Chicago World Music Festival Revealed: A Q & A with Director Mike Orlove (Pro.File Vol. 5)

Chicago World Music Festival's Mike Orlove talks about his sources for finding music, tips for musicians and new festival organizers, the status of the international musician visa process in recent months (including a breakdown of what it costs), the unique characteristics of his festival, and why his artist selections make women hug him and cry. This Q & A  with Mike Orlove, senior program director at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and head honcho at the Chicago World Music Festival, continues a periodic DubMC series called Pro.File in which we engage a professional within the music field about where they fit into the world music network, what they do, and insights they can offer colleagues in the field.

1. How long have you been running the festival? And what changes have you seen since the early days?

I have been with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs for over 12 years and started the festival in 1999. We just celebrated our eighth year of presenting and producing the festival. Changes? The music industry has certainly changed but that has little effect on our festival. This festival was created, in part, to introduce people to different groups and different styles of music. And in the eight years of the festival, that has not changed at all. If there are any noticeable changes, I would say that the festival is more marketable and better understood by mainstream media and press. I think now people understand what we are trying to accomplish and it doesn't seem as eclectic or bizarre.

2. When I was at the festival this year, I noticed the huge range of venues and locations, some of them quite far apart. Tell us about the philosophy behind this approach.

The philosophy has remained the same from the beginning. This festival started out as an exclamation mark for international music in Chicago. But it is just as much a celebration of Chicago itself. Growing up here, I was far too familiar with the standard festival which has two or three stages in the central part of the city and you never leave the same square block area. My approach was different. I wanted to challenge people a bit and convince them that Chicago is an incredible city with so much to offer beyond simply the downtown area. From the beginning, we chose venues spanning the entire city in order to create a medium that allows people to travel within the city and discover not only new music but perhaps new neighborhoods and venues as well. Selecting venues like HotHouse and Old Town School of Folk Music were easy, since they are regular presenters of international music. But getting venues like the Garfield Park Conservatory, Humboldt Park Boathouse, or SouthShoreCulturalCenter was a challenge from an audience development perspective since they are 'off the beaten path.' In my opinion, the experiment worked...and has prospered. I think Chicagoans enjoy the multi-venue city-wide perspective because it gives them an excuse to explore their own city. And this festival is first and foremost for Chicagoans. Tourists and visitors are secondary.

3. Artistically speaking, what was the biggest surprise for you this year?

Not sure if there is ever a surprise for us since we are listening to this music all year long and, for the most part, I have seen many of these groups live. There are sometimes disappointments but this year was (generally speaking) a very strong festival. I think I am most surprised by the crowds and who shows up. That can be the most rewarding or the most disappointing. I remember one year we took a chance and presented Boban Markovic (Serbian ‘Gypsy’ Brass) at some larger venues like Martyrs and ParkWest along with some standard free daytime shows at Borders and DaleyPlaza and it seemed that their shows just picked up more people after each gig. The Serbian community was out in force but so was everyone...he attracted people from across the spectrum. And then there are the disappointments like the Klezmatics who for some reason or another did not sell many tickets during this year's festival and it was their only performance. It is hard to figure out. I love going from venue to venue and seeing what knocks the people out. To be honest, my musical opinion is secondary here...the festival is for Chicagoans to enjoy. I love hearing the comments from attendees at each of the shows. I'll never forget when Eva Ayllon first played Chicago at our festival. We filled the ParkWest on a Wednesday night and this old Peruvian women stopped me and proceeded to hug me as if she was seeing her son for the last time. She was crying and thanked me profusely for bringing 'the greatest in Peruvian culture' to Chicago. Those are the best surprises to me.

4. How did the whole visa process impact you this year? What specifically happened? How does the visa process for world music artists vary now from the immediate post-9-11 period?

You know, I think I answer this question every year. And every year the answer is different. Before the law seemed to change by the day and there never seemed to be any consistency with the INS (now Homeland Security). Now, it is very much an expensive process BUT (for the most part) if you follow all the rules and regulations you can get it processed. In principle, I don't agree with the system but I feel like it functions better now than it did before. But still there are some new regulations you have to scratch your head at. For example, the process in obtaining a P visa would start with getting an approval letter from the American Federation of Musicians which (in the old days) could be faxed over to their office and was issued at no cost. Now, you have to mail it all in and receive their approval letter back in the mail at a total cost of $200 for an 'application processing fee.' I am still trying to figure out how they arrived at charging $200. I think it is an absolute sham...they figure, “Everyone else is making money of this why not us.” If you pay your $1000 premium processing fee and $190 1-129 application fee you are already out of pocket for $1390. Of course, once approved it moves to the Embassy where groups are then required to go through a series of security interviews which can cost anywhere from $60 to $100 per musician. And just when you think that is over, other fees can be applied as in the case of the Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar and Extra Golden from Kenya. You find out in the end that once you have paid all the fees and everything is approved, the government can apply a reciprocity fee if one exists for Americans doing business in their country. So in the case of the group from Zanzibar, an additional $400 per person was applied as the 'final step.' Multiply that times fourteen people in the group and you will understand why you will rarely see groups from many of these countries unless they have tremendous support. This is a long way of saying that the process is set-up as a deterrent to most groups that would like to tour in the United States. We have been fortunate to have the help and support of a number of US Senators and, this year, Barack Obama's office really came to the rescue with one particular group, Extra Golden. If I told you the story you wouldn't believe me but let's just say that it came down to the group receiving a wire transfer and making it into the US Embassy in Nairobi minutes before the office closed and an hour before their flight was to leave for the US.

5. You put together a variety of musicians with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this year? How did that come about? How did it turn out in the end?

