The following is excerpt from an interview with Gerry Hemmingway by Fred Jung. There are some points made that I hope are understood. Read it until you get it.
GERRY HEMINGWAY: We always have this contingent that somehow has a popular edge one way or another that have lots of buzz words to go with this New York traditionalists' point of view, which is that if it doesn't have a blues base or it doesn't have a swing, it doesn't really qualify as the real deal. This is of course a pathetic interpretation of what the possibilities of jazz music are. Jazz music is not, from my understanding of it over the years, is one of inclusiveness. It includes everything. It's like my listening taste. It's kind of omnivorous. It absorbs influences from just about everything. That bears out if you watch the history progress from the New Orleans, to Chicago, to New York, as the urban traditions developed. Each one in their own way, each geographical hotspot input its own separate influence from whence it came. The Spanish influence in the New Orleans tradition. You can speak of all kinds of different things that were cooking down there. And all different manner of things were creeping into the other styles as well. That's the tradition, ultimately. This is how it began and it progressed and it continues to progress and if it doesn't progress than what's the point? I think its lovely to have people who can interpret in the strict and wonderful traditions that have existed in the past and do it in a very authentic and lively kind of way. But I mean, Fred, that's all it's going to be.
Listening & enjoying Lila Downs, Sheila Chandra, Anthony Braxton & Billie Holiday. Labels: Quote
