In jazz, it is sometimes said that the spaces in between the notes carry as much weight as the notes themselves. It’s as much about what you don’t play as what you do.
But does the same logic apply to the gigs you play or don’t play?
The Cookers are an all-star ensemble of veteran jazz musicians that include Eddie Henderson, Cecil McBee, George Cables, and Billy Hart — players who came up in the 1960s and ’70s inside working bands led by artists like Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, and Max Roach. Trumpeter David Weiss helped assemble the group nearly two decades ago.
As he told me, “It’s a real band. These guys came up in a time where you had bands.”
The Cookers were scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center on New Year’s Eve. They had played there before. They were hired by a longtime jazz programmer who helped build the Center’s jazz presence.
Then, ten days before the show, the situation changed. The building was renamed. Public debate intensified. Other artists began withdrawing. The band suddenly found itself at the center of a political moment it had not anticipated.
Weiss explained, “The real problem with us was that he put his name on the building 10 days before the gig.”
The timing mattered. Contracts were already signed. Expenses were mounting. And as word spread, pressure grew — especially online where fans practically demanded that the band withdraw from the performance. “The blowback was intense… it was un nuanced. It was social media.”
Within the band, there were real discussions. One option was to play the concert and address the moment musically. “We could have gone up there and played protest music,” Weiss said.
They talked about repertoire that would signal their position without turning the evening into a speech. But as Weiss described it, the broader climate didn’t allow much room for nuance. The decision became less about repertoire and more about responsibility — to each other, to their audience, and to their own sense of professionalism.
He said, “We were all kind of like uncomfortable with it… and then… we just called it.”
The Cookers canceled the New Year’s Eve performance. There were financial consequences. Supporters stepped in to help cover expenses. And unexpectedly, the band found itself receiving more national attention than it had in years.
Weiss acknowledged the irony: “Ticket sales are better now.”
Still, he’s cautious about what that means. “We’re still good,” he said. “We’re still one of, I think, one of the better bands out here and wanna rest on that.”
In other words, for The Cookers, the music remains central. They’re not a protest organization. They’re a working band built on decades of shared history, discipline, and collective listening.
The canceled concert has become part of their story. But it’s not the whole story. While last New Year’s Eve may be the most legendary gig they never played, The Cookers are on tour now; they begin their February run at Dizzy’s in New York on February 19 and will continue through the weekend.
As for the Kennedy Center, it remains at the center of political and cultural debate and is expected to close this summer for a major renovation — leaving that New Year’s Eve concert as one among many concerts left unplayed there.
You can SEE Leo Sidran's entire interview with David Weiss below:
