[Dixielandjazz] Re: Art

[DWSI at aol.com]

It's curious to see the parallels emerging as music, art, and religion become 
increasingly complex and people increasingly try to pin down what they are or 
aren't. John Cage killed my interest in defining music or art: i.e., any 
sound can be music. He was the guy who played radios on stage if you recall. One 
look at the New York trendy "art" scene leads you to almost the same 
conclusion: any body with enough money to sponsor a show can be said to have "art." 
Religion, or I should say religions, have been redefined endlessly until few 
people today care what the original Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, et. 
al. really thought. A non musician opened my eyes to opera a long time ago by 
telling me the story lines (and logic) are utterly stupid and of little 
significance; Rather, he said, Opera is an experience that is either compelling and 
lasting, or it isn't--for each individual. So open your heart to the experience 
and forget the stupid logic stuff. Strangely, it worked for me. I suspect 
that all of our efforts to turn music into a logical thing will probably fail. It 
exists only as a private experience and, I might add, for me, an extremely 
meaningful one.

Dan (piano fingers) Spink