by Christopher Hess

The collective-unconscious theory of finance goes something like this: traveling through the Earth's troposphere is a jetstream through which moves a constant supply of cashflow. Some have greater access to it than others, but it is there for all to use if you know how to get it. Ideally, you take some out, you put some back, the jetstream continues to flow. Things get done, people survive, and so on. And, like many things, it's easier when you're not trying to get it all by yourself.

In a time when multinational corporations merge and split with every morning paper and the largest banks in the world join forces to render the force of a dollar meaningless, it's nice to see the little guy helping the little guy. It just shows that, down here where the people live, this stuff still matters -- stuff like paying electric bills and making sure this mag gets out on time continually against all odds.

I'll Be Home for Kwanzaa is another such venture. DiverseArts Production Group has joined forces with Marc Katz and his West 6th Street enterprise to put out an album that heralds the first-ever, all-black lineup for a compilation of Christmas songs. It seems unlikely that something like this has never existed before, here where music is life. On November 28th and 29th, the Top of the Marc will host a release party for this long-awaited CD, and if the recording party was any indication, it's gonna be one hell of a good time.

"We've wanted to do a project together for a while now," says Harold McMillan, founder of DiverseArts. "This seemed a natural. Marc has the facility and he has the means, and we are able to put together a lineup that includes the best and brightest of our city. His new Bagel Label is the perfect match for this."

The lineup is an impressive one to say the least. The house band for the first night of performances consisted of Fred Sanders on piano, J.J. Johnson on drums, and Edwin Livingston on bass. Pam Hart, Hope Morgan, Judy Arnold and Ernie Mae Miller all saw time in front of them, and all have selections on the CD. Without exception the performances are stellar, and Hart's "I'll Be Home for Christmas," with the assistance of Martin Banks on trumpet, made me forget for a moment that I was seeing this show in September. Margaret Wright's "Silent Night/Medley" is a bit of history complete with a brief sampling of her live narrative.

The second night of performance was an all-out night of blues. The house band was again the foundation, and T.D. Bell and the East Side Horns took the helm. I'll Be Home for Kwanzaa will feature selections from both nights of performance, though it does lean more heavily on the jazz of the first evening. Sanders' trio contributes an original arrangement based on the line from "Blessed Name" that proves an inspired and spiritual take on the tune.

The Bagel Label is the latest piece in Katz's puzzle. It's a means for Katz to develop musical talent, make recordings and donate funds to charitable and non-profit organizations. Katz is no stranger to the this collective-unconscious theory, and he knows how valuable it is to feed the jetstream.

"I was a speaker in Charitech, which is a conference where business people learn how to work together with charities and non-profits -- it teaches business people how to make money for charity and for themselves at the same time," says Katz. "It kinda motivates all of us. I like that to be out there, I like people to know both that I'm doing this for profit and giving to charity. It's a touchy situation and however people want to interpret it they can, but I tell it the way it is. Yes we're making money, we are not non-profit intentionally. But we deal with non-profit organizations, which helps our sales. Take [Zachary Scott Theatre] or AIDS Services of Austin [both of whom Katz works with frequently], they have a mailing list of 20,000 faithful people, so right there that many people see Katz's 'It Never Closes -- And Has Free Parking!'"

Katz does say that every time -- I gotta tell ya he knows marketing.

Though the In Helping Others We Help Ourselves philosophy seems maybe a bit of a simplification, it works, and Katz's ventures are proof of that. With the addition of the Bagel Label, he adds another facet to his two-story brick empire.

"The Bagel Label's home is at Top of the Marc," says Katz. "After having seen many great night clubs like the Blue Note, and here in Austin, like Antone's and the Continental Club that have their own labels, I thought it was natural that my club had matured to the point where it warranted its own label as well. I like to think that Top of the Marc is among the great night clubs in a city with many great night clubs. The name Bagel Label came about as a function of my ego, because the bottom is Katz (that's my last name) and the top is Marc (that's my first name) and my childhood nickname was Bagel, hence the Bagel Label. My name is on everything."