I have been working with the good folks at the CSO for over a decade. Every year we have co-presented artists whether it is during the World Music Festival (Susanna Baca, Ali Akbar Khan, Simon Shaheen, etc.) or Flamenco Festival (Paco de Lucia, Tomatito, Enrique Morente, etc.). I think Jim Fahey (Concert Director) and I finally said let's actually collaborate together and do something with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and do it right. It also helped that Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road tour had taken residency in Chicago and there seemed to be an interest to further explore these collaborations. Kicking-off the festival in MillenniumPark with close to 10,000 listening to Albert from Yat-Kha 'sing' with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was something to be seen. I think it was a real coup to be able to present these world class musicians (Yat-Kha, Radio Maqam, Yang Wei, etc.) with a world class symphony at MillenniumPark no less. We are all very pleased and it left a lot of people in the audience curious and searching for more. And because of this collaboration, I was able to convince the folks at the Garrison Keilor show to feature Radio Maqam on their last Chicago production.

6. If each world music festival had a nick name that encapsulated the festival spirit, what would be the name for the Chicago World Music Festival? Why?

Great question...I am terrible at this but I remember the first couple of years we used the tag line: 'a celebration of music around the world around Chicago.' We wanted people to know that this was an opportunity to hear music from all over the world but also a chance to explore the city. And for the past four years we have been closing the festival with a building-wide celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center with eight to nine groups performing throughout the night and we call it 'one world under one roof.'

7. What are your top five sources for hearing about new acts to consider (be as specific as possible)?

My mother, my wife, my barber, the guy at the fish market, and Reader's Digest. OK, that was a joke.

I would say reading trade magazines is a tremendous help. Songlines, FRoots, Global Rhythm, and others are great sources for keeping on top of what is happening around the world. As you must belong to dozens of list-serves and e-groups, I am constantly connected to fellow presenters, agents, managers, etc. who are all trying to let you know of the latest discoveries. I definitely find out about many groups that way. We are also in touch with a network of festivals that are block booking artists each year. Our good friends at Lotus Festival in Bloomington, Madison World Music Festival, and Milwaukee Festival all work together to block book in September. Sharing information and resources has been quite helpful. Attending other music festivals and conferences has been an extraordinary help. WOMEX certainly has been a good source both to see groups perform but also meet with people face to face and learn about who they are excited about. And over the years, I have attended dozens and dozens of music festivals around the world where there are always 'discoveries.' I have to say though that sometimes the best music comes to me via strangers who stumble into the Chicago Cultural Center and wanted to connect me with their latest discovery. We have many 'talent scouts' as we call them who are on vacation, have a brother in the Peace Corps or whatever, and want to pass on music that they heard. I remember our office received a third generation burned copy of Mamar Kasey from Niger from a friend of a friend five years ago who met the group while traveling in West Africa. It took three years, but we finally got them to the US and they were amazing. Similarly, we receive about 600 or so unsolicited submissions each year. More than half are immediately ruled out but some are actually good stuff. This year Pablo Mayor's Folklore Urbano was one of the groups that came from that batch.

8. What recommendations can you offer for someone who is organizing a world music festival for the first time?

Do your homework. Do your research and make the necessary connections and partnerships early on. If you are presenting music from a particular country or culture than you better have that local community on board with you from the start. I would also tell these people not to be intimidated by the lack of mainstream outlets for this kind of music. Gradually that will change as we are dealing with THE original language which is music and everyone can relate somehow.

9. What tips can you give to world music artists in producing a show worthy of festival stages?

The best these artists can do is come to town and perform as if it was their most important show. It makes me so angry when I hear managers say that 'our artist is only going to come to the Midwest with a trio and then meet up with the full band in New York.' That has happened before. The best artist will come to each city, regardless of market size, and play the show of their life. Communication is also key. You don't speak English, who cares, but prepare a short greeting like HELLO CHICAGO...I LOVE THIS CITY. My friend Kurt Elling (jazz singer) always gives it 100 percent on tour but always prepares a short speech or message in the language of the country he is performing in. He just came back from Turkey and laid down a couple lines in Turkish and, by his account, it seemed that everyone was very appreciative. Lastly, it is OK to talk politics from the stage but know when to stop. Natacha Atlas was a big hit at the festival this year but I heard from more than one person attending her Old Town School show that they were sick of hearing her bash our government and even the critic from the Chicago Tribune picked up on it as well and mentioned it in his review. Know your audience. Chicago was the second highest 'blue city' in the country and this is a world music audience...do you think they want to sit and be lectured by someone about how pathetic our current government is?

10. Where do you see the world music scene going five years from now?

Really hard to predict or track an entire scene. I will say that curiosity in international music and culture among younger generations seems to be growing. And we have certainly seen our audiences grow and become more diverse as well. It has been exciting to see more mainstream films use some of the same artists we are presenting and introducing them to a wider audience (Constant Gardener with Ayub Ogada, Life Aquatic and Seu Jorge, Broken Flower and Mulatu Astatqe, etc.). I am not very clairvoyant, but it seems that there is a growing interest in this broad genre we called world music. And it seems to be coming from all sides. I think it is simply the way we collectively approach it. Technology has made it so much easy to 'travel' with music and with myspace, ipods, youtube, etc. access to music from all over the world is at the click of a button. With the younger generation being so tech savvy, I can see this as only a benefit to the world music scene and its growth. One constant stumbling block is our own government (see question #4) and unless changes are made to the visa process there will never be the same flow of international musicians as with our European counterparts. We can only pray for a major political shift in the near future...I think we would all benefit from that.

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