PRESIDENT/CEO

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Reuben Bankhead eighty-eight and still going strong, born on 01/12/1930 Alabama, South Carolina, then onto Brooklyn, New York, and now resides in South Richmond Hill in Queens. He married his dutiful wife Alice, and together they have five children, four boys, and one girl. In addition, he has a younger brother and an older sister. 

So, sitting down with Reuben at my home, I asked him what his favorite kind of music was, and as you may have guessed, he quickly responded Jazz. He said he gained an appreciation for this beautiful artform at the young age of five; he knew then there was something extraordinary about Jazz music. If anyone knows Reuben, you may see that he has a warped sense of humor. I asked him if he played an instrument, and he said the radio was adequate. With that satisfied look on his face that says I just made a funny. On a more serious note, he mentioned as a child, his parents paid for piano, drums, and violin lessons, neither of which he plays today. However, you might say it is in the genes because his son Keith plays the drums and the piano. Curious about the influence that led him to jazz music, he wasted no time and belted out big bands, bee-bop, dizzy, Charlie Parker, Monk, and Lester Young.

I asked if he got to see any of them in concert; he smiled and said I saw dizzy, Parker, Monk, and Roy Haynes, who coincidentally came to Carmichaels regularly. Most times, Roy just wanted to sit out and be convinced to play. For many years, Carmichaels was the home of CJO (Creative Jazz Organization) for those of you who might be novices to the jazz world. It was in South Jamaica Queens on Guy Brewer Blvd and Foch in the basement of the Carmichael's diner. I would be remiss if I painted a picture of CJO buried somewhere in a restaurant's basement. Oh, no. The organization was looking for a new home, and the Carmichael brothers extended generosity to the group. The unofficial organizations' name became Carmichael's, home to some of the most excellent local and well-known Jazz artists, to name a few, Roy Haynes Walter Perkins. 

I digressed. At the start of Reuben's professional career, he worked at the post office for 11 yrs. Then, he joined NYPD and stayed there for 23 yrs. I asked Reuben, who was currently the President of Creative Jazz when he joined the organization, and to the best of his memory, he said around 1996/1997. The excellent news is that a woman was the first President of CJO, and then the reins were passed to him. Reuben became President in 2000. I asked Reuben if he thought he would be doing it this long. He answered a resounding No, but I love the organization. He went on to say that throughout the year, many organizations have come and gone, and there was a time he thought that CJO would have to close. Why I asked, he mentioned for lack of participation. You see, most of our members are now older and can't get around as well, moved away or passed on. 

As I mentioned earlier, the Carmichael brothers, 4/5 brothers, owned a bank, liquor store, garage, and diner in the neighborhood. They opened their doors to us and gave us a tremendous opportunity that changed the newly formed organizations into an institution of greatness. However, their business began to decline as one of the brothers was shot, and the companies began to suffer and lose money. The writing was on the wall, and the time came when the business would be sold, so we had to find another home. Throughout the many relocations the organization had to go through. Did I ask Reuben if any original members still attending the sessions at Thomasina's? Yes, we do. We have quite a few, George Callendar, Wilbur, and Daisy Hutchinson, Alice Brown, Edsel Lindsay, Eve Henderson, Al Raines Pat Hartwell, Joe Katz, Shirley Doig, Mildred Williams (backup singer for Cooty Williams), Ann Batson recently deceased, and Jeanne Ottley recently deceased. 

I asked Reuben if he could tell me his favorite performer from back in the day; he immediately said Charlie Parker, John Coltrane. Then I wondered who it is today; he took a moment to narrow down his list and said Charles and Carl Bartlett, along with Elijah Shiffer, he is a young man that came to us at the age of 16 and has developed into quite an accomplished musician. So, I asked him, if there was anyone alive today that did not know about Jazz music, what would you like them to know? It was birthed as slave music, and then we had the blues with the humming and singing. So, I asked whether you have to like Jazz to appreciate it, he said of course. 

Now, Reuben, St. Albans, has been the home to many Jazz artists. Do you still see that strong influence today? No, not really because there are not too many Jazz clubs left, and they don't teach music in many schools today. So as a community organization, what do you do to help promote the history of Jazz? Well, we have several affiliations with surrounding schools. We advertise through emails; we have a music scholarship program; we support our youth with school supplies and Christmas gifts to remind them of our presents. What plans do you have for CJO in the future? Oh, that's easy. We will continue to do everything we can to "keep Jazz Alive" and educate the youth about Jazz music. Now, you traditionally hear about men in Jazz, what about the women of Jazz? Are there any today. Oh yes, Jazmine Horn, Terry Wilson, Madam Pat Tandy, and a few. 

If you had one person to come back to perform a concert who would you like to see? I would love to enjoy Bross Townsend on piano. He went blind overnight, but it didn't stop his career. John Abraham tenor sax frequented Carmichael's. Bob Cunningham is a fantastic bass player for CJO, Bill Wurtzel's best guitar player I have ever heard, and Lou Vega is also an incredible guitarist.