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<$10.13.2006$>
POW!
| Pop, pop, pop, pop, Dat, dat, dat, dat Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop dat, dat, dat, dat, Pop, pop, pop, pop dat, dat, dat, dat pop, pop, pop, pop pop, pop, pop, pop, Dat, dat, dat, dat, pop, pop, pop. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, Pop, pop, pop, pop, dat, dat, dat, dat, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. In Jazz, if each of these 68 pops and dats were quarter notes, you would have the equivalent of a one bar pick-up and a sixteen bar solo. If they were sixteenth notes, you would have the equivalent of a one beat pick-up on the four and a four bar solo. Even at ninety-four bpm (beats per minute) it'll go by in about 10 seconds. Ten seconds - that's roughly how long it must have taken to fire 68 rounds into the frame of the young man that fateful September 9th in Imperial Polk County, Florida. The Polk County Sheriff put Lakeland, Florida on the map - on headline national news in 2006 for what some have described as a 21st Century lynching. Modern day vigilantism in blue. He's on the record as well as on camera saying "God will be the judge and jury in this case", as law enforcement prepared to launch their manhunt. There's now an impending investigation into charges of excessive force used in apprehending the assailant. The Miami man on the receiving end of this horrific scene is said to have shot two deputies, killing one and killing a canine dog. He must have gone down in the hail of law enforcement gun fire like a figure out of an old Chicago gangster movie. When asked why the officer shot him 68 times, the Sheriff replied because we ran out of bullets. "If we had had more, we would have shot him more." Just as the gun smoke cleared, this story will dissipate and will soon be forgotten. I can only wonder if the subject will resurface one day in the tracks of some conscience rap artist. There are those of you who are wondering what this has to do with jazz. There was a time when your music, especially your jazz music, would reflect the times – What's going on in the world around you. Some of you would simply prefer to know who and what I am listening to these days; from now on, I'm going to add my favorite picks for each issue. I'm really enjoying Roy Hargrove's Nothing Serious these days. Roy brings the "authentic"; he's the real deal. Accompanying Roy on Nothing Serious are Justin Robinson (Alto Sax); Ronnie Matthews (Piano); Dwayne Burno (Bass); and Willie Jones (Drums). Trust me; they are all laying it down. I've also been checking out Dexter Gordon's Ballad on Blue Note. You can listen to tunes like "Don't Explain"; "You've Changed"; "Willow Weep For Me" and "Body and Soul Forever". God didn't make a smoother tenor sound than Dexter Gordon - he sings. As beautiful as Dexter Gordon plays tenor, its value would become marginalized if it failed to contrast the anguish and pain that is also life, as many of us know it. The beauty serves as a soothing balm. It relieves us temporarily of our cares. No one would ever believe that Dexter is oblivious to the cares and weight of the world. The fact is I hear it when I listen to the great sounds of any given genre. There's a tug on our heartstrings that draws us in. They speak to us. Drugs, crime, the Tsunami, Katrina, Columbine, poverty, hunger, stolen elections, political scandals and invisible subcultures hidden behind prison walls all seem to escape depiction in modern day jazz. Jazz has historically been in the forefront of artistic expression. Jazz musicians were characteristically courageous - defiant. Long before hip-hop, Jazz musicians demanded the right to speak. I've always believed that rappers and jazzers were siblings - we all are! Just think while Miles Davis and Nina Simone were turning their backs on popular opinion, Motown, Stax and later Philly International were also heralding their right to be heard. Artists like James Brown, Donny Hathaway and Curtis Mayfield were pushing the envelope just like any self-respecting jazzman. The palatable contempt or disdain for the status quo or establishment in many ways defined the collective pathos of the jazz community. Of course, not everyone was brooding and angry in their music but there was a unique connection to the world; a compelling story and a consciousness that did not betray the listener who in many cases looked to musicians, authors and artists for insight and perhaps even truth. At very least I believe that there was a feeling that the artistic community gave the individual a sense that it was acceptable and perhaps necessary to question, to challenge and, most importantly, to have a voice. Case in point … the Harlem Renaissance. I only ask that our musicians do not forfeit their voice for airplay, for a contract, a Grammy or a tour. Reach out to them, e-mail them, my space them, catch them at a gig and ask for more than an autograph - ask for their opinion. Keep them on their toes. They owe it to you; they owe it to themselves. You may very well be the catalyst they need to do what all true artists do - live their lives through their music - through their art. Contact: www.milesjaye.com Article also published in Black Men's Magazine Dec/Jan 2007 |
