Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

[gfarber]

21. Kennedy Center Cancellations

A jazz jam each Christmas Eve night
At the Center that gleams by moonlight,
A tradition long played
Was abruptly waylaid—
When a new name appeared in plain sight.

The host was a drummer named Redd,
With a vibe that made swing styles spread,
But he paused all the cheer
When the signage drew near
With a president’s name overhead.

The façade, by last Friday’s decree,
Read Trump’s name with JFK,
A decision approved
By a board that was moved—
Though some scholars cried, “Not okay!”

For months there were hints and suggestions
Of renaming amid mild digressions,
Till the website went live
And the letters did arrive—
Prompting swift musical recessions.

“When I saw it,” said Redd in a note,
“My decision was clear as I wrote:
Hours later it stood
On the building in wood—
So I canceled the show I would host.”

Since two-thousand-and-six he’d held court,
With jazz legends in rhythm and sport,
From Gillespie’s bright blaze
To Ray Brown’s swinging days—
Now the silence itself made a report.