Well, I feel somewhat (SOMEWHAT) responsible for sending someone running
out to procure a copy of Greg Osby's "New Directions", and for the
subsequent rant, so let me weigh in:
I didn't necessarily mean to imply that this album was _the shit_, or
supremely innovative, just that it's interesting to see that some
musicians are making at least *some* gestures towards contemporary
influences -- no matter how tepid -- given the overwhelming
conservativeness of the jazz scene, for which Blue Note is certainly a
flagship. That being said, the album is, I admit, not going to give Lee
Morgan a run for his money anytime soon.
I guess I was interested in the album -- as a university student doing
work on jazz (ducking slings and arrows) -- because the overtures that
drum and bass artists are making towards jazz have become increasingly
bold, what with 4hero's recent interpretation of Coltrane's Naima being
basically a relatively straightahead, even trad treatment of the work;
shouldn't we be even mildly interested when recent jazz artists make a
few preliminary (if failing, miserable) attempts to go in the other
direction, synthesize influences from other scenes? Isn't the mild
gesture towards styles coming out the UK represent a significant
acknowledgement that New York doesn't have a monopoly on musical
innovation in jazz (as is made quite evident by this album)? If those
kinds of musical moments are turning up on the warhorse Blue Note, then
I can only imagine (living as I do on the other coast) what is happening
in live contexts, where Blue Note's looming presence is at least
partially absent.
As for the calcification, reification, and slow painful death that jazz
is experiencing in the academy, I'm all too aware of the truth of that.
Part of my work is to look at the disturbing trend of jazz repertory
bands aping "great performances" of the past, so the very notion of a
hip hop repertory ensemble makes me shudder. (All together now! "Now
what you hear is not a test, I'm rockin' to the beat. . .")
Dale
DJ SUN wrote:
> I think you answered your own question... Blue Note (US)has become
> another arm of Capitol, which is part of one of the 4 or 5 big ones
> (EMD, EMI? or perhaps Universal). So I don't think you'd look to Blue
> Note, (unless from France, ie St Germain) for innovation in jazz, but
> perhaps the smaller labels like Jazzateria, Ninja Tune. The sad part
> of that is that those companies are limited in their resources to get
> product and info out, Blue Note has the recognition, but its no
> longer the label it used to be. I venture to guess that there are
> perhaps 2 or 3 employees directly under the umbrella name of Blue
> Note. 1 person who handles A&R, product development, sales, for the
> occasional original release and the rest just re-issuing and compiling
> from a vast library, in addition to literature (like the Blue Note
> cover art photo albums). Why not? there seems to be demand for it
> and its just a matter of "re-cycling," not much overhead... innovative
> art? no!.... clever business "re-cycling"?.... yes
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Steve Catanzaro
> To: acid jazz
> Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2000 4:14 PM
> Subject: Blue Note: Flushing jazz down the toilet
> ... and the music schools have their hands on the
> plunger! (RANT WARNING RANT WARNING
> RANT WARNING) Recent list mention of Greg Osby's "New
> Directions In Jazz" had me rushing for a copy, which means I
> had to go through the Blue Note Comps bin, which got me
> thinking these 2 things. 1. Why would this label be making
> up so many compilations which feature all the Blue Note
> originals that hip hoppers have sampled? Who is supposed to
> buy those things?... Real traditonal jazz heads who go out
> of their way NOT to hear the hip hop versions... (or don't
> like 'em if they do?) Producers or DJ's? Well, what producer
> or DJ worth their salt is gonna sample stuff that's already
> become that famous... again? So, maybe it's got a purpose in
> turning some jazz-inclined hip hoppers on to the real
> thing... the classic Blue Note era records of the 50's and
> 60's, maybe the greatest music ever recorded! But that
> brings me to point 2.... Classic Blue Note always seemed to
> me to be about innovation... people like Miles, Horace,
> Trane, the great organ players, they were all originals,
> creating a NEW sound. Most of 'em were SELF taught, for the
> most part, as there were no real schools of jazz at that
> time... you just learned by doing... similar to the various
> Producer/DJ arts of today... Well now, there are music
> schools of jazz, with degrees and everything, and the result
> of this mentality can be heard on "New Directions in
> Jazz." Why in the world would ANYONE want to hear this
> version of "Tom Thumb," for instance, when the original is
> so much BADDER in every way? Ditto "Song For My Father" and
> "The Sidewinder." I'd be down to hear some real NEW
> versions... but this? This sounds like a musical term paper
> on the Blue Note era. Shouldn't the new jazz artists be
> CREATING new frontiers, as opposed to the mildly interesting
> TWEAKING to the classic tradition so many of 'em do? And
> shouldn't Blue Note be finding those creative artists
> instead of signing all of these jazz performance competition
> winners from the Manhattan School of Music and the New
> England Conservatory? The school-competition thing has
> ruined Western European music (so called "classical"
> music... when's the last time a composer was carried through
> the streets of his city after his death... ala Beethoven?
> Where's the widespread passion for modern classical
> music?) Now, this same education system is threatening to
> ruin Afro-American music (every bit as "classical") by
> forcing young musicians to COPY instead of innovate. What's
> gonna happen when the schools recognize the value of
> hip-hop, say 40 years from now... Ouch... Blackalicious in a
> museum? Blackalicious imitators giving concerts at the
> Smithsonian? All the life will be squeezed out! MUSICANS!!!
> SOS!!! (Stay Outta School!) signed,an ex-music professor
>
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