This method of wrapping a promotional tool inside a promotional tool inside a promotional tool is something that will not go unnoticed either. "I look at this venture from the point of view of a mentoring relationship," says McMillan. "He knows how to make money. This should be the first in a series of joint projects between us." In the world of non-profit organizations, finding the means to your prospective end is essential for survival. When you rely on government grants and funds raised by a board of directors, additional sources of funding are needed to run the operation from day to day.

"Projects like this are really beneficial. When money is raised by the organization only, it's not as encumbered as the funds from grants or from the board. We need that flow to keep us going," says McMillan.

Besides just nonprofit organizations, charities benefit from these symbiotic relationships as well. Katz does a significant amount of work with AIDS Services of Austin, the door proceeds of every Monday night's La Cage shows going directly to them.

"ASA is my passion," explains Katz. "I got involved with them through loss. Through the loss of many close friends, watching first hand as people suffer. In 1990 I established the AIDS benefit table in the restaurant, it was the first of its kind. One table in Katz's 'It Never Closes' [I'm serious, he does always say that!] that the proceeds go straight to ASA. Last I heard 173 restaurants across the country had them, and I'm the founder of that. And we do the Monday night La Cage which has been increasing in success as well. We're within $100-200 of $20,000. Just from individual dollars, this past week alone we had close to $900 at the door, 100% of which goes to ASA. The goal is $50,000, we hope to reach it on New Year's Eve with a combination Motown Review/LaCage ASA benefit."

The proceeds from I'll Be Home for Kwanzaa will go to DiverseArts so that it may survive from Jazz Fest to Women in Jazz and back again.

In addition to this CD, the re-release of A Texas Christmas will be celebrated during this party as well. Originally completed in '82, this compilation of some of the Lone Star State's finest talent has been virtually invisible for the past fifteen years, but Katz is bringing it back. Willie Nelson, Gary P. Nunn, Steve Fromhlz, Marcia Ball, Jerry Jeff Walker and many others all contributed to the effort, and a portion of the proceeds of this will go to ASA as well.

"The Texas Christmas CD was produced under two different labels in Austin that are now defunct. It was on Felicity, then it was on Amazing records, and the producer of that CD, Craig Hillis and I had been friends for many years, I was the financial backing in '82 when it was produced. But a couple months ago I asked Craig what happened to it. He said it never got any distribution," says Katz. "One of the things I'm learning especially for small people like myself is that distribution is where small business man gets eaten up. The major distributors. I dont really understand it, there are many experts in this town, small businessmen like myself, the big downfall they all share is the distributor. Of all my shortcomings, one of them is not terminal uniqueness -- if those boys couldn't do it I can't do it either. So I talked to Craig about reproducing the CD on the Bagel Label with a unique distribution method and he was all for it. With a handshake we came to terms."

It's the distribution that will make this work, too. Because it's for a non-profit, Katz will be able to get them into not only the local independet stores, but the Blockbusters and Towers as well. It's all part of the plan. "The relationship is symbiotic -- Katz's and Top of the Marc are that way, and now the label will sit that way too. Kwanzaa has all three labels on the front, the Bagel label, below that the Top logo, below that Katz's "It Never Closes," everyone going through the record rack sees my name. The whole thing is a promotional tool within a promotional tool for each other. The label is available at Katz's gift shop, which never closes. They all kinda feed each other."

But for all this, the music is what the venture is all about. When you hear Hope Morgan sing "A Child is Born" you will be oblivious to that green jetstream above your head. Hart's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" will make you forget whose imprint is on what -- if only for a moment. The release party will feature performances from artists on both compilations, and all Bagel Label titles will, of course, be available at the club.

As Katz says, "It says on the Bagel Label, 'Make this CD represent what we could do together that we could never do alone.' And that's what's going on here. Everyone is involved in the effort and everyone's involved in the benefit."