Soul Craft And Cultural Hierarchy Summary
"Soul, Craft, and Cultural Hierarchy." Musician Magazine 1-9
Soul, Craft, and Cultural Hierarchy
ENERGETIC, ARTICULATE, AND MUSICALLY impressive, Wynton Marsalis brings considerable weight to the contention that jazz is superior to other popular musical genres, and to a narrow, bebopcentered view of the jazz tradition. As forcefully opinionated as he usually is, though, Marsalis was brought up short a few times during this joint interview with keyboardist Herbie Hancock (b. 1940). For Marsalis, free jazz, electric instruments, and pop influences blur that tradition's boundaries and dilute its artistic force. For Hancock, these are all vital resources for the creative musician. But despite Hancock's interest in other genres, his credentials as a virtuosic bebopper are beyond reproach, making arguments about the musical limitations of pop musicians tricky. Years earlier, handing the young trumpeter one of his first big breaks, Hancock had invited Marsalis to tour with him, …show more content…
But it's not the only way.
MARSALIS: I read a book [by James Lincoln Collier] where a cat said that "in 1920something we notice that Louis Armstrong's playing took on a deeper depth of emotion. Maybe that's because his mother died." What brings about soulfulness is realization. That's all. You can realize it and be the richest man in the world. You can be someone living in the heart of Harlem in the most deprived situation with no soul at all. But the social scientists . . . oh, soul. That's all they can hear, you know. Soul is part of technique. Emotion is part of technique. Music is a craft, man.
HANCOCK: External environment brings fortune or misfortune. Both of them are means to grow. And that's what soul is about: the growth or, as Wynton said, realization. To realize how to take that experience and to find the depth of that experience in your life. If you're able to do that, then everything becomes
Soul, Craft, and Cultural Hierarchy
ENERGETIC, ARTICULATE, AND MUSICALLY impressive, Wynton Marsalis brings considerable weight to the contention that jazz is superior to other popular musical genres, and to a narrow, bebopcentered view of the jazz tradition. As forcefully opinionated as he usually is, though, Marsalis was brought up short a few times during this joint interview with keyboardist Herbie Hancock (b. 1940). For Marsalis, free jazz, electric instruments, and pop influences blur that tradition's boundaries and dilute its artistic force. For Hancock, these are all vital resources for the creative musician. But despite Hancock's interest in other genres, his credentials as a virtuosic bebopper are beyond reproach, making arguments about the musical limitations of pop musicians tricky. Years earlier, handing the young trumpeter one of his first big breaks, Hancock had invited Marsalis to tour with him, …show more content…
But it's not the only way.
MARSALIS: I read a book [by James Lincoln Collier] where a cat said that "in 1920something we notice that Louis Armstrong's playing took on a deeper depth of emotion. Maybe that's because his mother died." What brings about soulfulness is realization. That's all. You can realize it and be the richest man in the world. You can be someone living in the heart of Harlem in the most deprived situation with no soul at all. But the social scientists . . . oh, soul. That's all they can hear, you know. Soul is part of technique. Emotion is part of technique. Music is a craft, man.
HANCOCK: External environment brings fortune or misfortune. Both of them are means to grow. And that's what soul is about: the growth or, as Wynton said, realization. To realize how to take that experience and to find the depth of that experience in your life. If you're able to do that, then everything becomes