being in the moment... and capturing it
i've always felt that jazz, and blues, where the best musical vehicles that capture the "here and now".
i love bebop, i admit that i cannot relate to it, and neither can any of you unless you lived in that era. but i appreciate it's historical significance, and have learnt alot from how the musicians of that time captured the moment they were in. how jazz evolved into a faster form of music, as things did speed up then. then how it became modal, and complex, then tok up a different shape and form into fusion, then mellowed down to be airwave friendly. it's all about being in the present moment, shifting with the paradigm. and i'm enjoying the newer guys that bring new things to the table.
i also like to think that jazz and rock are both brother's in arms, as they both like to "stick it to the man", and enjoy danger. jazz just happens to be the more refined and smarter brother
jazz is about taking chances at the spur of the moment, and celebrating your individuality. your personal interpretation of today's politics, rendered in jazz, is valid.
rock in the face of danger, assumes the stance of the juggernaut. emotionally unbridalled, destroying everything in it's path. whereas, jazz, can be likened to the spartan king leonidas. Not afraid, but in a state of heightened awareness (when confronted with complex changes!)
jazz eloquently expresses pain. i recall reading marshall mcluhan talking about how pain influences a society, a pain that is inflicted by change. just by scanning the evolution of jazz, and its historical significance at it's point in time, makes it life's fitting soundtrack. i like to think that the first group of people who flinch and moan upon the pain that change brings in, are the artists. And i like to think that it's the jazz guys that surf that pain with coolness
