tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post116548072791375228..comments2023-10-21T07:14:37.880-07:00Comments on Jazz: The Music of Unemployment: In defense of funAndrew Durkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-1166135326560817792006-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:002006-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:00CJC:Holy cow -- I am doubly grateful; first, that ...CJC:<BR/><BR/>Holy cow -- I am doubly grateful; first, that you came over to check out the blog; and second, that you commented!<BR/><BR/>Actually, triply grateful: thanks too for responding to my (perhaps over-exuberant) criticisms so graciously and thoughtfully. As I'm sure you recognized, this issue has a personal relevance for me and my own attempts at composition.<BR/><BR/>Your comments got me to wondering what role jazz history has in all of this -- in the sense that it took decades and decades for anyone to take jazz seriously as an art form at all (you know, the whole "novelty music" rep). Many critics, observers, and historians have rightly pointed out the basic unfairness of that situation. But it may be that we musicians have to some extent overcompensated by really ramping up the attention paid to "jazz as a sober art form," while neglecting its, uh, <I>Rabelasian</I> potential.<BR/><BR/>In any case, my sense is that something somewhere along the way has convinced audiences of "art music" that they are not to respond with laughter unless explicitly cued to do so. A long time ago, I used to break up our sets by performing an acoustic version of "Disco Inferno," which I would always introduce as a "little-known Bob Dylan song." I can't tell you how many times folks would come up to me after a performance, totally straight-faced, and ask "Was that song really written by Bob Dylan? I had no idea!"<BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks again. Really enjoying the D-O blog -- I'll see you over there!Andrew Durkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-1166109424400852132006-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:002006-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00thanks for the shout-out. really enjoyed your insi...thanks for the shout-out. really enjoyed your insightful breuker piece and thought you brought up many excellent points re: humor and depth. liked the small moments you pointed out in breuker that we glided over. and yeah, if we could've figured out a barthelme pastiche on a bleary-eyed sunday night that probably would've been preferable. but hey, stevens doesn't get enough shout-outs in the free jazz world. <BR/><BR/>i agree there's plenty of humor in free jazz, though i think the general impression of the music (mostly by outsiders) is that it lacks a funnybone. for me, humor actually shows the depth of an artist's seriousness. it's to breuker's credit and while we love the ole spiritual uplift, we don't necessarily prize it over a good gag. buster keaton is just as amazing as, say, robert bresson - to choose examples from another genre. <BR/><BR/>anyway, love how this has got me thinking. kudos again on the wonderful piece and fine blog!Chilly Jay Chillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03284766702868786451noreply@blogger.com