[Dixielandjazz] Can Jazz Be Learned ?- Was Jazz is Alive & Well

[Steve Barbone]

I guess there are varying degrees of opinion on whether or not jazz can be
learned. Perhaps the opposite extremes of the opinions are:

Stan Kenton's View: (Jazz can be learned)
He believed that jazz could be learned. And while alive, he held a lot of
clinics all over the country. Today there are numerous high school and
college bands playing Kenton Charts which speaks to the impact he had on the
jazz scene. (He left all of his charts to North Texas State University) Now,
not many folks buy/hear his records but they are still influenced by
musicians he influenced when they played in his band. Maynard, Art Pepper,
Anita O'Day, June Christy, Kai Winding, Shorty Rogers, Lee Konitz, Frank
Rossolino, Bud Shank, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and many more who were 1st rate
jazz musicians.

And his arrangers . . . among them Bill Holman, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Russo,
Pete Rugolo and more.

Keith Jarrett's View: (Jazz is intuitive)
A famous Jarrett quote is; "Jazz is one of the least learnable art forms."
Jarrett believes that jazz is mostly intuitive.

Both of them have huge recorded legacies out there. Some may say that they
are/were not jazz players, but that is besides the point.

Is there a "correct" view out there? Maybe, but I sure as hell don't know
what it is. What I do know is that there are dedicated teachers of jazz out
there who are bringing some jazz players along. A lot more now, than there
were when I was a kid. However, the bottom line is that it is up to the
wannabe student to become all that he can be in jazz. Isn't that true of
everything in life?

Now if we could only get some Jazz Marketing courses into the curriculum.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone