I was told something by an artist today that made me very sad. The gist of the statement that most caught my attention was that artists are fed up, and that jazz was dead. I cannot tell you how my heart sank after hearing these words.
It got me to thinking...what if our predecessors decided that it was not worth it to preserve such a unique art form. I then thought, how dare this individual attempt to strip what I consider to be America's first music into nothing...especially after so many earlier artists have left our brows damp from their sweat, and, yes back breaking fight to maintain some dignity to this American culture.
To all those nay sayers out there, you've got it wrong. Jazz is still very much alive. What has died is the fight...the heart and core of a music that, has for many years, connected the emotional and improvisational spirit of music to our hearts and soul. So, no my friend, jazz is not dead, because it is buried in our souls.
I would like to suggest that these neo-jazz players take a trip back through time, and study the struggles that were faced by these artists; yet, they kept going. The individual brought up the fact were not many gigs available. What would music be like if Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzerald, Billie Holiday, and so many others had given up. And, they surely forged through, and survived, a moment in time that made the complaints of today's artists a cakewalk.
So, please don't disrespect the music or the culture. To make such a statement indicates that you truly do not understand what it is all about.
Done ranting...
It got me to thinking...what if our predecessors decided that it was not worth it to preserve such a unique art form. I then thought, how dare this individual attempt to strip what I consider to be America's first music into nothing...especially after so many earlier artists have left our brows damp from their sweat, and, yes back breaking fight to maintain some dignity to this American culture.
To all those nay sayers out there, you've got it wrong. Jazz is still very much alive. What has died is the fight...the heart and core of a music that, has for many years, connected the emotional and improvisational spirit of music to our hearts and soul. So, no my friend, jazz is not dead, because it is buried in our souls.
I would like to suggest that these neo-jazz players take a trip back through time, and study the struggles that were faced by these artists; yet, they kept going. The individual brought up the fact were not many gigs available. What would music be like if Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzerald, Billie Holiday, and so many others had given up. And, they surely forged through, and survived, a moment in time that made the complaints of today's artists a cakewalk.
So, please don't disrespect the music or the culture. To make such a statement indicates that you truly do not understand what it is all about.
Done ranting...