[Dixielandjazz] Secretary of Arts

[Harold Smith]

Hi Listmates,

I'm afraid my friend Bill Sargent's inherent loathing of Government has allowed it (to quote The Shadow) cloud his mind.

It's exactly the LACK of Government which led to the big corporate blocks to bleach out all traces of good music from  commercial FM and AM radio.  Check your FM dial, for example, and all you can hear, save for NPR, is either country, rock, rap, Christian Gospel, and other forms of like "entertainment".  Independent stations which would program jazz of all types, but especially OKOM.  As for classical, or even light classical ditties,  I'd qualify for asylum treatment if I thought you could hear it anywhere (again, except on NPR).

Gee, Bill, you're a young man.  Likely before you where born, network radio gave us The Metropolitan Opera, the NBC Symphony, TLhe NY Philharmonic, The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street, all sorts of Sunday afternoon light stuff, and on and on.  All of this has been eradicated in pursuit of a fast buck.  People who care are being violated and forced into
retreat.

We've been drifting away from intelligent and enjoyable music for decades, and, Bill, it ain't gonna get any better as long as the inmates are running the asylum.

Bring on a Secretary of Arts, and Jazz back in the White House, and ask yourself if the Government can do any worse than  what we're lving through right now, musically speaking.

Regards.
Harold