tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post3953773770997048524..comments2024-02-01T12:37:55.180+00:00Comments on Mostly music: 21st Century Bebop?Ronan Guilfoylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02668316692753726447noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-3321057247497445852017-06-16T20:19:50.265+01:002017-06-16T20:19:50.265+01:00Hi Ronan,
thanks for your article! When thinking ...Hi Ronan,<br /><br />thanks for your article! When thinking about your words, I wondered whether there is any serious musician who would agree to deny the exploration of music that has been created before. All this is an interesting subject these days and I just would like to add a personal note.<br />My initial experience, when music became important to me, happened at the age of 16. Growing up in the 100% jazz-free zone, my background in music from the early childhood had been singing in various choirs. Then I grabbed a record by Oscar Peterson and Roy Eldridge from my brother’s collection. `Little Jazz´ took me emotionally to a different place right away. Looking back, this experience has shown me a strong point in music. It works beyond cultural, national, geographic, and ethical borderlines. Music seems to be a universal language for human beings.<br />How else could it be, that one person – coming basically from the church choir - can fall into all kinds of different music, like Jazz, Indian music, being touched by African music or Hungarian folksongs, Bela Bartok, Sting...?<br />Isn’t the thought, that there is no need to work with music from the past, based on a mistake? A mistake, created by mixing up two entirely different things: 1) better understanding the music from the past and 2) the desire to be an artist right away. <br />Enjoying, exploring and being surprised of how music has been developed already so many years ago can be quite a challenge. The only real important thing to me as a teacher could be taking the delicate decisions which music to study, at the best time for it. In my opinion, for pedagogical reasons, it would help to make clear distinction between two aspects. Musical skills on the one hand and the esthetic of music on the other hand.<br />Isn´t the common ground of that subject the sensory perception, the physical and emotional experience and the impact of what music has done to someone? If not, how to explain the importance of facing the roots by using arguments?<br /><br />ManfredAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06749320037007012302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-92119325669453950992017-06-05T21:23:21.763+01:002017-06-05T21:23:21.763+01:00Be-bop preceded the West Coast sound as the last a...Be-bop preceded the West Coast sound as the last and most modern extension of<br />jazz in its history!<br />Bird, Diz Monk & Mingus sculpted a harmonic structure of permanence!<br />WHY does the QUESTION even exist as to whether or not 'be-bop' and its trend-setting and unique harmony should be focused on and studied permanently? I believe that the writer got it right when he said: "<br />For myself, I really do believe in the relevance of teaching this music, and the importance to any programme, that uses the word 'jazz' in its title, of giving the students access to the skills and ethos required to play music from the jazz tradition. I don't think there is any one reason to continue to teach this repertoire in jazz schools, but MANY reasons. I would list the value of working with this repertoire for aspirant professional performers under three headings - as a portfolio of skills, as a connection to a musical tradition, and as exposure to some of the highest levels of musical thinking and musical philosophy of the past hundred years."PULIN 4 JAZZ JAZZ RADIOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09206550566241765652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-51256355732205238042017-06-05T20:28:37.860+01:002017-06-05T20:28:37.860+01:00I really enjoyed your article, right analysis, I&#...I really enjoyed your article, right analysis, I'm totally agree with you. I can only add that the great majority of people would be polite to listening to good Music.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040980360273715106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-40195984312617852852017-06-05T13:38:52.387+01:002017-06-05T13:38:52.387+01:00Fine writing, Ronan. We have a music school here i...Fine writing, Ronan. We have a music school here in St. Paul, called McNally Smith. It's a relatively new college--20 something years--but incorporates the standard jazz repertoire along with all the "technology," of pro-tools, recording skills, programming many will need to become musicians who actually make a living (though I doubt even that, given the buttloads of degreed musicians the schools are unleashing. I'm 64, and have no idea about rock and pop since the advent of the Bee Gees. But I have seen some very impressive hip-hoppers who incorporate the canon of American music in their shows. And I believe there will soon be a wave of VERY sophisticated musicians and performers coming ashore. No, it's not jazz, and not my preference. But the skill and craft will be resurrected. Believe it. I agree with you on the jazz skills, however. Tony Williams said in his workshops that the skills in playing jazz make the mastery of the other genres much easier. "You need technique; and you'll get it to a high degree when you learn what the instrument can do." Annathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03901435362265438002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-3822074334918676422017-06-05T10:28:45.629+01:002017-06-05T10:28:45.629+01:00Very valid points made Ronan and great blogs, than...Very valid points made Ronan and great blogs, thanks. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06165348301605294316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-53901447707268303082017-06-04T20:13:48.548+01:002017-06-04T20:13:48.548+01:00Thanks Irini!Thanks Irini!Ronan Guilfoylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02668316692753726447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-26846948906350264162017-06-04T20:13:05.437+01:002017-06-04T20:13:05.437+01:00Thanks Paul - great points!
