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Latest comment: 6 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion
There are lots of reliable sources for Bowen's musical activities, but they all look like copies of each other, so are probably just repeating what they read or heard somewhere else (Bowen's website reports: "In over 35 years as a jazz performer, he has appeared in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas with Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Brubeck, Liberace, and many others"). Are there any sources that report on Wikipedia's "He has worked with many musicians including Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Brubeck, and Liberace"? "worked with" should mean concerts, recordings, etc, so there should be lots of sources that review these concerts and recordings. Unless, of course, Bowen just sat in with these people once or twice / played before or after them at musical events / something similarly remote from regular understandings of "worked with".
Similarly for "In 1985, a symphony Bowen composed at Stanford University when he was 22 was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Music". The Pulitzer website states: "The names of nominated finalists have been announced only since 1980. Work that has been submitted for Prize consideration but not chosen as either a nominated finalist or a winner is termed an entry or submission. No information on entrants is provided." Bowen wasn't a nominated finalist in 1985. The current way of entering for the music prize is to give the organizers $50. So, what exactly was this "nominated for" in 1985? He wasn't a nominee according to the organization itself, so he must have been an "entry" (unless the system was different then), which, based on the current process, almost anyone could be.
The Pulitzer claim is almost certainly either an unintentional error or an exaggeration—either way, it is misleading and should be changed. Bowen is not listed as a nominated finalist under the Pulitzer for Music in 1985, indicating that he was simply an entrant—that either he or someone on his behalf submitted his work along with a minor entry fee. I could become a "Pulitzer entrant (nominee)" by submitting something I scribbled at lunch today, but most people wouldn't consider that resume-worthy. There is virtually no bar to being a "Pulitzer entrant," but "Pulitzer nominee" sounds impressive and most people are not aware of the distinction. There's an entry about this specifically on the Pulitzer Prize page because it is such a common claim by authors/musicians/other professionals who are trying to puff up their bios/resumes/CVs.
