Since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts has bestowed its Jazz Master award to living legends of the music. The designation is considered by many to be the highest honor an American jazz musician can receive. Generally, the NEA has made wise choices when selecting new Masters. Sonny Rollins (1983), Ron Carter (1998), George […]
Poet T.S. Eliot once noted, “People exercise an unconscious selection in being influenced.” Although one can feel the impact left by another individual on them, it is often difficult to quantify or qualify the vastness of the mark they have left. It is no different for art, where aesthetic antecedents are sometimes clear in one’s […]
In a recently published piece titled “19 Critically Acclaimed Albums That Nobody Actually Listens To,” writer Victoria Omololu attempts to minimize incredible recordings with significant artistic merit. In the process, however, she reveals the author’s ignorance on the topic far more than anything of substance. This is particularly blatant in her description of Miles Davis’ […]
In September of 1939, only weeks after Hitler invaded Poland, a 100,000 Imperial Japanese force converged upon the city of Changsha in the Hunan province of China. Ultimately, the Chinese kept their territory in part through guerilla tactics. However, it bore a heavy toll. After the smoke settled, 50,000 were dead, injured, and missing. Many […]
When viewed in the abstract, imagination is a very strange thing. A world that emphasizes logical reasoning would seemingly make no use of visions of the nonexistent. And yet, there is something special and powerful about the fantastical. The ability to play make-believe is a critical step in a child’s development. And as Albert Einstein […]
There is something mysterious about a river. As Eartha Kitt noted, “The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it’s going to go and where you’ll wind up.” Its inconsistency makes the water both frightening and liberating. For the many who have lost their lives in the current, generations have seen […]
We continue our conversation (check out part one here) with NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland by digging into his solo works, bluegrass music, music from around the world, and more. PG: Since musical relationships are very important to you, it would be interesting to know more about your solo bass work on both Emerald Tears […]
Ludwig van Beethoven once noted, “Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.” Such knowledge includes a unified understanding of humanity in which we all, to some extent, influence one another. Given the brilliance of their output, it is often easy to assume […]
Often, one of the first things a young child learns about a band is that it divides into sections. Horns lead the melodies and craft harmonies, while percussion and bass provide a rhythmic backdrop. However, this segregation of instrumental voices relies on a deeply flawed premise built upon oversimplification. Is a tongue hitting a reed […]
Artists inevitably bring their own perspectives and biases into their interpretation of any work. It is impossible to completely divorce current work from the tinctures of one’s background. A great example is the work of Béla Bartók. Often considered one of the most important composers of the Twentieth Century, Bartók was a founding father of […]
