Posted by David Apolloni on February 08, 2001 at 20:28:10:
In Reply to: Negative, Negative, Blah, Blah, Blah posted by Arnett Howard on February 08, 2001 at 18:46:22:
My friend, there is much to what you have to say.
Burns' documentary forced me to learn a few things,
and maybe people I know who did not have much interest in jazz now do.
It is true that jazz affionados are a rather contentious group--we all belong to different factions which cannot get along.
Having said this, let me point out that it is Burns
who (explicitly and implicitly) trashed a number of great jazz musicians and their fans--in fact, I would contend that he trashed the whole white race, and a large number of great black musicians, and also some native American and Hispanic musicians as well. This might not bother you, but it bothers me, and it bothers a great number of other people. Minor errors of detail are readily forgiveable, but not the P.C. preaching, the blanket pronouncements, the ignorance and sometimes blatent racism of some of the narration and some of Burns' talking heads.
Let me also point out that Burns has little
excuse for himself--he was rather rude and arrogant to many real experts who offered him real help, including people like Spiegle Wilcox (sadly no longer living with us, whose interview was cut--Burns had the nerve to cite him in the credits), and Benny Carter (who fortunately still is with
us--a great musician and person) whose interview was cut also because what he had to say didn't fit Burns' preconceived ideology.
A true historian does not leave out valid and credible testimony just because it does not fit his/her pet theory of what actually happened. A true historian tries to accommodate this testimony, and treats it with respect. Burns has amply shown us who have some knowledge of the music that he failed to do this.
Insofar as Burns generates any kind of interest in this music, I applaud him. But please try to understand and respect other people's pain--much as people are saying about Bill Clinton--this was a great opportunity lost.
David Apolloni, musician,author, jazz historian, videographer, and academic