​I’ve been thinking about the stereotypical American tourist. Growing up in a tourist town, I had a distaste for the many out-of-towners who’d descend on my little town every summer. I didn’t realize that, without the business brought in by these people, my community would be much worse off.
 
There are others who look down on tourists—in particular American tourists in foreign countries. Their reputation tends to be that of overweight, obnoxious morons. Is this fair? What do you think?
 
A few years back, my family and I went on a cruise. Upon first glance, one might conclude that the above observation is accurate. However, a deeper look reveals that it’s wrong.
 
An eye-opening experience for me was a shore excursion in Belize. We were riding on a bus en route to our destination, and our native guide asked us if we were familiar with the Belize welfare system. He then explained, “It’s called ‘Get up and go to work.’”
 
This elicited an enthusiastic cheer from the passengers. It was then I realized that these are hard-working, middle class people. They aren’t lazy, pampered slobs. They’re law-abiding people who mind their own business and probably had to save money for a long time so that they COULD be “lazy and pampered” for a week.
 
But you can be sure that within days they’d be back on the job, doing their part.
 
It makes sense that something like a cruise would attract middle-income customers. Rich people would tend to have their own yachts rather then be crammed into a floating city with thousands of others.
 
So, the next time you see some American tourist (wherever it may be), remember that they probably worked very hard to earn their own little temporary slice of paradise.

It was about a year ago when my supervisor was chatting with me and my co-worker. He said, “Did you hear they cancelled the NCAA [basketball] tournament?”
 
“March Madness? You’ve got to be kidding!”
 
And thus, it began.
 
You know the story, so I won’t put you through the torture. I’ll just share one recent anecdote: a couple weeks back, in the midst of a global dramatic drop in cases and deaths, a student of mine (I’m a full-time online teacher) asked how he was to complete an assignment. It required the student to go to a grocery store and answer several questions regarding where different types of food came from, how much they cost, how they were displayed in the store, etc. 
 
The student (a high school senior) said he wasn’t comfortable going to a grocery store, because he has young siblings “and we’re taking Covid really seriously.” Aside from shock and anger at those who have caused children like this to be afraid of going to the grocery store, it got me thinking: When will it end?
 
At what point can we “go back to normal” and all that entails? From my observation, some people will NEVER go back. There are people who will ALWAYS wear masks, NEVER go to a concert/game/etc. again, and generally live out their days enslaved to FEAR. The media groomed us for this nearly from the beginning with the mantra, “The new normal.”
 
That’s what this has been about from the very beginning: FEAR. I wrote a couple blogs about it nearly a year ago now. Aside from the obvious facts that told me that the vast majority of the population had nothing to fear from The Virus, I had recently experienced a miracle (truly a deliverance) from fear of sickness that plagued me from early in my childhood. That made the wanton barrage of FEAR that much more repugnant to me. 
 
So, we have an entire planet bound by FEAR. It’s been obvious to many for a long time that facts (“science and data”) actually have very little to do with public health policy. For example, here in Minnesota, the governor has decided that it’s safe to have outdoor gatherings of 150, but the ball stadiums can have 10,000. What data determined this? And why can’t I find scientific studies that prove cloth face masks are an effective tool against spreading this (or any other) virus? I could go on and on.
 
While I think some politicians truly are drunk on the power they’ve gained through this, I think many (I don’t have any idea what fraction) simply have too much invested to go back now. Nobody wants to admit they’re wrong, so any steps toward loosening restrictions are done in tiny fits and starts. 
 
Have you ever heard a politician admit they were wrong? Me neither. So to say something like, “You can quit wearing masks, since they clearly have a negligible effect on the spread,” is unthinkable. Instead, they’ll do something like let kids start going back to school in person once in a while, but everyone has to take xyz precautions, because “experts” say we should (despite an appalling lack of that pesky “science and data” to back it up).
 
Despite the best efforts of many in power, the statistics are leaking out about the collateral damage of the reaction to The Virus. The reaction (NOT The Virus) has killed far more teenagers through suicide than will ever die of the actual illness. Elderly people have been closed off from their families—how many have died of that, rather than The Virus? I just heard it reported that 2021 is expected to be a big year for divorces. Mental health issues have gone nuts across the board. I could go on and on.
 
Faith comes by hearing, and when you daily ingest news reports that follow the template, “[Good news about The Virus] BUT [FEAR-filled worries of what might happen],” it’s no wonder that a nearly zero-risk kid is afraid to go to the grocery store. 
 
