Creative Improvisation: the Essence of Jazz...

In my last posting, I shared a snap-shot of some of the many notable Jazz Musicians who contributed heavily to this God-given form of musical expression. This posting will speak to the connection shared by many of those former notables -- namely: Creative Improvisation, and it will also shed new light on a few of the struggles and issues which can sometimes disillusion those who seek Careers as Jazz Musicians.

Jazz is the only form of musical expression that will never become outmoded because its basis lies in Creative Improvisation which spawns a wealth of unique interpretations. When some players use the word: improvisation, they are referencing the solos played over a form, but when others use that word, they almost reverence it because they realize that it indicates creativity emanating from a higher source which includes much more than just the solos. Webster defines the word improvise: (1) to compose and simultaneously utter, sing or play without preparation; extemporize. (2) to make, provide or do with whatever is at hand. Webster even goes so far as to use the word "foresee" as a synonym in his description which is akin to an envisioning or the pre-discerning of something which hasn't yet occurred as a requirement for it to occur, and considered from an aural perspective, that is indeed the very real essence of Jazz.

In the 20+ years I spent living on the North-East Coast, I was fortunate to have personally known some unusually gifted musicians. Given the many individuals who came there to study from all over the world, I was blessed to have heard many up-and-coming young Jazz Musicians, some of whom were well on the way to becoming Jazz Artists. Alongside them, I was privileged to have heard and studied with a few Iconic Legends (Dean Earl, Donald Brown, Ted Pease) and a bevy of other notables. In my latter years there, I observed the ongoing development of some of the younger musicians struggling to find their own voice and I witnessed some of the many pressures and impositions they faced apart from their study.

Most of those I met and with whom I enjoyed associations were committed to developing a high level of Jazz Musicianship, no matter what, come hell or high-water. Some however, were not, they were exclusively focused on "rote learning" for performance and recording. Amid the crowd, many were distracted while others were seemingly driven toward what they thought might provide them with instant fame and fortune causing their early abandonment. Still others who might've gone on to become Notable Jazz Musicians missed the mark by believing that they'd already "arrived" and so they prematurely concluded their studies. Some felt that pursuing a Career as a Jazz Musician would not be in their best interest, citing that they didn't feel that they could earn a respectable living. The quest for quick wealth, mistaken notions, a lack of dedication and self-discipline alongside being in a hurry as mandated by the high and rising cost of secondary and post-secondary education canceled the Jazz Careers of many before they even began.

Certainly, it's no secret that we live in an impressionable society as evidenced by how much we revere actors and actresses in Hollywood. To these ends, many continue to fall prey to the deceptions of others, because propaganda, or spin, as it is now known has been employed to discredit cultural aspects, races of people, true absolutes and even musical artistry. The problem with having entertained this trend for so long is that it has garnered popularity and been given validity such that we no longer bother to pause to appreciate, but are quick to challenge from surface and shallow understanding; we now "go with the flow" and then complain if things are not as we expected, or if they did not occur fast enough. Living in an age when the mindset of many is "instant gratification" as opposed to "paying one's dues with respect to natural development" has deceived many and continues to undermine the probability of any real positive change and evolution in our society.

Some might surmise that it's from an all too currently popular perverse notion, and the attempt to try and justify that notion as "OK" which has caused our ability and level of appreciation for what is truly qualitative, culturally acute and representative of our very best to no longer be fostered, recognized, or appreciated, but rather discredited and treated as insignificant refuse. Certainly, when folk no longer respect each other, are abusive to children, embrace lying and cover-up as acceptable, devalue life to the point of treating it as disposable, no longer respect themselves and have no shame alongside any number of other basic values for which we must all bear responsibility to have and maintain a civilized society, suspicion and fear-based existence within mis-managed police-states is the result.

Looking at the 7 pillars of society, the Arts and Education have been the first to suffer, and notably, Jazz is one of its first casualties. Whether one attempts to attribute blame to the political manipulation of money and power, or to unresolved social aspects, or any of a number of other issues with which we now live and seem to so vigorously embrace, blame does nothing by way of providing or working toward any real solution upon which we can all rely, it only makes matters worse and becomes the vehicle by which we delay our own progress. Jazz should not be completely severed from the American Tapestry, because to do so is to lose a very valuable and vital part of America. Jazz formerly provided the back-drop for many aspects of human interaction and without it, those social interactions became strained and without definition.

Notably, in other parts of the world, Jazz is alive and well and continues to thrive as evidenced by the number of foreign radio stations made available via online access. Sadly, it's no longer really celebrated here in America, and as a result, we're no longer on the Leader-Board in that arena, just as we no longer lead in education, engineering, mathematics, automobile production and health care. The many New American Jazz Musicians who might've been, will never be -- unless we make the decision to lend support to a Jazz Resurrection. Of course, there will be some, but not nearly as many as there can be, if we, as Americans, choose to Re-Embrace Popularizing Jazz, America's Music, whose Essence is Creative Improvisation.

