Saturday, June 08, 2013
Jazz
Last night I went to hear Ralph Armstrong, a great bassist. My dad described his style before the show, complete with facial expressions, and was right on.
Afterwards, I wondered about the trajectory of jazz, which is still vibrant in corners of places like Detroit, through the efforts of some dedicated people. It used to be easy though.
Part of it, I think, is that in the 1920's through the 50's, popular music (pop) was a variant of jazz. The most popular big bands and later the smaller groups used the language of jazz in a variety of ways, often sanitizing it. Then, in the 1950's and 60's, pop became a variant of rock, later morphing into a variant of electronic/dance music and hip-hop, again largely sanitized.
Might it be that the purer form thrives when pop music serves as an entree to the form?
Afterwards, I wondered about the trajectory of jazz, which is still vibrant in corners of places like Detroit, through the efforts of some dedicated people. It used to be easy though.
Part of it, I think, is that in the 1920's through the 50's, popular music (pop) was a variant of jazz. The most popular big bands and later the smaller groups used the language of jazz in a variety of ways, often sanitizing it. Then, in the 1950's and 60's, pop became a variant of rock, later morphing into a variant of electronic/dance music and hip-hop, again largely sanitized.
Might it be that the purer form thrives when pop music serves as an entree to the form?
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