Is anyone watching the PBS series on jazz, by Ken Burns? I missed the first 5 nights last week but saw the 6th and 7th on Monday and Tuesday. I found it fascinating. I love most jazz (not bop) but the series works at many levels. I think it is an important visual/aural/oral history of white and black America. Dare I say America, singular?

What I saw this week covered the 30s through WWII. There were visual imprints that resonated distantly.....the way the cities looked, the way the people dressed. There were aural imprints that resonated viscerally......sound is like smell in its power to evoke memories.

There were scenes of social impact.......race riots, the Depression, night clubs, steam trains, WWII, Billie Holiday singing Strange Fruit.

There were several narrators. One is a most interesting man--- maybe you know Stanley Crouch. He is a black author, intellectual, social critic and jazz critic. He looks like he plays linebacker for the NY Giants. Here are some links to his criticism and an interview he had with salon.com in 1998. I find his views compelling.

I think the show is on again tonight at 9:00 PM. I picks up the jazz story as WWII ends.

-- Lars (larguy@yahoo.com), January 24, 2001

Answers

Cro uch, Salon interview 1998

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 24, 2001.

Hi Lars. I've caught about four shows so far in the series and really enjoyed them all. Even though I've never cared that much for Jazz, the show has given me a fascinating look at the music and it's history.

-- kirsten (kritter@adelphia.net), January 24, 2001.

Wonderful series. Did you catch Dave Brubeck'c comments on race Tuesday night? Haunting.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), January 25, 2001.

FS--

Much more on Brubeck tonite--race and music.

-- Lars (larguy@yahoo.com), January 25, 2001.

Not bop? Never say never {there's still some hope for you yet}. Try some classic Monk on for size, you might suprise yourself.

-- flora (***@__._), January 25, 2001.

Flora--

I'm not a musicologist. When I said Bop, I was thinking of the frenetic, nervous type of unlyrical jazz that appeared right after WWII where you had to sit around and "listen" and intellectualize it.

If Monk is bop then I misspoke. If you saw the program last night there was an very interesting segment on him.

I stayed up late to see it. Turned in 'round midnite.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 25, 2001.

Larster,

Why, I'll even bet that you could hack the intellectual/emotional torture of hard bop in small doses, it all depends on the company you keep at the time {internal & external}.

Back to Monk, there was a terrific documentary done on Thelonious Sphere in 1989 called "Straight, No Chaser".

-- flora (***@__._), January 25, 2001.