There are plenty of dangers out there, yet most people historically have lived their lives anyway: they ride in cars, fly in planes, eat foods with proven links to disease, etc. Why is this so different? By riding in a car, do you deny that car accidents are real? Yet in the past year, it seems that anyone who questions the talking points on The Virus is accused of pretending it’s not real, not loving their neighbor, killing Grandma, etc. 
 
I’ve heard that some people in the Twin Cities have yard signs that read, “In Fauci We Trust.” Aside from the obvious idolatry (there’s plenty to go around on all sides), the fact that these people will do whatever one man says is pretty scary to me. Apparently, until Fauci says it’s safe, these people will continue to hide away, stroking FEAR as if it’s a beloved pet.
 
Nearly a year ago, someone in power at the time commented, “The cure can’t be worse than the disease.” Well…it was, it still is, and it will continue to be, as long as we allow it.
 
What will it take? Apparently, the vaccine isn’t enough. Who holds the golden keys to freedom? Fauci? The CDC? The World Health Organization? CNN?
 
If you’re waiting for them, I have bad news for you: It’s never coming. As long as you live your life by what the media, politicians, and “experts” tell you, you’re in for a miserable existence. 
 
A friend of mine is fond of the following story, and though it doesn’t mention FEAR specifically, it applies:
 
One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealously, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. 
 
“The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
 
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
 
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one that you feed.”
 
 
 
 

So, after my last series of blogs on jazz, I thought I should do two things: tell you why I like jazz, and give you a list of some jazz tunes to check to see if you like them.
 
In my last blog, I tried to answer the question, “Why don’t people like jazz?” So, why do I LIKE (love?) jazz? I could say a lot about this, but in a nutshell, I like jazz because it’s happy, energetic, interesting, beautiful, and cool. 
 
Here’s a list of FUN jazz tunes to get you started.

1. I can’t think of a better way to get started than Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing Gershwin’s “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” Try not to smile!

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM

1. In one of my earlier jazz blogs, I mentioned the Kids from the Sant Andreu Jazz Band in Barcelona. Here they are: a bunch of kids from Spain (joined by a couple adults—one who does a great Louis Armstrong impression) performing “Basin Street Blues” and reminding me why jazz is so fun.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AV6-qLjnvA

1. The video quality of this next one is poor, but since “fun” is the theme, this one is over-the-top. My favorite big band leader, Woody Herman, presides over the pandemonium that is “Your Father’s Mustache.”

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft8X0wXZOhY

1. Trumpeter Clifford Brown is my all-time favorite jazz artist. Max Roach is one of my favorite drummers. Here they are with an energetic rendition of “Blues Walk.”

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIANyO3jdA8

1. Jazz doesn’t have to be swing. Here’s the group Weather Report, with the legendary Jaco Pastorius on bass, playing their feel-good hit “Birdland.” Ah, the ‘70s…

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqashW66D7o

1. Let’s go back to Barcelona and watch the most adorable little girl ever show you that kids can enjoy (and play!) jazz. The song is “When You’re Smiling,” and that’s little Elsa Armengou singing.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtO651CqhGY

1. Piano virtuoso Oscar Peterson takes a lovely Richard Rogers ballad, “My Romance,” and turns it into a swinging bonanza of improvisation. 

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1OdKc5es5g

1. Count Basie gives us the very definition of swing with “One O’Clock Jump,” from a cheesy old movie. Gotta love it!

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXq7eb_HJ7w

1. “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” written by Joe Zawinul (the same guys who wrote “Birdland”), has become a jazz standard. You can choose the soulful Cannonball Adderly version (the original), or the hard-driving big band version with the immortal Buddy Rich on drums.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4rXEKtC8iY
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8WAvTmJuKk

1. Bossa Nova is one of the many sub-genres of jazz. It’s the musical embodiment of relaxing on a beach in paradise. I can’t resist going back to the Sant Andreu kids one more time with a two-for-the-price-of-one deal. The first is my favorite, Rita Payes (who’s only about 16 here), with “Flor de Lis.” The second has Rita backing up Alba Armengou (Elsa’s sister) on “Aguas de Marco,” with the smoothest sax solo ever, courtesy of Joel Frahm. These two songs are the very definition of JOY!

