Posted by David Apolloni on January 27, 2001 at 19:50:37:
Now that I have fired my salvo at PBS and vented some spleen, I'd like
to raise a question for discussion. What if this documentary was not intended
for white people like me who love jazz, and will love it
no matter what Ken Burns thinks? What if it is intended
primarily for the black community, presented in a manner considered
most palatable to the majority of them?
I can think of nothing but good if African-Americans in greater numbers
begin reclaiming what is, after all, mostly if not totally their music. So much
of the creativity of black musicians is going into the creation of relatively
uncreative pop music (uncreative,in my opinion, at least). What if some of these artists begin composing and
playing jazz, not just bop, but earlier forms? What if black teenagers and then
white teenagers start listening to this?
I still don't like the film, but the possibility I have suggested does
add a different dimension to the issue of its overall merit.
What do you think?