Marsalis is nothing more than a pimp of orthodoxy. He has not had one original or innovative thought in his life. His motto is: if it ain't dead I don't want to hear it. I think his cut off line is around 1955. Just listen to his derision when he speaks of Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra.
Wynton - The Only Person in Jazz Who Matters?
I was just wondering when Wynton Marsalis’ opinion became so central to jazz that an article about another musician has to include a discussion about whether that artist gets along with Wynton and the nature of their relationship?
The New Yorker this week has a – mostly – very nice article on Esperanza Spaulding, the Portland, OR bass player. (She just smokes her fiddle BTW. I saw her playing with Joe Lovano last year and she was just phenomenal. She got every bit as much applause as Joe did.) For some reason the author felt compelled to discuss her – and I think by extension all of jazz – through the lens of whether or not Wynton would approve, or even call it jazz. That seems awfully narrow minded.
Granted, he has the loudest megaphone with JALC, but c’mon, is that really necessary?
The New Yorker this week has a – mostly – very nice article on Esperanza Spaulding, the Portland, OR bass player. (She just smokes her fiddle BTW. I saw her playing with Joe Lovano last year and she was just phenomenal. She got every bit as much applause as Joe did.) For some reason the author felt compelled to discuss her – and I think by extension all of jazz – through the lens of whether or not Wynton would approve, or even call it jazz. That seems awfully narrow minded.
Granted, he has the loudest megaphone with JALC, but c’mon, is that really necessary?
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- 19 posts total
- 19 posts total