Thursday, August 26, 2010

Jazztruth mentioned again on NPR website



Rant! Rant! Rant!
It has been brought to my attention that Patrick Jarenwattananon's "A Blog Supreme" has referred to jazztruth once again. Any press is good press at this stage, so I'm happy to receive it. It's an interesting article in which Jarenwattananon gives voice to a disgruntled reader named Albert Reingewirtz, who had made comments about how Esperanza Spalding is not a jazz musician and so forth. Reingewirtz rants on about how "Jazz musicians have been given the short end of the stick for decades even though they have dedicated all of their being and their talent to preserve our national heritage-this uniquely American art form called jazz." 


Here is the link so you can see all the mishagos for yourself:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2010/08/23/129385527/-you-would-not-call-a-ditch-the-grand-canyon-a-letter-to-the-editor#more


Now, I'm going to refrain  from taking sides at the moment, except that  I do want to thank Jarenwattananon for mentioning me again! However, I am planning a future post in which I aim to end some of these bottomless controversies, such as "Who invented Jazz?" or  "Is Jazz Black Music?"or "Does it have to swing to be jazz?" or maybe even "Does your chewing gum lose it's flavor on the bedpost overnight?" Well, maybe not the last one. (I don't even know where that comes from, it's just part of a joke my father used to tell.)


"Louis Armstrong invented jazz!"
"No, I invented it, jerkface!"
And I'm positive that my effort to end the argument definitively will just keep the argument going even longer. (Those of you who are married might know what I'm talking about.) I insist that the way to shift the current tide to favor jazz and live music is to work together and create positive energy against the powers-that-be. Squabbling within the ranks will accomplish nothing except making musicians and fans mad for no reason, and alienating potential fans.


Everyone seems to be mad about something these days. And jazz musicians and fans are no different. The industry sucks more than ever. It's too easy to fall into the trap of hating on people like Esperanza Spalding. (I played the Newport Jazz Festival last year in a trio of Christian McBride's featuring Billy Hart on drums. Now, think about not only all the recordings McBride is on, but then consider all of the stuff BILLY HART has done in his career. And we were on the small stage. Guess who was on the BIG stage.... her name rhymes with "Thesperanza Balding"....) Regardless of what you think of her music or her occasionally sort-of- annoying-lyrics (if you watch the included video on A Blog Supreme, you'll hear them), Spalding being airlifted into stardom as a hot female bassist-singer is a total no-brainer. And I'll admit, I enjoyed her performance at Newport. 
The Legendary Billy Hart




If you've seen some of my facebook posts in the past, you know I've fallen for the temptation to hate on fellow musicians. I'm not promising that I'll never be negative ever again in life, but I would like to resist the urge to be antagonistic. And I understand why I and others get this way: it's a natural tendency, it's a survival instinct. There would be much less envy if the scene was bubbling over with work and opportunities. But since everyone is fighting over crumbs, the talons emerge and infighting occurs. You've heard the joke:"How many tenor saxophonists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one-and 45 more to stand around and snipe 'How did He get that gig?' "!




Charlie Parker, who never recorded for a
major label, and Miles Davis
Anyway, stay tuned for more compelling content on jazztruth. I maintain that I want to keep it on the positive tip. I'm trying to fight back by giving space to musicians and music that is interesting for it's own merits, not because of hype. So don't believe the hype, believe the music. 

8 comments:

  1. George,

    You're writing is quickly becoming some of my favorite on jazz. I love your approach and attitude, and couldn't agree more with this statement:

    "I insist that the way to shift the current tide to favor jazz and live music is to work together and create positive energy against the powers-that-be. Squabbling within the ranks will accomplish nothing except making musicians and fans mad for no reason, and alienating potential fans."

    I admit that I get sucked into this pointless debates sometimes, but I'm trying hard to stay out of it and just do my thing, bring people together and spread the word.

    I hope we get the chance to talk about this stuff over a beer/coffee one day.

    Keep doin' what you're doin'!

    Jason
    http://oneworkingmusician.com

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  2. You mean Nick LaRocca didn't invent jazz?

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  3. hey George....Mishagos is jewish, why is a nice goy like you quoting yiddish....?

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  4. There is a "Pink Floyd" blog where they argue a lot about "which one's Pink" because Roger Waters, the lyric writer and bassist, split from the band and then the band continued with Dave Gilmour writing the new stuff. So Floyd fans argue about the merits of the band before and after Waters left, and the "which one's Pink" argument also goes on forever. I'm both a pre-breakup Floyd fan and a jazz fan. Fancy that.

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  5. "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight?" was sung by Lonnie Donegan, a British guitarist who had a number of hits with novelty songs in the late 50's and early 60's.

    Here's the whole lyric...

    "Oh-me, oh-my, oh-you
    Whatever shall I do
    Hallelujah, the question is peculiar
    I'd give a lot of dough
    If only I could know
    The answer to my question
    Is it yes or is it no

    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight
    If your mother says don't chew it
    Do you swallow it in spite
    Can you catch it on your tonsils
    Can you heave it left and right
    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight

    Here comes a blushing bride
    The groom is by her side
    Up to the altar
    As steady as Gibraltar
    Why, the groom has got the ring
    And it's such a pretty thing
    But as he slips it on her finger
    The choir begins to sing

    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight
    If your mother says don't chew it
    Do you swallow it in spite
    Can you catch it on your tonsils
    Can you heave it left and right
    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight

    Now the nation rise as one
    To send their only son
    Up to the White House
    Yes, the nation's only White House
    To voice their discontent
    Unto the Pres-I-dent
    They pawn the burning question
    What has swept this continent

    (Lonnie speaks)
    If tin whistles are made of tin
    What do they make fog horns out of
    Boom, boom

    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight
    If your mother says don't chew it
    Do you swallow it in spite
    Can you catch it on your tonsils
    Can you heave it left and right
    Does your chewing gum lose its flavor
    On the bedpost overnight

    On the bedpost overnight

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  6. Congrats on your NPR press George, and keep the great content coming!

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  7. I love jazz music it give me harmony and peace.

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