[Dixielandjazz] Subject: Is Rap a New Jazz Genre?

[DWSI at aol.com]

Steve  asked a provocative question:

> Sometimes we can't see the forest  for the trees. Below is excerpted from
> long article about why the  Cuban "Establishment" hates rap. The reasons are
> eerily similar to why  the US "Establishment" hated jazz a few generations
> ago.  Hmmmmm.
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve  Barbone



The musical forest is much bigger than jazz and rap, I think, Steve.  And 
hating something does not make that something jazz-like. For  example, is John 
Cage's music like jazz? His music has been hated far  longer than rap. I suspect 
that the forest is changing in more basic ways--what  you might call a 
paradigm shift--to use a fancy term. The musical structures we  all grew up are 
breaking down and merging into new "entities" we still  can't quite define yet. 
Maybe the whole idea of music fitting into  categories is itself an idea already 
out of date.The only  result that is obvious now is the continuing  
fragmentation and lack of clear direction (seemingly). Never before have  muscians (or 
any artists) had more choices and so few rules to hold onto.  Fortunately, 
there are still some rules left to break. For example,  we really don't need 
rhythm, do we?    

Dan (piano fingers) Spink