Listening to America’s Music…All Over Again.
From Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra, from Count Basie to Dizzy Gillespie, including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Miles Davis…jazz has been called, and truly is, America’s music.
Most of these names are familiar to us, as we grew up listening to at least some of their music. If for some reason you haven’t heard these great musicians, give yourself a treat and listen to them. Most can be found on YouTube or other services and most are free.
Whatever you do, don’t turn away and give that same old answer: ”I don’t understand jazz and I am not interested.” This is the time in your life you can stretch out and find different interests, different ideas, and certainly some great young musicians. Forget that “I don’t get it” attitude. It’s old thinking. What are you worried about?
Do you understand the building and launching of inter-stellar rocketry, the nuances of microbiology, or how a signal bounces across the world and brings a live broadcast into your living room? Or how about the chord structure of Beethoven’s Fifth? Probably not. But, you must admit, all these things are interesting and to some extent beautiful. Why not take a look or, in this case, a listen.
As we get older, we tend to stick with things which are more comfortable, more recognizable, and things that take less time to “figure out.” We all listen to music and, for the most part, prefer one type over the next. For many of us, jazz fits into the “next.”
Now really is the time to expand your horizons and get into something you never thought you would. One of the great explorations is music’s jazz.
Miles Davis
