[Dixielandjazz] Interesting Article in Chicago Trib

[Harold Smith]

Bob Ringwald sent in an "Interesting Article" in The Chicago Tribune, which knocked the Grammy Awards, and quite clearly criticized their "Recording of the Year" award going to Herbie Hancock, as well as past "Jazz" picks, such as Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole hit albums..

Well, I'll more or less agree with the level of ignorance on the part of today's generation of jazz listeners, but I'm forced to be grateful that almost anything that is either melodious or harmonically interesting is given some recognition by those usually tone-deaf Grammy voters.

As an aside, I don't know this, but I'm willing to wager that the writer of the Trib
article was the notoriously snobbish and elitist Howard Reich, who recoils at anything lyrical or swinging and who writhes in ecstasy at modal, free form and other various forms of atonality and anarchy in jazz.  My opinion of his musical authority is that he sits alone in a room and plays recordings of some transcendental guru droning 3, 200 bars of "Om".

Meanwhile, unlike that article's author, I thought the Natalie Cole album called "Unforgettable" was lovely, upbeat and swinging, and a worthy tribute to her father.  If, by chance, Mr. Reich should read this, please go bang a gong and take a chorus on kazoo.

Regards.
Harold