Music Jazz History

¶ … jazz as a musical tradition not only has a bright future ahead of it, but has also had an illustrious past. The reasons for this are its flexibility. This flexibility, as well as its ability to effortlessly mould itself not only to current events, but also to current musical paradigms, ensures that jazz has a past, a present and a future that can be rivaled by few other genres in music. The flexibility of jazz translates to and from the world around it.

We live in a very dynamic world, with overnight change accepted as the order of the day. Jazz then caters to this by being a flexible musical tradition. Jazz has also become a sort of language; the "English" of the musical world. It crosses all musical boundaries and is likely to appeal to most audiences. The audience for jazz then is the "global village." Jazz can potentially appeal to all age groups and cultural paradigms.

While it is true that classical jazz appeals to only a certain group, the genre can be changed and rewritten to appeal to the younger generation. Because it is a musical language, it can be used to express any feelings of any time period. This music is therefore suitable for literally all occasions and all expressions. In order to do this, jazz has often been used in conjunction, or fusion, with other musical styles, such as ethnic music.

Some purists find this an evil that should be eradicated in order to keep the art of jazz alive. I would however beg to differ with this view, in that jazz in any form or any conjunction means that jazz is alive. It is evolving to meet the needs of the current generation. Doubtlessly classical jazz met the needs of its generation. New generations need new musical styles.

It is highly commendable that an old form such as jazz plays such a prominent role in so many cultures and so many generations. An example of the musicians taking such initiatives is the Turkish percussionist Burhan Ocal. He professes to not follow any established form of music, but instead following his instincts. While many find such fragmentation a violation of musical ethics, others still find that it is the only way to express through music the unique soul of the musician.

Through this kind of fusion of jazz and other ethnic musical traditions, different ethnic groups are able to communicate through jazz rather than express misunderstanding through fighting with weapons. Achieving a kind of peace within diversity is therefore one of the great achievements of the jazz genre. A further indicator of the bright future in store for the jazz genre, is the university level programs offered on an international level. Universities in Istanbul, Lexinthon and Paris are examples, as well as the jazz schools in Trondheim and Hanoi.

Culturally inclusive conventions have There are now university level jazz programs in Istanbul, Porto (Portugal), Lexington (Kentucky) and Paris. And there are jazz schools in Trondheim (Norway) and in Hanoi. The International Association of Jazz Educators conducts larger and more culturally inclusive conventions each year. For these reasons I do not believe that Jazz can be monopolized by a single culture either inside or outside the United States. Whereas in American culture the musical form started with the African-American tradition, it has grown to become so much more.

As mentioned above, it belongs to everyone to be used as a means of expression, like language. I also do not believe that jazz will ever be replaced on a wholesale basis. Instead it involves and is pliable to become integrated in the consciousness of whichever time it is serving. This is then also the reason why this musical genre is so timeless. The reasons why jazz appears to be old-fashioned to some is because the evolution of this music is mistaken for replacement.

The avant-garde form of jazz has not replaced traditional, classical jazz. They are simply different forms of the same music genre, speaking to different generations. I do not believe that the older forms of jazz will ever completely die. There will always be those playing or listening to such music, as there are those still reading Shakespeare centuries after his death.

Older forms of jazz are becoming classic, whereas newer forms are continually springing up to inspire the enthusiastic up and coming jazz musician not only for the year 2004, but for many decades into the future. I do not believe that jazz has ever lost its position among its fans. It should be recognized that, like all art, jazz needs to evolve in order to truly live. If, as purists would want, older forms of jazz were to.