on 2/1/01 10:15 AM, FRED MCMURRY at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Which brings me to another topic...that last episode of the Jazz series from > PBS...did they just ignore some of the best Jazz of the last 20-30 years? > And another thing, Sun Ra? Where > was he? Don Cherry?
Cherry was referenced and shown briefly in the context of his work with Ornette Coleman. > It was interesting how they retreated to the safety of Ellington and Satchmo > evertime they discussed newer non-traditional jazz. As much as I love both > of those guys (more than words can say) I was very offended by the ommision > of some of the most intriguing music ever made. I think most people who actually know something about the music agree on this one. There were some substantial ommissions post 1960s. It's a common critique. Here's how Burns explained it in an recent online interview (posted at http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20001013003/tscript.htm) ---------- Sarasota Florida: The USAtoday piece indicates that your film covers blues, ragtime, swing, bebop, and fusion. What appears to be left out though is the so called free-form jazz that Coletrane led the way on after Giant Steps. This is the form where musicians abandoned the paradigm of following a chord progression. I don't think audiences ever caught onto this, radio stations wouldn't play it, and frankly I still find it hard to listen to. Even though this movement appears to have failed, it did have its adherants, and they had their reasons for pursuing it. Does your film deal at all with this type of jazz? Karl Hahn Ken Burns: Yes, very much so, and we think quite effectively. Though I tend to agree with your viewpoint of it. The article in USA TODAY listed but a fraction of the movements, areas and types of jazz that we cover. However, this is a history, and so the bulk of our series is pre-1970. I consider the modern era the province of contemporary critics and journalists. Not enough water has passed under the bridge to make historical judgements of the past 30 years. ---------- Personally I would love to see an "addendum" to the film that covers later Jazz and completely discredits the "smooth jazz" tripe of the 80s and 90s. Maybe Ian O'Brien and Kirk DeGiorgio could serve as consultants? :^) -- There4IM
