Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Punk Meets Jazzsnob...Deleted

I kind of had a bit of regret about what I posted yesterday regarding Jazz-kid. He's a good kid, a talented guy, and despite the fact that I do think I'm right on the substance of my rant, I don't think posting that kind of ad-hominem vitriol in a public forum is too cool. There obviously was a tongue-in-cheek element to the post, but I realized later in the night that it came off more mean-spirited than I wanted it to.

For the record, I will state emphatically that I've had it with jazz snobs. I've been dealing with said species for close to three decades, and their condescension is both insulting and unjustified. Obviously be-bop isn't simple to play, and requires a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge to play competently. Despite this, it doesn't have any more validity artistically than any other genre, be it reggae, bossa nova, or rock. There's a big difference between saying that you don't like a particular group or a particular genre (but accepting its validity) and saying outright that "it sucks".

(I still maintain my view on rap/hip-hop however. (I still can't tell the difference between the two; is there?) If you're not playing your instruments, you're not making music. And rambling in some unintelligible patois over a drum machine and a sample isn't going to cut it.)

Spitfire

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