Nisenson (Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest, 1993, etc.) adds
another voice to the increasingly shrill debate on the future of
jazz and the role of Wynton Marsalis and his friends in that
future. Tom Piazza's Blues Up and Down (p. 1443) denounced critics
who rejected the neoclassicism of the young musicians around
Marsalis, hinting that those critics' emphasis on emotional
statement and innovation had an unspoken racism underlying it.
Nisenson has written a virtual manifesto for the opposing view. He
jumps into the fray with both feet, accusing the "revivalists," as
he calls Marsalis and his coterie, of "smothering the heart and
soul of jazz with their love." He repeats the often-made
accusations against Marsalis, his primary mouthpiece, Stanley
Crouch, and their mentor Albert Murray, that there is implicit
racism in their insistence that only African-Americans can truly
play jazz, that jazz has its roots exclusively in the
African-American experience. He also repeats the claim that
Marsalis's hiring practices at Lincoln Center, where he directs the
jazz program, have been both racist (few white musicians hired,
only one - Gerry Mulligan - feted) and ageist. Then he offers a
canned history of the music, designed to provide evidence for his
own understanding of jazz a view that is no less essentialist and
no less limited than the one he assails. The basic problem with
this book, indeed, with this entire debate, is that nobody is
offering a definition of jazz, based solely on musical analysis.
Rather, as in Nisenson's book, what we are getting is a potted mix
of half-understood sociology, half-digested musicology, and
half-baked mythology. Nisenson compounds the felony with a writing
style that is drenched in cliches. Will someone please step back
from this fight and offer a dispassionate assessment of the state
of jazz, the history of jazz, and the future of jazz? This book
certainly isn't it. (Kirkus Reviews)
Once a thriving body of innovative and fluid music, jazz is now the
victim of destructive professional and artistic forces, says Eric
Nisenson. Corruption by marketers, appropriation by the mainstream,
superficial media portrayal, and sheer lack of skill have all
contributed to the demise of this venerable art form. Nisenson
persuasively describes how the entire jazz "industry" is controlled
by a select cadre with a choke hold on the most vital components of
the music. As the listening culture has changed, have spontaneity
and improvisation been sacrificed? You can agree or disagree with
Nisenson's thesis and arguments, but as "Booklist" says, "his
passion is engrossing."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
