[Dixielandjazz] Entertainment or art?

[Cees van den Heuvel]

A painter that chooses canvas to put his art on

could be accused of being restricted. He does'nt

use cigarette butts, metal, human flesh, cars etc.

to put his art on. He has chosen canvas and oil paint.

Was he really restricted? Look at all the wonderful

art that is created on canvas! Different, new,

original, breathtaking, for centuries.

 

A jazz musician that chooses to play in the contrapunctual

collective improvisational way of jazz does in fact the same.

He uses the canvas and the oil paint of this jazz form and can

create beautiful new art.

The canvas could be the "standards", the paint his instrumental

abilities and his talent to create.

That is why I think REcreation (read written down arrangements)

will never result in art, but only in "Bob Ross-art".

 

When you try to recreate old jazz forms by imitating,you declare

these jazz forms as fossiles and dead. When you sell your jazz

as entertainment only, you do the same.

 

Remember Louis Armstrong; he upgraded mediocre and less music

to real jazz, just by playing it in his own way. And that is what

art is all about!