Thanks Paul - great points!<br />Ronan Guilfoylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02668316692753726447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-71074572611979716612017-06-04T20:12:24.750+01:002017-06-04T20:12:24.750+01:00Thanks MassimoThanks MassimoRonan Guilfoylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02668316692753726447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-21984300168607867292017-06-03T22:11:30.167+01:002017-06-03T22:11:30.167+01:00Very well put! The whole article is totally into t...Very well put! The whole article is totally into the point! I couldn't agree more with the use of the words ethos, aesthetics, deep thinking and philosophy. These elements - humanitarian values - are a very important legacy for the young musicians. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11131133150263498278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-48235511370924367742017-06-03T02:46:29.944+01:002017-06-03T02:46:29.944+01:00Another erudite and sobering article, Ronan, thank...Another erudite and sobering article, Ronan, thank you. Couldn't agree more. As you state, there are those may argue that jazz comes from an America that's a far away country,from a people who are from a different culture and a long ago time - yes, America is physically distant from other continents and countries but that's where the disconnect just about ends. It's stating the obvious that the cultural, geopolitical, economic and all encompassing reach/influence of the USA on much of the rest of the planet is immense and self evident. So is the jazz continuum that ties the earliest jazz and pre-jazz to the music's contemporary identities. But I get it that such reasoning, devoid of historical context, could be used to justify the view that learning the tradition has become irrelevant. From a South African perspective, it's my view that all of the extraordinarily creative, vibrant South African Jazz being produced by the current leading generation is founded on the tradition (of both SA & international jazz). In fact this relationship between tradition and new thought, for reasons deeply tied to issues of national identity, is proudly celebrated by this generation of players. Maybe that is also connected to the reverance assigned to elders in our society... The achievements of jazz elders here are viewed in more than just musical terms. So what I'm saying is that, while you won't necessarily find the younger generation playing and composing nostalgic music, they generally have respect and an instinctive awareness, or in the least a curiosity for what came before them. Paul Sedreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01327602868685602479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-31610947071310011222017-06-02T19:27:45.838+01:002017-06-02T19:27:45.838+01:00thank you Ron, can't agree more.thank you Ron, can't agree more.massimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07218843700601602926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-44571976386302673922017-06-02T07:45:36.146+01:002017-06-02T07:45:36.146+01:00Thanks Dave. Yes, I think the current, and future ...Thanks Dave. Yes, I think the current, and future generations will find their way. I think what's particularly valuable, from a pedagogical point of view, about teaching the jazz tradition is the way it equips young musicians with the tools they need to branch out into any stylistic area that attracts them. I think you're right about YouTube too - it's a phenomenon that has greatly affected the learning of music among young musicians in a way that is not yet clearly understood. Definitely an area for research for someone's PhD there!Ronan Guilfoylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02668316692753726447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-87896036957686778482017-06-01T14:38:48.395+01:002017-06-01T14:38:48.395+01:00I enjoyed reading this Ronan. There are a few inst...I enjoyed reading this Ronan. There are a few instances where age peers of mine chose to focus on a specific style of the music and cut off what happened after that period that I like, Scott Hamilton being an example. I believe the reason it works for me with Scott is his sincerity of purpose but I always tell the kids in our program that if they drive ONLY looking in the rear view mirror they are bound to crash! Youtube sees to have helped them find music that moves them without the feeling that record companies with an agenda have prescribed what they should believe is good. I believe we will see and are seeing the fruits of this in much the same way as the food revolution you mentioned, when you were in town recently and the role the internet and videos played in that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02181611162301273090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526704657739088406.post-57099262104309176282017-06-01T00:34:22.400+01:002017-06-01T00:34:22.400+01:00Well said.Well said.greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04792745323678809534noreply@blogger.com