[Dixielandjazz] Re: The "Jazz" Police

[Rick Onofrey]

Jim's comment about his audience not understanding jazz: 

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of Jim Kashishian
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 6:28 AM
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Subject: FW: [Dixielandjazz] Re: The "Jazz" Police

<SNIP>
One comment we often hear (aside from "you play a great saxophone"!!....it's
a trombone, but anyway....), is "I don't understand Jazz, but am enjoying
your band"!  Now, that could be misconstrued, but is not really a nasty
remark at all.  
<SNIP>

Brings to mind one of my favorite explanations of jazz from the great Yogi
Berra:

Interviewer: Can you explain jazz? 

Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other
half is the part people play while others are playing something they never
played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, its
right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong
enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong. 

Interviewer: I don't understand. 

Yogi: Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's
too complicated. That's whats so simple about it. 

Interviewer: Do you understand it? 

Yogi: No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldnt know
anything about it. 

Interviewer: Are there any great jazz players alive today? 

Yogi: No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the
ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that
are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill
for it. 

Interviewer: What is syncopation? 

Yogi: That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before or
after you hear it. In jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen because
that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz,
but only if they're the same as something different from those other kinds. 

Interviewer: Now I really don't understand. 

Yogi: I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that well. 


-Rick