Being a jazz fan of an older vintage , Oscar,,Joe Pass, Getz,Benson ,Ellington,etc, what a relief to read about Marsalis than the usual depressing political BS.
I suspected that you were hitting pause on politics intentionally. I shared this in the Slow Boring comments this morning and I think it fits with your decision and with what Marsalis was saying about his approach to understanding the political choices of other people
I enjoyed this. Branford Marsalis is a really interesting guy. I’ve listened to some of his music since this, in addition to the ones posted. I like what I’ve heard.
I remember when Wynton and Branford burst on the scene (and BTW, Wynton was named after the great jazz pianist Wynton Kelly, at least to my understanding). It was a very challenging time for acoustic jazz. The type of jazz that was popular (especially with young musicians) was fusion. Miles was coming out of hibernation and had electric guitar and bass guitar in his band. Weather Report was at its peak, and everyone wanted to be Jaco Pastorius or Marcus Miller (if you were a bassist that is). So it was really something to hear these young lions fearlessly playing their music. The family has done a lot to further music around the world, and have been great ambassadors for America and its culture.
mr. marsalis appears to speak in code about musicians, unnamed, who play complicated jazz, subgenre unidentified, for only other musicians, in exactly 2 clubs in nyc, also unnamed.
why this bit of repressed nastiness, just because, in his view, apparently ordinary people don't appreciate this subgenre?
his brother, wynton, the big boss of the lincoln centre jazz orchestra, has steadfastly refused to allow this allegedly complicated music to be played at lincoln centre for decades. maybe this deep distaste runs in the marsalis family? surely not biological though.
I kind of admire your willingness to show up for this incredibly old fight, but I'll tell you a secret: absolutely nobody on earth cares whether some jazz is acceptable to one faction or another. Enjoy what you enjoy. Other people will enjoy what they enjoy. Most people will never hear about any of it.
jeezus, mr. wells. the only thing older than that "fight" is your implicitly superior aesthetic relativism, but as an escape valve rather than a straight up aesthetic statement.
apparently he cares and needs to speak in code multiple times, rather than call a spade a spade. moreover he is the one who started the "fight" on your podcast, not i.
for the record, who cares about most people's knowledge about that "fight."
and for the record again, i will place my aesthetic relativism against yours any day.
your paternalism is misplaced, mr. wells. the real tiger here is your buddy brantford. his seriously repressed anger at the avantistes was unprovoked by your interview.
truth be told, the real issue here is straight ahead musicians taking swipes at the avantistes and visa versa, not music heads bitching at each other.
it is true that musicians like mr. marsalis have been unjustifiably pilloried by some arrogant avantistes.
on the other hand, what happened 60 years ago when misters coltrane, sanders, taylor, et. al. burst onto the scene was completely unnecessary and unjustified. the first firebombs, and they were firebombs, were thrown by the straight ahead aficionados/critics, not the players who were upsetting the apple cart.
Borrowing from Paul Krugman‘s blog where he always presents a musical thing at the bottom of his script I think, because of your affinity with music, you could do the same thing Especially when you cover topics that don’t cover’ happy days’ phenomenon.
I remember when I interviewed Leonard Feather from Downbeat Magazine for my Chom Jazz program many years ago when he was in Montreal for the Jazz fest and he unloaded all over Branford Marsalis from a high altitude for having the gall to work with a rock musician like Sting. Kenny Kirkland was the recipient of his bile as well. The truth was that the album that they produced together and the tours they did behind it turned more rockers onto jazz than Feather ever could have imagined. I am out of country or would have rushed to Ottawa to see Branford play tonight. I am a huge admirer of his. Great piece! Bien à vous.
Branford spoke highly of Feather a few times to me, just as a guy who'd been there at the creation of bebop and heard all that music and brought that perspective. Which was a useful corrective for me, because Leonard was never one of my favourite writers. One thing I did once, in a nerdy moment, was to track down what Kenny Kirkland did in that last year or so with Wynton and the beginning of the Sting thing. He was hopping back and forth: gigs with Wynton, gigs with Carla Bley, rehearsals for the Sting album in that ridiculous castle in France, more work with Wynton, Stone Alliance gig, tour with Sting... the sort of stuff working musicians do. I wonder what Wynton, who's become a great friend of Paul Simon, would say about that stuff now, but he's harder to get an interview with.
Being a jazz fan of an older vintage , Oscar,,Joe Pass, Getz,Benson ,Ellington,etc, what a relief to read about Marsalis than the usual depressing political BS.