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMTMp8EM1VI
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EazJHMFvQ3s

1. It’s time for the “National Anthem” of jazz. No, not Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood,” though that’s about as popular as they get. It’s Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” appearing in partial form from another old movie. Fun facts: The song was written by Louis Prima, aka “King Louie” from The Jungle Book. The video features Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet (it’s James’ “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” that’s featured at the end of the movie Avengers: Endgame). Jazz nerd trivia.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJ4dpNal_k

1. No list of jazz would be complete without Duke Ellington. Here’s his “Take the ‘A’ Train” (actually written by Billy Strayhorn). Since jazz is always changing and always fresh, I thought I’d stick with that idea by including a clip of Wynton Marsalis joined by young players for a new interpretation of this classic, complete with tap dancing!

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFs7cyPmzxk
​

PART V – Why Don’t People Like Jazz?
 
*The following was written while on vacation (when I write most of my blogs!), and is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
 
So...why isn’t jazz music more popular?

Jazz is usually very fun and happy, and since most people like to have fun and enjoy being happy, it stands to reason that they should be able to enjoy this delightful art form as well. 

Jazz music from the intra-[world] war period actually bore a resemblance to what passes for pop music: the songs were simple and fun; jazz had a beat, and you could dance to it. Those are timeless qualities.

And yet people just don’t like jazz—or at least, they don’t think they do. I’ve discussed a few ideas in previous posts, but simply put, the answer to why jazz isn’t more popular is: it’s not what the public wants right now. I guess that’s a “Duh” statement, but that’s the case. Tastes change; indeed, after ruling popular music for half a century, rock ‘n’ roll has lost its dominance.

But, things tend to be cyclical, so there’s a reasonable chance that jazz, in some form, will make a resurgence (this actually happened for a year or two in the late ‘90s). In the meantime, there’s no shortage of wonderful jazz (both recorded and live) to listen to. 
 
Do you remember when, in my spine-tingling summary of jazz history (Part II), I mentioned how bebop saved jazz? It did, giving it an infinitely larger palette of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic choices. It encouraged musicians to take risks; to avoid the same old, same old.

That’s all important (and awesome), but as is so often the case, there’s a flip side: modern (post bebop)  jazz tends to focus on what the player wants, not what the audience wants. Also, the complexity limits the number of players who can pull it off. It’s a lot easier to play rock, country, blues, etc., than jazz.

And let’s be honest: most people don’t like bebop. This brings us to what is quite possibly the biggest reason jazz isn’t more popular: The average person doesn’t understand it. This doesn’t mean that people who don’t “get” jazz aren’t smart. But to go into a club and hear a band playing a hundred miles an hour with notes erupting with the ferocity of a nuclear explosion isn’t most people’s idea of a good time. It isn’t danceable, it’s hard to find a discernable melody, and it just sounds...weird.

In fact, a style called “hard bop” developed in the ‘50s as a reaction to these very issues. Groups such as Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers slowed the music down, brought back a more bluesy feel, and emphasized a big beat (Art played his drums with a heavy feel, whacking his snare on the 2 & 4 beats, foreshadowing rock ‘n’ roll).

People who don’t like jazz often complain, “It doesn’t make sense; it just seems like people are playing randomly.” Consider this: if someone speaks a language you don’t understand, it doesn’t make sense to you. It just seems like people are making random sounds (have you ever made fun of someone speaking a foreign language?). Why is this? It’s because you don’t understand the language. If you don’t understand the language (in this case, jazz), of course it won’t make sense to you. You have to learn it, which sounds like work. 

The good news is, the best way to learn jazz (as a listener, anyway) is to listen to it. Better yet, it’s fun and easy. Give it a try—you won’t regret it!
 
 

PART IV – Of Venues and Attire
 
*The following was written while on vacation (when I write most of my blogs!), and is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
 
