Jazz for aficionados
Perhaps @frogman will opine on this topic... |
@stuartK, Yes, the distinction between soul and virtuosity. On the Jazz series, they talk about Billie Holiday's lack of a strong voice. Her range spanned just a little more than one octave, where other singers might span three octaves and have a more "pure" sounding voice. Holiday's had deep soul. I have heard that also discussed with classical musicians. Horowitz was much loved by classical music lovers, but he was not supposed to have had the strongest technical abilities. I heard Itzak Perlman interviewed and he said that the most difficult students to teach are those with the strongest technical ability. It is hard to teach them the emotional aspect of music. |
This distinction between the soul expression and the virtuosity potential are very important... Billie Holiday as Chet Baker playings and singing has soul way more than virtuosity... Some had the two... Armstrong and Marian Anderson are natural self made virtuoso but way more master of our souls...
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I think in all the arts, it's a question of having something to say and choosing an art in which to say it. Again, in the Jazz Series, musicians talk about other musicians telling a story with their music. I think in an art like poetry it is most difficult to say something because words get in the way. How does one get past words by using words? Back to music and jazz. There are very talented musicians who really don't have much to say, or at least have less to say than the very deep musicians. One might pick up an instrument at a very young age and find that she has great ability, but later, when she has mastered the instrument, she really doesn't have much to say. Whereas Billy Holiday or Chet Baker or Coltrane (who had mastered his instrument) have much they want to say about being human. We must remember that music is a very old human art. It most probably began with the beginning of humanity. I think some arts explicate, but music congregates. People love to be together "getting" the music as if they are one. It's a tremendously joyous thing to be among people who like yourself can understand this most abstract of art forms. I cannot imagine being human without there being music. |
Interesting and important topic! Question for both of you: is soulfulness the sole measure of "something worthwhile to say" as opposed to cold displays of technique? Can there also be music that, for example, is not overtly emotional but delights the mind/ear? Could this still be described as "saying something about being human"? Seems to me, the fact that poetry utilizes musical elements is what allows it to rise above mere words. |
