Friends of Local Atlanta Music
BestofAtlantaConcerts.com - REAL MUSIC
A BLAND DISH
Posted by Jay Norem on BestofAtlantaConcerts.com
I have yet to see anybody in their right mind, anybody, that is, who knows what they’re talkingabout, putting forth the opinon that jazz is alive and well in the city of Atlanta.
The very strange thing about Atlanta is that if anyone were to make such a statement in a public forum, there would almost certainly be no dissenting opinion. Rather, there would be congratulations all around, passed between the members of the “jazz community” of this city.
One sees this sort of thing all the time. “So-and-so has done so much to promote jazz in Atlanta. “Such-and-such group is dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of jazz to this city.” If the achievements of these supporters of jazz in Atlanta are to be judged by the reality on the ground,so to speak, then we’re talking about a lot of delusional people who are incapable of self-examination.
To be sure, there are many jazz clubs in Atlanta. On almost any given night one can hear songs that are at least fifty years old played by indifferent musicians who know that at the end of the evening they’ll be lucky to walk out with twenty dollars in their pockets.
Or a person could go to hear something called, for some reason, “smooth jazz,” which, while it may be smooth, is as far removed from jazz as Stephen King is removed from Tolstoy. This music is played to a straight four/four beat and features improvisations that take place over one repeated harmonic tonality and rhythmic pattern and, while the performers may be very well dressed, has all the appeal of a plate of cold pasta, sans sauce.
The truth is that the many fine jazz musicians in Atlanta don’t, in fact, play jazz. They teach school.They program computers. They watch after the children while their wives are at work.
Atlanta has a long way to go before it can be seriously considered to be an international city. But there is no question about it: it will get there eventually. And when it does, jazz will most likely not be an aspect of the cultural makeup of this city the way it is, say, in New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco or Chicago or Boston. And yet the “jazz community” in Atlanta goes on patting itself on the back for the fine work it’s doing, ignoring or outright opposing any real attempts to put jazz music on a level that matches that of any other major city in this country.
Complacency is a dish that seems to be best enjoyed by a large group of people sitting at the same table. It’s a bland dish, but there’s always plenty to go
around.
I have yet to see anybody in their right mind, anybody, that is, who knows what they’re talkingabout, putting forth the opinon that jazz is alive and well in the city of Atlanta.
The very strange thing about Atlanta is that if anyone were to make such a statement in a public forum, there would almost certainly be no dissenting opinion. Rather, there would be congratulations all around, passed between the members of the “jazz community” of this city.
One sees this sort of thing all the time. “So-and-so has done so much to promote jazz in Atlanta. “Such-and-such group is dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of jazz to this city.” If the achievements of these supporters of jazz in Atlanta are to be judged by the reality on the ground,so to speak, then we’re talking about a lot of delusional people who are incapable of self-examination.
To be sure, there are many jazz clubs in Atlanta. On almost any given night one can hear songs that are at least fifty years old played by indifferent musicians who know that at the end of the evening they’ll be lucky to walk out with twenty dollars in their pockets.
Or a person could go to hear something called, for some reason, “smooth jazz,” which, while it may be smooth, is as far removed from jazz as Stephen King is removed from Tolstoy. This music is played to a straight four/four beat and features improvisations that take place over one repeated harmonic tonality and rhythmic pattern and, while the performers may be very well dressed, has all the appeal of a plate of cold pasta, sans sauce.
The truth is that the many fine jazz musicians in Atlanta don’t, in fact, play jazz. They teach school.They program computers. They watch after the children while their wives are at work.
Atlanta has a long way to go before it can be seriously considered to be an international city. But there is no question about it: it will get there eventually. And when it does, jazz will most likely not be an aspect of the cultural makeup of this city the way it is, say, in New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco or Chicago or Boston. And yet the “jazz community” in Atlanta goes on patting itself on the back for the fine work it’s doing, ignoring or outright opposing any real attempts to put jazz music on a level that matches that of any other major city in this country.
Complacency is a dish that seems to be best enjoyed by a large group of people sitting at the same table. It’s a bland dish, but there’s always plenty to go
around.
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