
Jazz in the 21st century: Playing outside the box - benbou09
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21702735-new-sound-summer-playing-outside-box
======
leothekim
“If you don’t want jazz to change, you are putting a pillow over its face, and
it’s going to die."

Truer words have never been said. Jazz wasn't meant to live in the shadows of
Coltrane, Ellington, Monk, Bird, or even Miles Davis forever. Sure the history
is important, and technique and the theoretical rigor will always be a
necessary ingredient, but the moment Jazz stops innovating and expanding is
the moment it dies.

------
shams93
Teaching Jazz is the way to go for most people who want to make a living from
Jazz. I know several successful musicians who started as Jazz musicians but
make a good living in rock and pop music. Getting to be known as the best of
the best on your instrument via your Jazz chops can open doors in other genres
to be invited to work with very successful, established artists. To make a
living directly from Jazz you really want to go into education. If you have
some hustle and you live in a medium to large sized city, no matter where you
are there are likely enough kids interested in learning to play Jazz that you
could develop a viable income as a private Jazz instructor on your instrument.
From there you're taking part in building the scene of the future.

~~~
analog31
Indeed, likewise for classical music too. I'm pretty involved in my local
music scene. Everybody I know who makes a decent middle class income from
music, teaches. For one thing, there's reasonable demand. For another, it's a
way for a performer fill your schedule with work during the hours when they
pretty much can't be performing.

~~~
Ericson2314
While, I'm incredibly grateful for the music education I've received [and
still play at the age where many fellow amateurs increasingly don't [though
time well tell whether I keep this up as I intend to]], the idea that the vast
majority of artists _primarily_ teach the next generation _does_ carry the
whiff of a Ponzi scheme.

~~~
mark_edward
This depends on what you consider to be the purpose of music education. A good
portion of musical training could be for personal enjoyment, expanding
horizons, resume padding, etc. so it wouldn't be necessary or even desirable
hat everyone get employment.

Think of martial arts. The best way to make a living in it is to teach, but
the vast majority of students aren't there to make a living of it in the
future.

~~~
Ericson2314
Sure I'm fine with learning art not to be a full time professional, that's me
after all. And if you going in wanting to teach, that's great too. I don't
have a fully formed thought here, but more a gut reaction against a world
where education and educators is always celebrated without any......sympathy
that maybe these people rather be doing something else.

------
ap22213
I clearly know nothing about music, but why does it even have to be called
'Jazz'? Given those market numbers cited, it seems like it would be a very bad
brand to be associated with your music.

Having a son who's 12, and having recently had a bunch of pre-teens running
around my house all going through the timeless ritual of identity crafting, I
have gotten to listen to their music, watch their media, and hear their
thoughts. When I talk with them about music, it doesn't surprise me that they
view the music of my day (80s / 90s) with as much boredom as I had viewed big
band music in my day. To them, rock and jazz are Baroque. Guitars and Drums? I
might as well play them a harpsichord.

On the other hand, I know several highly skilled, expert musical technicians
in their 20s and 30s. They have spent the majority of their lives training to
master the practice and theory of music. They know so much about their
instruments and their technique, it frankly astounds me. In comparison to
dedicated musicians of my day, they seem like masters. Yet, for some reason,
they spend their time playing Jazz derivatives and covers or as studio
musicians. Interestingly, they're all playing Jazz - which to me is so
puzzling. It's akin to being a master visual artist and being absorbed in re-
creating Pollack or Rothko or Kadinsky.

Jazz had a moment, and it was a beautiful moment. It can be admired and
relished as such, and the music can help transport one to that moment in time.
But, does Jazz even make any sense in the modern world? I love listening to
some of it - Coltrane and Davis, of course. But, if I went to a music venue
today, and the band was playing Jazz, I'd be bored out of my mind.

~~~
thangalin
> why does it even have to be called 'Jazz'?

* [http://www.apassion4jazz.net/etymology.html](http://www.apassion4jazz.net/etymology.html)

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_(word)#Etymology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_\(word\)#Etymology)

> But, if I went to a music venue today, and the band was playing Jazz, I'd be
> bored out of my mind.

Jazz has many flavours that have long walked hand-in-hand with social dancing.
Maybe spend a bit more time exploring its depth? Here's a modern rendition of
a timeless classic:

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxSrF0HYnY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxSrF0HYnY)

Here's a jazzed-up version of "All About That Bass," also easily danced to:

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnZ1NQm2uk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnZ1NQm2uk)

Another classic, "Blue Skies," with some social dancing:

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xziwtk1i3A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xziwtk1i3A)

And one more, showcasing some rather skilled Lindy Hop dancers, a fancy aerial
at 1:20, and a modern take on Ellington's "Diga Diga Doo":

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9xxeWRxSbA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9xxeWRxSbA)

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3aJ_9IAIjQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3aJ_9IAIjQ) (Ellington)

Here's a remake of "When I Get Low, I Get High":

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acb-js00c40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acb-js00c40)

> But, does Jazz even make any sense in the modern world?

Yes. Try some different jazz venues and find a style that speaks to you.

~~~
ap22213
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF6SGWRMIYw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF6SGWRMIYw)

~~~
ap22213
Come on, you know that was funny.

But, my point is that when I watch those videos, I see people trying to avoid
modern reality - trying to portal back to a different time. It looks like
escapism, avoidance, or maybe looking for acceptance from their elders. Or,
maybe that's just me.

------
erikschoster
Many developments in jazz of the 60s and 70s are just starting to become
normalized and institutionalized in the 21st century. Check out the history of
the AACM and Art Ensemble of Chicago for one important example:

[http://www.npr.org/books/titles/138018824/a-power-
stronger-t...](http://www.npr.org/books/titles/138018824/a-power-stronger-
than-itself-the-aacm-and-american-experimental-music)

------
coldtea
Playing outside the box office, too...

~~~
leothekim
This makes sense because only music that makes money matters.

~~~
coldtea
What I wrote is a factual observation, not a value judgement.

So it makes sense whether one believes that "only music that makes money
matters" or not.

(And I don't believe that at all)

~~~
ap22213
I think you guys are missing my point, which is my fault. Making art for the
money should never be a primary goal, unless one's goal is the emphasis and
irony of that relationship (see: Koons). Otherwise, how can it really be art?
It's been constrained and affected by the expected effect.

However, there's a huge difference between self-labeling one's art in a way
that obscures it from wide access (like labeling a music created today as
'Jazz') and actually re-producing previously successful art forms (e.g.
'Jazz') because of a fear of judgment or chasing of praise.

~~~
jdietrich
Jazz has always been a progressive, innovative musical form. If you understand
jazz to be static and backwards-facing, then you have been sadly misled. Jazz
has a tradition, but that tradition is a starting point rather than a
destination. Jazz musicians stand on the shoulders of giants, not in their
shadows.

