11) MUSIC NOTES, by Wally Brooker

CFM fights Bill C‑377

The Canadian Federation of Musicians is calling on its 17,000 members to stand with their union brothers and sisters to resist the Harper government's discriminatory and punitive Bill C‑377, which will force Canada's union movement to make its finances public, including time spent on political activities. The top‑priority "private member's bill" was passed in the House in December. It's now working its way through the Senate, but the fight is not over. Legal challenges could tie up implementation long enough to see the bill die, but only if voters can defeat the Harper Tories in the next election. The CFM estimates that an average union local will need up to 400 hours annually to prepare the returns or face a $1,000 a day fine for failure to comply. Bill C‑377 is a key part of a ruling‑class offensive whose ultimate goal is to wipe out the hard‑won rights of organized labour. For more info: www.cfmusicians.org/.

Symphony NS musicians vote to strike

Negotiations continue between Symphony Nova Scotia and members of CFM Halifax Local 571. In December the 37 SNC musicians gave their negotiators an overwhelming strike mandate. They're demanding that their base salary for a 33‑week season be raised from $28,000 to $30,000 over two years. During the season musicians work six days a week. Much of it is split shift, with morning rehearsals and evening concerts. There's little opportunity for outside work in Halifax during the off‑season and travel is difficult for musicians with homes and families. Moreover SNS is flush with cash, having raised $7 million in a fundraising campaign. While the city of Halifax basks in the rave reviews the orchestra receives, it's stingy when it comes to funding. If it picked up the tab for the modest proposed wage increase, Halifax would still be providing less than a tenth of the support that comparable Canadian orchestras receive from municipal governments. For more info: www.afmcanada.org/.

Stanley Jordan cancels Israel gig 

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has won a significant victory. On Jan. 5, noted American jazz fusion guitarist Stanley Jordan, who was to headline the winter instalment of Israel's Red Sea Jazz Festival, announced on his Facebook page that he was cancelling his engagement. Jordan's image had been used on publicity posters for the state-funded event. The Festival is held twice a year in the resort town of Eilat, and until recently has been successful in distracting attention from the apartheid policies of the Israeli state. The unusual thing about the campaign to convince Jordan to cancel his gig was the serious debate that took place on his Facebook page. It included interventions by many BDS activists, as well as the online journal Palestine Chronicle and the artist himself. Author Rima Merriman's fascinating account of this Facebook conversation can be found at http://palestinechronicle.com/.

"Rise Up" theme for 2014 World Pride?

Despite a copyright faux‑pas by Pride Toronto, it seems a reasonable bet that Parachute Club's landmark 1983 hit "Rise Up" will become the theme song of the 2014 World Pride event in Toronto. The award‑winning song was a unique achievement in Canadian music, celebrating peace, gay rights, feminism and anti-racism. At the time this was a cultural breakthrough. When the song was premiered at Toronto Pride it was dangerous to even attend the event. An eager member of Pride Toronto's communications committee posted a World Pride promotional video including "Rise Up" on YouTube without securing copyright permission. It was quickly withdrawn until the rights question is resolved. The copyright situation is uncertain at the moment since the band recently changed record labels. However, singer Lorraine Segato has declared that it would be "fitting and fantastic" for an agreement to be reached. For info: www.xtra.ca.

Yoko Ono award honours Julian Assange

Renowned artist, musician and peace activist Yoko Ono has announced that the recipient of her annual Courage Award for the Arts would be Wiki‑Leaks founder Julian Assange. The whistle-blower is currently being sheltered by the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where he's being hounded by British and U.S. authorities for exposing imperialist war crimes in the Middle East. "Julian Assange took a courageous step by rightfully returning what belongs to the public domain," said Ono. "For that reason, I believe we need to stand by him." The Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Awards for the Arts were established in 2009 to honour individuals and groups who have shown "extraordinary courage with their work and interests, defying censorship, public doubt or even scorn in pursuit of their vision." For more info: http://imaginepeace.com.

(The above article is from the March 1-15, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)