As President Trump seeks to salvage his Freedom 250 celebration after a wave of concert cancellations, it’s worth remembering a presidential party that was very different: On June 18, 1978, Jimmy Carter transformed the South Lawn of the White House into America’s largest jazz club, hosting more than 40 musicians to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival. The lineup included Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Mary Lou Williams, Chick Corea, and most famously, the legendary Dizzy Gillespie.
The event reflects more than Carter’s well-known love of music. “A large part of his ethos as president was driven by a commitment to civil rights and the upliftment of black Americans,” says presidential historian Trevor Barry Giles, co-author of Presidency in prime timeHe tells THR. At a time when jazz rarely took center stage in Washington, Carter gave it the most prestigious platform in the country.
The evening ended with Gillespie convincing the peanut farmer’s boss to join him in singing the bebop classic “Salt Peanuts.” “It was one of the happiest moments in an often unhappy presidency,” says biographer Jonathan Alter, author of “The New York Times.” His best: Jimmy Carter, Life. As he struggled with the Iran hostage crisis, inflation and declining approval ratings, the image of Carter chatting with Gillespie became a rare and enduring snapshot of the president at ease.
Nearly half a century later, the contrast is astonishing. Organizers of Trump’s “Freedom 250” concerts, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, struggled in vain to secure performers, with even friendly acts declining invitations. Instead, the president turned his focus to a Fourth of July rally featuring notable figures like country singer Lee Greenwood, tenor Christopher Macchio, and, of course, himself.
Naturally, Carter had political problems of his own (as Trump has often pointed out). Booking talent wasn’t one of them.
This story appeared in the June 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.
