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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!clyde!tgd
From: tgd@clyde.UUCP (Thomas G. Dennehy)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Time to talk about Jazz, again...
Message-ID: <211@clyde.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Oct-83 08:56:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: clyde.211
Posted: Fri Oct 14 08:56:43 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Oct-83 07:22:40 EDT
References: <829@drux3.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs Whippany NJ
Lines: 36


Careful readers will shirley recognize that I am typing this
while being physically restrained by the offensive line of the
New York Giants.  My Blit hates to be flung against the wall
after I read ridiculous ravings about a dearly loved art.

Tom Buckley, whoever you are or from whatever AI project your intolerant,
arrogant, mindless words spew, DON YOUR ASBESTOS.  I'm coming out
flaming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

>      So, Is Miles Davis a jazz musician?  He certainly is
>      interesting.  Here's a man who's technical ability on the
>      trumpet is nil, his tone is terrible, his musicianship is
>      questionable to say the least, his ability to improvise on a
>      melody is poor, and his contempt for his audiences and
>      followers is astounding.  And yet, he remains as a cult
>      figure with many jazz musicians who can't tell hype from
>      good music...
>      Even when the music is absolute trash, it's
>      defined as a "new direction in music," and everyone rushes
>      to hear what it is.  The public can be conned so easily.  In
>      short, not only is Miles not a jazz musician, he's not a
>      musician PERIOD.
>
>      There's a
>      great deal of good music out there, but let's be sure we
>      call a spade a spade; let's keep the jazz name for just jazz
>      and call the other stuff something else.  And let's also
>      differentiate between good music and the crap that Miles and
>      Ornette throw on us!  (Oh, everyone's the critic!)


In "Against Interpretation", Susan Sontag wrote that the function of 
critic is to tell us "how it is what it is or even why it is what
it is but not what it is about".