Hopefully, this posting will serve as a wake-up call to some, and lend encouragement to others who've already come to the same realizations. I'd like to ask all readers of "The Jazz Soul" to spread the word because believing and speaking positively and with consistency can accomplish wondrous things if enough people exert action. Because positive action always follows dynamic thought, I'd also invite you to Join the Jazz Network World-Wide -- It's a Great Place to Hang! Tell the Admin J. C. Green referred you and be certain to purchase some Jazz Recordings and support your local Jazz Artists and the On- and Off-line Radio Stations which play Jazz!

A Blended Musical Expression...

In my last posting, I essentially wrote a preface concerning the Origins of JAZZ and concluded with the idea of blending... This posting will serve to reveal more about that idea and how its influence crossed preset cultural divides to contribute to the development and evolution of this unique form of musical expression.

The term: "classical music" is actually the misnomer generally used to describe the music of European Composers; it's further been misused to give the 4 or 5 more traditionally-recognized styles an elitist credibility: Baroque, Romantic, Renaissance, French Impressionism, 20th Century and 12-tone Serialism. Notably: Julia Perry, Billy Strayhorn, William Grant Still, David Baker, Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, Thelonius Monk, Oliver Nelson, Miles Davis, James Weldon Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Horace Silver, Eubie Blake, Bill Evans, Cole Porter, Mary Lou Williams, Earl "Fatha" Hines, George Gershwin, Gil Evans, Billy Taylor, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Erroll Garner, John Coltrane and Duke Ellington, just to name a few, have all written music which would and should qualify for inclusion under this heading, yet are notably omitted, and not necessarily due to ethnicity as some might mistakenly conclude.

When one considers French Impressionism for example, names like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel come to mind, and if one has been thorough, then Eric Satie who preceded them both, but Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Billy Strayhorn, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Gil Evans, Miles Davis and even Leonard Feather should also come to mind when discussing this style. Whether one is enamored with the canons and fugues of the Black Moors - Bach and Haydn, or enjoys the work which Bela Bartok, the Hungarian, adapted from folk melodies, or appreciates Handel's "Messiah" which he wrote while incarcerated in a jail cell, or the music of Schoenberg, Copeland and other modernists, Beautiful Music has always proven nourishing to the soul and healing to the mind.

If you are interested in music which originated in European Countries, you can visit the library and ask for the Norton Scores, 10th edition - The Enjoyment of Music (An Anthology). This is the standard resource which is most commonly utilized in most secondary education to enable students to begin their development of musical appreciation.

If you are, however, interested in American Classical Music (a.k.a. JAZZ), that is, the music which America has had to claim as its own and which has influenced all of the known styles -- including Country Western and today's Hip-hop, I would personally recommend that you begin with the field hollers of African Slaves, followed by Negro Spirituals and a few Blues Folk Songs and come forward through the deep southern blues (which planted a seed along the way for Mississippi Delta Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll's future) into the New Orleans "Blending" of Creole and Afro-Centric influences (later the "Blending" would include others who had migrated to America, many arriving on Ellis Island) through Louis Armstrong and so-called "Ragtime" (which was anything but raggedy - Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton).

The natural migration north into Chicago would follow without forgetting about what was going on out mid-west in Kansas City with Count Basie's Swing with Lester Young, and from there, heading further east into New York whereupon Charlie Parker would later upset the all too fragile apple-cart of the Big Dance Bands via his creation of Be-Bop a.k.a. "Hot Bop" assisted by Dizzy Gillespie and followed by musicians like John Coltrane but preceded by many, including Earl "Fatha" Hines who mentored George Gershwin. The Big Dance Bands I formerly mentioned included Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington. Around this time, Thelonius Monk came on the scene along with musicians like Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and others who would venture abroad into Paris and points beyond (Denmark, Germany). No one would want to over-look the influential role JAZZ had on Broadway Musicals via composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart collaborations and Richard teaming up a second time with Oscar Hammerstein, Eubie Blake, Scott Joplin and others. Just beyond this came Miles Davis (his latest news) and a musical growth spurt with "the birth of cool" which included his collaboration with Gil Evans.

Proceeding, one will note that JAZZ migrated to the West Coast with "COOL" continued and commercialized via its usage in Television (studio orchestras and later on early talk shows: Steve Allen, "Doc" Severinsen, Merv Griffin; chronicling-documentary shows concerning JAZZ featured Billy Taylor, Bill Evans and many other notables) and for all the Major Hollywood Movies which included appearances by Hazel Scott, Nat King Cole, Dave Brubeck and others. Film Music Composers like Calvin Jackson and Quincy Jones appeared on the scene. Notably, many of the songs made famous on Broadway found new life with singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Carmen McRae, Della Reese, Nancy Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Johnny Hartman and many others whose interpretive abilities served to promote and market American Classical Music (a.k.a. JAZZ) even more as well as lending an even greater range to its character.

This posting only serves to further scratch the surface and in no way is meant to suggest a comprehensive treatise, but rather a well-cropped snapshot from which the reader might begin to conduct his or her own research to further appreciate this God-given form of artistic musical expression.