Same old. This was apparently the whizz-bang idea of Radio 4 producer Tom Edgington, to use the pretext of the departure of Dave Brubeck to ask Jack Massarik and Femi Temowo on to Radio 4 this morning to discuss whether jazz is dying again, being reborn again, both, neither, whatever. It was the final item on Broadcasting House – from 53:30 on the BBC iPlayer HERE. If any other people feel challenged as to how to respond to Brubeck’s passing : just READ THIS. Honestly.Â
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Some curious stuff in there. Coltrane died in 1967, not 1965. Yes, Brubeck appeared on the cover of Time before many greats; but I don't think he was the first. Brubeck was 1954; Armstrong had been on in 1949…hmmm…
Yep same old rubbish. Radio 4 only seems capable of insincere half-hearted patronising of jazz or worse, treating it as a bit of a joke. Still the Cinderella of the arts.
Thanks for straightening out those Alex. And Roger we all need to get a lot more organized/ unified / persuasive to counter that kind of sentiment.
I can see on the Radio France website that France-Musique – which has a drive-time jazz show every weekday – is giving over the whole of next Friday night, 1am to 7am to broadcasting Dave Brubeck, including an interview done a few months ago.
Well having been brought up in a household where you were always bumping into Jazz in some form or the other, one thing that has always been constant throughout 40'ish years of paying more than passing attention to the music is the stream of obituaries from (usually sad people/organisations) portending its demise.
What I have also noticed is that most of those harbingers of gloom are themselves dead (but it appears their legacy continue) yet Jazz remains kaleidoscopically regenerative, vibrant and very much alive from its roots to all its branches and off-shoots and remains resilient to the economic/political/social pesticides its had to contend with.
All those in doubt or unwittingly consumed a dose of dour verbiage should –in the words of my old mucker Charlie Mingus–Better Get Hit In Yo Soul!!!