05/16 Andre Wollf wrote:
>>I'm talking to you now.
>>Let's get serious now.
>>Could someone show me where the soul of AJ is. I mean, we can feel
>>in blues and jazz all of the feelings of the interpreter, it's in
>>the vibe, something that we don't have to explain.
>>Is AJ just for fun or it has it's own message, it's own SOUL.
>>Think about it ( that's not fashion, it's the core of it ).
Thanks Andre, for evoking; your post has brewed. Here are some not
so well-aged results.
Look up SOUL the dictionary. My Webster's number 3 definition gets
my vote: "spiritual or emotional warmth, force, etc."
AJ reaches my ancestral midbrain . The purposeful, repetitive
rhythms of its myriad mini-genres (electronica, neo-soul, etc.)
attach to something primal. Makes me wanna beat on rocks and logs
with greasy bones... naked. Then, a collective consciousness buried
deep in cultural mandalas is brought forth in the dreamy swirls of
vocals, keys, and horns. The wonderful breadth of influences to be
heard erases boundries physical, political, and idealogical. It
seems like everyone _should_ like this music because it _is_
everyone. (Naive, I know, but sincere.) Of all the types of music
that I've ever loved, AJ seems more _important_ to me on some level
beyond itself.
AJ also summons rapturous chords that well up inside me. Few
'traditional' religious experiences in my life have ever inspired
the feelings I sense consistently while listening to this music.
Nuyorican Soul's 'It's Alright, I Feel It' gets me most every time.
I used to get this from soaring guitar jangle but it lacked
relevancy. Now, a lot of what I used to listen to sounds
homogeneous, (old age probably), where most new AJ CDs I buy are
distinctive and fresh (whether I like them or not). Liner note, Art
of Noise - The Drum and Bass Collection: "This album marks the
eradication of rock and roll from the face of the planet."
Undoubtedly, a SOUL thang is growing. Lucky us to be part of
the enlightened few. Trendy? maybe. Deep? maybe. PHAT? absolutely.
All in all, I find that one of the nicest things about AJ is that it
can be both "just for fun" _and_ have "it's own message, it's own
SOUL." In liberating my ass from the chair, my spirit is often freed
as well.
I intentionally wrote this before reading any other posts, to see if
I'm way off or there are any echos. Mushroom Jazz was the
soundtrack. So there it is... my puff of smoke.
Up way too damn late... Peace from New York.
-- Michael F. Grafe Lab Manager - Wallkill Senior High School XLab Voice - 914.895.8029 _____ mailto:mgrafe@int1.mhrcc.org dotdash - http://argos.sebridge.org/~dotdashMacintosh Rules!