The Playboy Jazz & Pop Poll

Several Years Ago, the late Albert Ayler put out an album called Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe. Those words have stuck in our mind, and we'd like to think they're true. If they are, then music is needed more today than ever, because there's a lot of healing that needs to be done, as anybody can confirm with a glance at a newspaper. Fortunately, there are a lot of musical healers at work. Of course, not all our Pied Pipers are on such a positive trip: Some have never thought about healing anything except their own bank balances and there are more than a few who--after years of being ignored or ripped off--are in no shape to heal anybody, since they themselves are so badly in need of some kind of balm. Needless to say, our ballot separates performers by the instruments they play, not by their spiritual conditions. Still, it's amusing to look over these listings of names and think about the variety of stories behind them and the variety of personalities they represent: flashy showbiz types, workmanlike studio guys, transcendental innovators, folksy primitives. Many types of music are also represented; and it's reassuring to us that many of the people we've talked with feel that their favorite schools have been underrepresented. One person thinks we don't get enough jazzmen on the ballot. The next guy says we don't include enough rock groups. Or country singers. Or Latin musicians. You're probably wondering why it's reassuring to hear complaints. Well, it lets us know that people care about what we do. And if all sides think they're underrepresented, then perhaps we've managed to be fair. Which isn't all that easy.

Big-Band Leader

(Please choose one.)

Trumpet

(Please choose four.)

Trombone

(Please choose four.)

Alto Sax

(Please choose two.)

Tenor Sax

(Please choose two.)

Baritone Sax

(Please choose one.)

Clarinet

(Please choose one.)

Piano

(Please choose one.)

Organ

(Please choose one.)

Vibes

(Please choose one.)

Guitar

(Please choose one.)

Bass

(Please choose one.)

Drums

(Please choose one.)

Other Instruments

(Please choose one.)

Male Vocalist

(Please choose one.)

Female Vocalist

(Please choose one.)

Vocal Group

(Please choose one.)

Songwriter-Composer

(Please choose one.)

Instrumental Combo

(Please choose one.)

Nominating Board: Cannonball Adderley, Gregg Allman (Allman Brothers Band), Herb Alpert, Ian Anderson, George Benson, Ron Carter, Eric Clapton, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea (Return to Forever), Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, Billy Eckstine, Keith Emerson, Maynard Ferguson, Pete Fountain, Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Slide Hampton, Al Hirt, Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Elton John, J. J. Johnson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Paul McCartney, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Boots Randolph, Buddy Rich, Danny Seraphine (Chicago), Doc Severinsen, Carly Simon, Jimmy Smith, Ronald Townson (The 5th Dimension), Sarah Vaughan, Edgar Winter, Si Zentner; plus all the other musicians listed in last February's results; and Steve Backer, ABC-Impulse; George Butler, United Artists / Blue Note; Stan Cornyn, Warner Bros.; Milt Gabler, Commodore; Nat Hentoff, writer; Teo Macero, Columbia; Mark Meyerson, Atlantic; John Snyder, CTI; Bob Thiele, Flying Dutchman; and George Wein, Newport Jazz Festival.

Before compiling the list of performers on the preceding pages, we sent nominating ballots to all of the above--the list came to several hundred people. Now, our readers' ballot has a finite number of spaces, so, of course, we can't get everybody on it--and for everyone we add, we have to drop someone. So we try to get a list that reflects the range of today's musical spectrum--and it's possible that one or more of your favorite artists may not be included. If so, do not panic. You can still vote for that artist; just print his (or her) name in the appropriate space on the ballot--which is the flip side of this detachable page.

If the person you wish to vote for is on the list, you don't need to write the name--just the number. Last year, some readers wrote in names when numbers would have sufficed, which made things a little bit harder, not only for them but also for the people (and computers) who tabulated the vote.

The difference between a Big-Band Leader and the leader of an Instrumental Combo is the difference between nine and ten. If the group has nine pieces or fewer, it's a combo; ten or more, and it's a big band.

Speaking of big bands, the reason you are asked to vote for more than one person in some categories is that big bands usually carry several men in those categories.

In voting for the Jazz & Pop Hall of Fame, keep in mind that the following people are ineligible, because they've already made it: Duane Allman, Herb Alpert, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Wes Montgomery, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

When you've completed your ballot, make sure it has your name and address on it; otherwise, it won't count. Then mail it to Playboy Jazz & Pop Poll, Playboy Building, 919 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Ballots must be postmarked no later than October 15, 1974. Results will be in our February 1975 issue.

List your choices in the 1975 Playboy Jazz & Pop Poll on the Foldout Ballot that follows

List your choices in the 1975 Playboy Jazz & Pop Poll on the Foldout Ballot that follows