[Dixielandjazz] Michael Jackson mania on the BBC

[john petters]

Randy Fendrick wrote:
 > Not MKOM but, MIchael Jackson died this afternoon in LA.

Dear lovers of good music,
An unbelievable amount of media coverage over here on the BBC. I was 
travelling home from a gig last night as the news was breaking. All 
sorts of outrageous claims that Michael Jackson was the greatest dancer, 
singer, innovator of Black music etc. He also sold more records than 
Bing! I doubt that.

To my ears, it was pop for the masses, devoid of anything challenging or 
interesting. I hated it the first time round and my initial instincts 
remain on a second listen.

Even BBC Radio Four's premier news programme,'Today' was plagued by 
Jackson's irrelevant piffle.

When one considers such priniciple innovators of Black Music as Louis 
Armstrong or Duke Ellingon, the vocal talents of Louis or Dinah 
Washington, Sr Rosetta Tharpre, Ella, Billie, Bessie, Big Bill Broonzy 
or virtually any other performer of note from the pre-rock era, then 
cleary Jackson was not in the same race.

As far as dancing, if we ignore Astaire, on the grounds that he was 
white and include the Nicholas Brothers, Bojangles, etc. where is 
Jackson in this elite family tree of  shoe shufflers?

The human story of Jackson is a tragic one - but the lives of many of 
the important jazz and blues performers have been marred with tradedy 
and failure, yet what pours forth from their recordings is quality, 
timing, phrasing, swing and iventiveness.

One wonders how a serious musician such as Quincy Jones who arranged 
Krupa's 1956 album, 'Drummin' Man', could produce such dumbed down 
waffle as, Thriller'.

Maybe he just took the money.

Long live real music.




-- 
John Petters
Amateur Raduio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com

-- 
John Petters
Amateur Raduio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com