Is the Jazz Genre Dead or Alive?
I remember some years ago waiting in a room filled with people, I knew I was in for a treat. I sat there patiently waiting because I’d never been to an actually live Jazz Concert. Sure, I have been to Sambucca’s in Buckhead Frequently, or Barley’s in Downtown Atlanta and recently Acoustix Jazz Lounge, and Churchill which is my personal favorite. I have also been to every Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Maxwell show known to man in this lifetime. Love them all… But there was something about the anticipation of this particular show… Then the MC comes out makes his greeting and announces Joe Sample… I was speechless. He was accompanied by Howard Hewitt of 80’s group Shalimar. The crowd applauded and he began to play. Now in this crowd consisted of many races but African Americans were last on this list of guest. I was shocked. African Americans are the originators of this great musical experience. Racial Disparity raised his head on this show. Tickets were cheaper than seeing Jay’once or even Kim’Ye for that matter, Sowhy couldn’t we support this fabulous event? Is it because we don’t know or because the Genre we know as Jazz is dead?
Jazz is not on the mainstream as much as it use to be. Jazz Originated in the beginning of the 20th century. The word "jazz"began as a West Coast slang term of uncertain derivation and was first used to refer to music in Chicago in about 1915. From its beginnings in the early 20th century, Jazz has spawned a variety of subgenres, from New Orleans Dixieland dating from the early 1910s, big band-style swing from the 1930s and 1940s,bebop from the mid-1940s, a variety of Latin jazz fusions such as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz from the 1950s and 1960s,jazz-rock fusion from the 1970s and late 1980s developments such as acid jazz, which blended jazz influences into funk andhip-hop.
Artist such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Winston Marsalis to name a few are in constant repetition on the CD Changer for me. I often wonder how many others are there in the musical world with me for the soothing melodies of this great sound. I have often longed for the style to return to the forefront. But Modern day technology has taken over with its many varieties of computer software programs to make musical instruments somewhat instinct. So is Jazz Dead or Alive? I assume it’s up to the individual. To me, it’s much alive. And to us as lovers of music, we must broaden our horizons on the cultures of music and bring Jazz Music back to where it belongs.
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