    In Part III, I discussed what I call Academic Jazz, and its influence on the culture. In this part, I’ll look at the club circuit and concert hall jazz. Have they helped jazz or held it back?
  While getting to hear live jazz (whether in a club or auditorium) is awesome, there are some characteristics that are ensuring that they’ll stay that way. 
   There aren’t a lot of jazz artists who can successfully tour concert venues, but there are a few. Of course, how many cities can draw a big enough audience for a show like this? Not many, obviously! Harry Connick, Jr. Isn't cheap (especially if he brings his big band). 
   No, the club circuit is much more accessible, yet even then, do you live anywhere near a jazz club? Me neither. Most big cities have more than one jazz club, but the ones you hear about tend to be very swanky.
Herein lies what I believe is a big reason why jazz isn’t more popular: it’s earned a reputation as being snooty. Whether it’s haughty musicians who look down their noses at other players (jazz is difficult to play well), or the rich, white listeners sipping their wine while enjoying the sophisticated life, most people consider jazz as something for...snooty, rich, white people. 
   I have nothing against rich white people (though if they’re snooty, that’s a different story). But this perception has hurt it. And while I like the idea of dressing up out of respect for the music and its legacy, if jazz is ever to be appreciated by the common people (or hoi polloi if you’re snooty), I think some of this needs to change. Dressing up can be fun, but wearing costumes (fedoras and pinstripe suits or tuxes and evening gowns) makes jazz seem irrelevant. Remember, this music came out of Storyville (New Orlean’s red light district).
   On the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of jazz clubs that are dives. For my money, those are way cooler. Most NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) clubs are dumps (Preservation Hall intentionally so). Jazz reflects all of life, so to keep it relegated to fancy venues just doesn’t work. The Essentially Ellington kids (see Part III) dress to the nines with suits and dresses; the Sant Andreu kids (usually) dress in T-shirts, jeans, and street shoes.
​   If jazz were played by normal-looking people in normal, laid-back settings, I think that could go a long way toward making it more accessible. And by all means, it’s still fun to go the ritzy route, but ultimately that’s only a roadblock to wider acceptance.

​PART III – Jazz Goes to School
 
*The following was written while on vacation (when I write most of my blogs!), and is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
 
         Jazz today tends to consist of what I’ll call “Academic Jazz” (high school jazz bands and college music programs), the club circuit, and concert hall jazz.
         Thank God for Academic Jazz. Most public high schools (and some middle schools) have a “jazz band.” This is probably the most effective means of exposing mass numbers of kids to music most would probably never hear otherwise.
         While most kids leave jazz behind with graduation, a few will fall in love with it and continue to play. Some of those will make it a career, with most who do going into teaching subsequent generations, and a tiny fragment will become working jazz musicians (some would say that term is an oxymoron!). 
         As great as it is to have widespread jazz education, it is, for the most part, a cyclical institution, keeping enough interest to perpetuate itself, but having little effect on the music world as a whole. 
         So, is there a way for Academic Jazz to have a broader impact? I don’t know, to be honest. But I have noticed some things of interest.
         In the U.S., there’s a wonderful program called “Essentially Ellington,” based out of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This program provides sheet music of (mostly) Duke Ellington music to music programs across the country (and even the world).
         The program also hosts an annual contest, attracting the best high school jazz bands from across the country. There are a bunch of videos of these bands on YouTube, and they’re very impressive. The bands perform entirely from memory, and they feature improvised solos that are often fantastic. It’s wonderful to see these kids playing jazz at such a high level. 
         Another cool Academic Jazz program is the Big Friendly Jazz Orchestra, an all-girl jazz band from Japan. They too have some very impressive videos with precise ensemble playing (though the soloing lacks some originality). I need to note that the most recent videos I’ve seen posted from this group are at least five years old, so I don’t know if they’re still around.
         As great as these programs are, however, they pale in comparison to what I’m convinced is THE greatest jazz education program in the world: The Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, Spain.
         The program was started in 2006 by Joan Chamorro, a professional jazz musician from Barcelona. Since its inception, Mr. Chamorro has deluged YouTube with a dearth of highly professional videos of his jazz kids (often accompanied by adult pros).
         While professional-quality videos don’t hurt, it’s these Catalan kids who have made Sant Andreu an international phenomenon. They range in age from kindergarten (seriously) to their early twenties, though most are teenagers.
         Many are multi-instrumentalists and several sing incredibly well. The ensemble playing is precise, but swinging and nuanced. And the solos…often times if I’m just listening (not watching), I can’t differentiate between the kids and the pros. 
         The American kids (Essentially Ellington) play great, but they tend to take a more showy, competitive approach. It’s the “I can play higher, louder, and faster than you” mindset.
         In contrast, the Sant Andreu kids don’t play like they’re trying to show off. Yet, their solos are better, conveying the tone, phrasing, style, and overall musicality that better serves the music. This can be achieved only by completely immersing themselves in jazz.
         Okay, I’ve really digressed here! Let’s look at the club circuit and concert hall jazz next.