I suspected that you were hitting pause on politics intentionally. I shared this in the Slow Boring comments this morning and I think it fits with your decision and with what Marsalis was saying about his approach to understanding the political choices of other people
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/nietzsche-passing-by-healthy-discourse-1.7434781
Not sure I’ll be able to live up to the idea but the seed is planted at least.
The whole Marsalis family is a jewel. Used to attend Montreal Jazz Festival and Wynton was always a sold out event.
Loved this. Great break from the news. Thanks so much!
I enjoyed this. Branford Marsalis is a really interesting guy. I’ve listened to some of his music since this, in addition to the ones posted. I like what I’ve heard.
I remember when Wynton and Branford burst on the scene (and BTW, Wynton was named after the great jazz pianist Wynton Kelly, at least to my understanding). It was a very challenging time for acoustic jazz. The type of jazz that was popular (especially with young musicians) was fusion. Miles was coming out of hibernation and had electric guitar and bass guitar in his band. Weather Report was at its peak, and everyone wanted to be Jaco Pastorius or Marcus Miller (if you were a bassist that is). So it was really something to hear these young lions fearlessly playing their music. The family has done a lot to further music around the world, and have been great ambassadors for America and its culture.
mr. marsalis appears to speak in code about musicians, unnamed, who play complicated jazz, subgenre unidentified, for only other musicians, in exactly 2 clubs in nyc, also unnamed.
why this bit of repressed nastiness, just because, in his view, apparently ordinary people don't appreciate this subgenre?
his brother, wynton, the big boss of the lincoln centre jazz orchestra, has steadfastly refused to allow this allegedly complicated music to be played at lincoln centre for decades. maybe this deep distaste runs in the marsalis family? surely not biological though.
jr
I kind of admire your willingness to show up for this incredibly old fight, but I'll tell you a secret: absolutely nobody on earth cares whether some jazz is acceptable to one faction or another. Enjoy what you enjoy. Other people will enjoy what they enjoy. Most people will never hear about any of it.
jeezus, mr. wells. the only thing older than that "fight" is your implicitly superior aesthetic relativism, but as an escape valve rather than a straight up aesthetic statement.
apparently he cares and needs to speak in code multiple times, rather than call a spade a spade. moreover he is the one who started the "fight" on your podcast, not i.
for the record, who cares about most people's knowledge about that "fight."
and for the record again, i will place my aesthetic relativism against yours any day.
jr
You go, tiger.
your paternalism is misplaced, mr. wells. the real tiger here is your buddy brantford. his seriously repressed anger at the avantistes was unprovoked by your interview.
truth be told, the real issue here is straight ahead musicians taking swipes at the avantistes and visa versa, not music heads bitching at each other.
it is true that musicians like mr. marsalis have been unjustifiably pilloried by some arrogant avantistes.
on the other hand, what happened 60 years ago when misters coltrane, sanders, taylor, et. al. burst onto the scene was completely unnecessary and unjustified. the first firebombs, and they were firebombs, were thrown by the straight ahead aficionados/critics, not the players who were upsetting the apple cart.
peace out.
jr
Borrowing from Paul Krugman‘s blog where he always presents a musical thing at the bottom of his script I think, because of your affinity with music, you could do the same thing Especially when you cover topics that don’t cover’ happy days’ phenomenon.
I remember when I interviewed Leonard Feather from Downbeat Magazine for my Chom Jazz program many years ago when he was in Montreal for the Jazz fest and he unloaded all over Branford Marsalis from a high altitude for having the gall to work with a rock musician like Sting. Kenny Kirkland was the recipient of his bile as well. The truth was that the album that they produced together and the tours they did behind it turned more rockers onto jazz than Feather ever could have imagined. I am out of country or would have rushed to Ottawa to see Branford play tonight. I am a huge admirer of his. Great piece! Bien à vous.
Branford spoke highly of Feather a few times to me, just as a guy who'd been there at the creation of bebop and heard all that music and brought that perspective. Which was a useful corrective for me, because Leonard was never one of my favourite writers. One thing I did once, in a nerdy moment, was to track down what Kenny Kirkland did in that last year or so with Wynton and the beginning of the Sting thing. He was hopping back and forth: gigs with Wynton, gigs with Carla Bley, rehearsals for the Sting album in that ridiculous castle in France, more work with Wynton, Stone Alliance gig, tour with Sting... the sort of stuff working musicians do. I wonder what Wynton, who's become a great friend of Paul Simon, would say about that stuff now, but he's harder to get an interview with.