[Dixielandjazz] what the Hell is "JAZZ" ? Dick Luker comments...

[Norman Vickers]

To DJML & Musicians and Jazzfans list

From:  Norman  Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

Listmate on Musicians and Jazzfans list, Dick Luker, of Windsor, Ontario
sent this to me.  Fits with our discussions about what happened to the jazz
element in the

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.  This was too good not to pass
along.  So, I called him to get his assent.

 

Newspaperman and American Iconoclast, H. L. Mencken used to say, when he'd
written a particularly provocative column, " this'll stir up the animals!"

Luker's column might apply similarly.

 

Enjoy!

 

Norman

 

From: Richard Luker [mailto:tiburon at mnsi.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 10:06 PM
To: Norman Vickers
Subject: what the Hell is "JAZZ" ?

 

Norm: I posit that during the socalled "jazz age'' the word "jazz'' was a
well known product, almost as clear as say, "the liver", "the eyes", an
"automobile" etc. etc.


Yes there were basic variants, Uptown N.O/Downtown N.O., Chicago, West
Coast, "Big Band", (I think of Charlie Barnett's style, rightly or wrongly),
and others...

 

But it seems that to me, as with so many 1920s/30s pop composers, who added
the word "blues" to many tunes that simply were not classic 12 bar blues,
but they knew (or hoped) it would help sell their wares, that the good old
word "jazz" which actually stood for something rather tangible, to most
lovers of that style of music, has also been bastardized into meaningless
mush.

 

I am not "against" the many styles of  what is now called "jazz", as I
couldn't care less what new and many times short lived weird or brilliant
notes are being played by musicians.

 

I simply believe that "jazz", the word , should be left off the various
eclectic modes as completely meaningless, and redundant. All of the below
"kinds" of music cannot possibly belong to one GENRE to my way of thing.

 

It's like throwing into a concert of  "Classical Music" , say at Carnegie
Hall ,  some Beethoven, a couple of Hindustani "Classical" Musiqi-e- assil
30 minute compositions,  at least two or three  spasm bands, Irish fiddle
bands for jigs and reels, and  maybe for fun, a Newfoundland Sea Shanty
segment et al.

 

Some of the "jazz" (vbg.) even I know about appear below, {please pardon the
verbosity, but it is to prove a point}:

 

M-Base Jazz

Punk Jazz

Jazz core

Acid jazz

Nu jazz

Jazz rap

Jazz fusion

Smooth jazz

Progressive jazz

Modal jazz

Pop Rock jazz

Jazz funk

Soul jazz

Bebop

Then Bop

Then Post Bop

Then Hard Bop

Bossa Nova jazz

Afro Cuban jazz

Brazilian Jazz

Free jazz

Cool jazz

Gypsy jazz

Swing jazz

Harlem jazz

Kansas City jazz

Afro Creole jazz

Hip Hop jazz

Vocalese jazz

Mainstream jazz

Trad jazz

Groove jazz and last and leat : Country jazz

 

Dat's it , I'm exhausted.