​PART II – The Jazz Revolution
 
*The following was written while on vacation (when I write most of my blogs!), and is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
 
         During WWII, some big band musicians grew weary with the ensemble-centric, formalized organization that the big bands were. At one NYC dive, a revolution started. Minton’s Playhouse offered a jam session Monday nights (the union prohibited this, but the club’s owner protected the players), with the added incentive of free food.
         It was in these jam sessions that a core of rebellious jazz men found a new way to play jazz that came to be known as bebop. Thelonious Monk on piano, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Kenny Clarke on drums, and the tortured genius of the alto saxophone, Charlie “Bird” Parker, took solo improvisation to a new level.
         The music was fast, chaotic, and more aggressive than what had come before. After the war, this new approach rocked the jazz world. And it never recovered. I think this was jazz’s BC/AD moment. Almost overnight, big bands became passé, and a generation of brash hipsters replaced swing era icons as the new vanguard.
         Sixty-five years later, the aging founder of a big band I played in commented to the crowd between songs, “I never did like that bebop stuff. Good technicians, I guess.” 
While many believed (and some still do) that bebop killed jazz, I argue the opposite. If not for the limitless palette offered by the innovations of bop, jazz likely would’ve become little more than a pleasant bit of nostalgia; a footnote in musical history. 
         On the negative side, one characteristic of be-bop was drug use (sound familiar?). young musicians idolized Charlie Parker, hoping to play like him, Sadly, they also emulated his drug use, as heroin became the drug of choice. It wasn’t until the clean-living trumpeter Clifford Brown proved that virtuosity was possible without drugs that it started to lose its grip.
Jazz underwent several other innovations in the coming years, including “cool” jazz in the late ‘40s, hard bop, modal, and free jazz in the ‘50s, and finally fusion (of rock and jazz) in the ‘60s.
Today, jazz musicians have over a century of styles to glean from in their approach to “American’s classical music,” as jazz is sometimes called. With so much to offer, one might think jazz would be more popular than it is, but it remains a fairly obscure genre. Why? I have some thoughts on this that I’ll share in my next installment. 

PART I – A Little Background
 
*The following was written while on vacation (when I write most of my blogs!), and is pretty much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
 
         If you’ll excuse me, I need to start with a quick history lesson. In the early years of the twentieth century, New Orleans was a melting pot, not just for cultures, but for music. 
         Orchestral music from Europe, and styles originating from Africa including field hollers/blues and gospel, percolated with the current American trends of marching bands and ragtime to form an exciting new concoction we know as jazz.
         The first recordings of this new music were made in 1917 by “The Original Dixieland Jazz Band.” The fact that a group of white men made the first recordings of music that was largely the creation of African Americans seems like another slap in the face to black people, until you learn that Freddie Keppard had the opportunity to record first, but declined, worried that other cornetists would steal his licks.
         The songs recorded by the ODJB sound downright corny today. Silly musical effects and simplicity reveal what jazz primarily was in the early years; a novelty. Few considered it legitimate music, and its association with saloons and brothels didn’t help its reputation rise above the scandalous. 
         The musical genius of New Orleans native Louis Armstrong went a long way toward the maturation of jazz during its formative years during the 1920s. Although “Jelly Roll” Morton is often credited being the first to write down jazz in the 1910s, it wasn’t until ensembles started to grow in the late 20s that written arrangements became the norm.
         Then, in August, 1935, everything changed. That was when Benny Goodman and his orchestra premiered at the Palamor Ballroom in Los Angeles. The band had just completed a disastrous cross-country tour and were on the verge of hanging it up when everything exploded at the Palamor. 
         Unbeknownst to Benny, West Coast teenagers had been electrified by his band’s hot sound on the “Let’s Dance” radio broadcasts on NBC radio. The band was on late night in New York, but with the time change, it was prime time out west, and the kids ate it up.
         Thus began the Swing Era, when big band jazz was THE popular music in America. Benny opened the door for Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, The Dorsey Brothers, Woody Herman, and many more to make jazz the music of a generation.
         This is known as “The Greatest Generation,” and in my opinion they had the greatest music. Sadly, it all came to a sudden and unceremonious halt at the close of 1946. Most of those returning servicemen had married and got to work having kids and generally being grownups. No more time for dancing and buying big band records.
         People like Mitch Miller at Columbia Records helped ensure that the next decade of popular music would be an artistic wasteland, and jazz was left out in the cold. However, something had happened that ensured jazz would live forever.