FRIDAY SURPRISE: All jazzed up and no place to go.

Friday, August 14, 2009 Filed in: Friday Surprise!, Completely irrelevant, My Life

I believe I've made mention of my musical background. In college I minored in music performance, and I spent my off time playing in quartets and quintets. Jazz quartets and quintets.

Jazz has been my passion as far back as I can remember. When the other kids were listening to Queen and America, I was devouring Stan Kenton and Sonny Rollins. I reveled in the complexity of the music, which fed both the left and right sides of my brain.

To this day, I can't abide jazz playing as background or mood music; it engages me and comes to the foreground. If one is to truly understand and appreciate jazz, one has to actively listen to it. It requires the participation of the listener, for jazz at its core is music that is custom made, fresh, for the audience. It is demanding music, constantly evolving yet always retaining the essence that separates it from the insipid pop of American Idol.

Unfortunately not everyone desires that kind of music (and the world would be boring if they did!) From the WSJ we learn that the jazz audience is shrinking rapidly.

Liking jazz may put me in the minority, but there are some wonderful aspects of the genre that go beyond the music itself. Next Friday I'll talk about one of the unique perks of being a jazz fan - one that some "gunnies" can identify with.

-=[ Grant ]=-

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