[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Article on Individuality

[Nancy Giffin]

What's missing in jazz today? Here's one player's opinion:

http://www.thewholenote.com/wholenote/jazz.html
The Wholenote -- Dec. 2002
=20
by Jim Galloway=20

Do you know what I miss in jazz today? Individuality. The characters that
made the music come alive, whose voice you could recognise in a phrase, who
added flesh and blood to their creative juices. Apart from the obvious ones=
:
Armstrong, Hawkins, Parker, I am thinking of Monk, Mingus, 'Pee Wee'
Russell, Bill Harris, Clifford Brown, 'Cannonball' Adderley, Art Hodes...
and if you are not aware of their playing, try to have a listen. They told
wonderful stories when they played. They lived their music, and their music
came alive.=20

There are truckloads of great players out there today, who can do the
impossible in terms of technical ability, who are well schooled, can (if yo=
u
will pardon the expression) "read fly shit in any key," and I am in awe of
their proficiency; but the music industry has homogenised the music, giving
us smooth jazz. No balls. Of course there are exceptions: Ray Anderson, Fre=
d
Hersch and Roy Hargrove come immediately to mind. They have fire in the
belly, and their passions move them.

And here is the dilemma: how on earth can you teach these qualities?

In another life [Glasgow], I taught art. How?=A0All you can do is plant seeds=
,
and if it is a fertile mind that receives them, then something will grow.
Yes, there are ground rules to be obeyed -- or broken: perspective, anatomy=
,
principles of design, harmony-- but ultimately there has to be a spark that
can be kindled in order for an artist to emerge.

It is no different in music.

Back to Pee Wee Russell for a minute. He once put it this way in a
conversation with that wonderful writer on jazz, Whitney Balliett: "You tak=
e
each solo like it was the last one you were going to play in your life: wha=
t
notes to hit and when to hit them; that's the secret. You can make a
particular phrase with just one note.......When I play the blues, mood/fram=
e
of mind enters into it. One day your choice of notes would be melancholy, a
blue trend, a drift of blue notes. The next day your choice of notes would
be more cheerful. Standard tunes are different. Some of them require a
legato treatment, and others have sparks of rhythm you have to bring
out.......All of this goes through your mind in a split second. You start,
and if it sounds good to you, you keep it up and write a little tune of you=
r
own."=20

It reminds me of standing alongside the great tenor player Buddy Tate, and
as I played he would say to me, "Tell your story, tell your story."

There will be large numbers of jazz educators in Toronto early this January=
,
all involved in exposing young people to jazz. They have a huge
responsibility as well as a wonderful opportunity to open minds and ears.

College and University courses create an infrastructure where students hone
their skills. Unfortunately, what is missing in this picture is the playing
experience, which can only be found in the "university of life." Nothing
takes the place of playing for real -- relating to listeners as you interac=
t
with fellow musicians. That's where the club scene comes in, and Toronto is
fortunate in having a large number of venues, offering jazz two or three
nights a week, where lesser-known young musicians have a chance to get some
on-the-job experience,=A0to "get known." But it is a tough game. You had
better have that "fire in the belly," plus a sense of humour if you want to
survive.