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"Melissa Aldana's Blue Note debut acts as a new beginning for the Santiago-born saxophonist, exploring ideas of family and self-acceptance."
What's next, nude photos on the Net?
That's what many Female Pop "Artists" are doing in the name of Self-Love and Acceptance.
To me Music is Music, that's IT.
Not Me Me Me.
I've seen other Jazz albums that have Sociological inspiration, not musical.
And if they don't Tell you what it's "About," you'd never guess.
Of course Mellisa is a fine player, I just don't go for the Extra Musical Content.
Follow Ups:
That's just writers writing. I have a general question for experienced musicians:
Is the volume of jazz record "releases" today higher, lower or about the same as jazz album releases in the 1950's / 1960's? I believe there is more global quantity today. I don't want to debate quality.
nt
Thanks. That was my sense. More musicians globally and easier to put music out.
,
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
Music can be "about" anything. Classical music is full of titles to pieces, some autobiographical, many emotionally suggestive. No reason why jazz can't be also, and anyway most tunes have suggestive titles like "Round Midnight" etc. and quite a few are dedicated to people.
You might want to consider the research of Rosamund Shuter-Dyson into the brain function of musicians. She found that amateur musicians or non-musicians had a more right brained response to music, imagining feelings, pictures etc. Professionals and those of long experience had progressively more left-brained responses, tending to analyse the music in a less emotive way, picking up on musical details.
Could be you've just been in the game for a good while......
Andy,
What is your impression regarding the volume of recorded jazz today versus the 50s / 60s? Do you believe the amount of jazz produced and released is greater today or less? I believe their is more global quantity.
Whatever particular inspiration that set the tone/path for the creation of art or... music.
Usually it's much easier to source it with vocals or words.
Assuming Aldana is an instrumentalist, her "vision" may have been inspired by those
life experiences, like Sonny Rollins' "East Broadway Run Down", or Mingus' "Meditations
(on a pair of Wire Cutters) were. The later bolstered by the title.
So, different strokes for different folks? She's getting inspiration from her ideas of family
and self acceptance. Rollins got his on The Bridge. Ellington from trains amongst many other
other things. Coltrane from God. Kenny G from $$$$. Etc.
Hell, if her description is hers and accurate, BN saves some dough on PR.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
Well said.
Ciao,
"Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once." - John Coltrane.
Cpwill
See my question above. As a host of a radio show, your reply would be helpful.
Thanks.
I was a baby/toddler in the late fifties and a kid/preteen in the sixties so I lack a certain degree of perspective to compare that period to today. I can say that between what I buy and what promoters send me, my wife is about to kick me out of the house. I must say, as a partially retired architect, an animal shelter volunteer, and a part-time, volunteer radio jazz programmer, I don't have time to listen to half of what promoters send me (no drugs or sex workers like the sixties). Much of the stuff is from artist I don't know or don't know well. Much of it is female vocalists. When I don't know the artists, I look for who is playing with them first, what label they are on next, and then the track list. Also, in this day and age with digital, etc., it is much easier for artists to put out self released/self produced content. That and the number of small and independent labels contribute to the abundance of new releases these days. Much is good to excellent, but at the other end of the spectrum, a lot of amateurish efforts or pure dreck.
As for Ms. Aldana, she is great, If family and self awareness motivates her creativity, that's fine by me. I as I wrote in an earlier post that was removed for a minor political rant, I feel at she is arguably one of if not the best female tenor players ever. I found the OP's original complaint totally misdirected. Too many real problems in the world to place an artist's inspiration amongst them.
Ciao,
"Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once." - John Coltrane.
Cpwill
That is what my experience has been. It stands to reason that with the advent of jazz study programs in high school and colleges and the increase in the number of people playing instruments in this country today as well as around the globe and the ease in which a person can produce a record, there would be more content available. I can't keep up with all the music that is released.
nt
Musical Ideas.
It really bugs me, I' m sorry to say.
It's the Way these days from the Younger Players.
Music has to be About something.
I guess just being music doesn't cut it anymore.
Or maybe it's just Marketing.
I hope she doesn't record an album with
Megan Thee Stallion, whatever That means...
OK, end of incomprehensable Rant.
Your Musical Ideas, Imagination, and Skill at expressing them.
That's all I need...
Have no idea if its just marketing for Aldana's recording or what. Most recordings/tunes have titles including my own. In my case, as I said in the liner notes of one of my big band cd's, I had a vibe in mind when I wrote some of the charts but whatever the music evokes and wherever it takes an individual listener is fine with me. I'd actually prefer people to listen first and look at titles later. Its quite possible that a listener will get some emotional response that's completely unrelated to the title. I often title music after I write it.I do know where you're comin' from. Sometimes I feel the kind of explanation of inspiration or intent for instrumental music can be stilted or unnecessary or even just bullshit created by a label. I just listen.
Edits: 03/25/22
It's like what the art critic, Leo Steinberg, wrote in Other Criteria about modern art of the period. Once an artist releases art into the art world, an artist's intent no loner matters. They become merely part of the art world.
Ciao,
"Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once." - John Coltrane.
Cpwill
I guess the thing for me is They are Telling You what to think, feel, etc about their music.
It also can seem to inflate the Meaning of the Music into something bigger and important than mere tunes.
I like that you Ignore that stuff and listen.
Stravinsky and Miles would ask at Sessions,
"How does it Sound?",
not, does my Self-Love come through here?
How about my Fear of, then Acceptance of Death?
It's ALL in that C6 voicing at Letter B...
I'm pretty sure I won't need to bring this up again...!
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