\/a> that the New York dance company Doug Varone and Dancers is canceling two performances in April.<\/p>\n<p>Varone, who leads the company, said in an email to the Times that it will mean losing $40,000: \u201cIt is financially devastating but morally exhilarating.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Contributing: KiMi Robinson<\/em><\/p>\n<lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-12-30 02:48:46.182539354 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-12-30 16:32:43.316355364 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The last-minute cancellation by the Cookers follows the controversial Dec. 18 decision to rename the music, arts, and cultural institution to include President Donald Trump&#8217;s name Jazz band cancels Trump-Kennedy Center show with 2 days&#8217; notice A renowned jazz band, The Cookers, has canceled their New Year\u2019s Eve performance at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2216884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[39915,22220,27885,305469,21751,239390,23038,22005,239661,305457,22389,6297,21741,311569,22034,305468,305473,22783,345132,345135,25632,239349,339770,24982,244448,21739,298114,345133,21800,74947,211924,26575,350546,367893,21738,239343,239420,239453,22048,69477,354212,24638,239344,42101,28776],"class_list":["post-2216883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-blues","tag-branch","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-company","tag-concerts","tag-concerts-u0026-music-festivals","tag-donald","tag-donald-trump","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-eve","tag-events","tag-executive","tag-executive-branch","tag-festivals","tag-holiday","tag-holiday-marketplace-hub","tag-holidays","tag-holidays-u0026-seasonal-events","tag-hub","tag-jazz","tag-jazz-u0026-blues","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-marketplace","tag-music","tag-negative","tag-neutral","tag-new","tag-new-years-eve","tag-new-york-times-company","tag-news","tag-overall","tag-overall-negative","tag-overall-neutral","tag-politics","tag-seasonal","tag-times","tag-trump","tag-u0026","tag-years","tag-york"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jazz-band-cancels-New-Years-Eve-performance-at-Trump-Kennedy-Center.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2216883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2216885,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2216883\/revisions\/2216885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2216884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2216883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2216883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2216883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}