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The Future of Jazz
Presents ten essays written by jazz critics addressing vital topics relating to the future of jazz the dominance of mainstream jazz, its spread around the world, the difficulty of making a living laying it, the growth of repertory jazz, the dearth of interest among young African Americans, the paradoxically backward-looking nature of the avant-garde, and others. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
- GenresJazzNonfiction
Paperback
First published May 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 7, 2024
I found this book-length email conversation among American jazz critics at the same record store where I found an amazing Italian bootleg of an Ornette Coleman 1968 concert in Rome. Yes!
I read this book about the future of jazz 22 years in the future from when it was published. Peering backwards into discussion of then-prominent players, issues, and controversies is useful in assessing the current state of jazz. How does jazz today compare to jazz at the time at which these thinkers were writing?
Now, like then, to raise the question of the state of jazz in the first place suggests that jazz’s health is poor. If broad cultural relevance is our measurement, then now, like then, this is true. Jazz is as marginal and irrelevant as it was in 2002, and as it was for the several decades prior.
Avant-garde jazz, by definition, has always been an even smaller and less culturally relevant segment of jazz, and that is still true today. However–and this is the best part–in the 20-plus years since this book’s publication, avant jazz has flourished. This is certainly true in Chicago, which has seen a dramatic increase in the number of talented musicians playing far out music. Many of them are putting out music on labels that sprung up in the last 2 decades, like Aerophonic, Astral Spirits, International Anthem, and Three Lobed, to name a few.
Avant jazz was in a true slump circa 2002 when this was published. There are very few contemporary “out” players discussed at the time, most of whom are players from the original free jazz generation (for example, Henry Threadgill, Peter Brotzman, etc.). Others that are discussed are boundary pushing, but not that far out (Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell etc.) The list of contemporary players from both generations were rather short.
Incidentally, the book was published just as free jazz began to revive itself in Chicago. Lucky for me, it is also the year I moved back to the City, just in time for the Vandermark 5’s residency at the Empty Bottle. It was a genuinely exciting time to be discovering free jazz and a genuinely exciting time of growth for the Chicago scene. Peter Margasak and others in this collection speak excitedly about those early shoots coming up at the time. I was lucky to catch shows during the last throes of Fred Anderson’s Velvet Lounge (the 2nd location) and Von Freeman’s jam sessions at the now defunct New Apartment Lounge. The latter two venues were bridges between the older generation and the new one that was taking up residence at DIY and unconventional venues: the basement of Myopic bookstore, the repurposed church space known as “The 3030,” someone’s loft in Lakeview (I have no idea whose, or how I got there, but it’s where I first heard Frank Rosaly) among others.
Players in the AACM orbit, of course, were a constant presence between these generations. The up and coming Chicago free jazz players are scarcely mentioned by the critics in this book.
Beyond Chicago’s local free jazz scene, other strains of avant jazz have entered a (slightly) broader consciousness. The book’s contributors did not anticipate (and who would’ve?!) that afro-futurism, however vaguely defined, would become downright trendy, helping to spur a fevered interest in Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, and Don Cherry, and fueling a spiritual jazz revival?! It’s incredible that this vintage genre has found appeal among music heads, even non-jazz aficionados!
Even so, this popularity does not necessarily signal good health for jazz. For the revival of interest in Ra, Coltrane, Cherry, and others is just that–a revived interest in jazz’s past. But what of jazz’s future 20 years from now? I think that Stuart Nicholson’s reflection on Will Friedwald’s piece on jazz-rock is still accurate: “The point, surely, is that it was jazz that was relevant to its time, in a way so much jazz since then has not been, belonging to previous eras of the music. Today we are picking up the cost of all this, as the music heads inexorably toward high-art marginality” (63)
I read this book about the future of jazz 22 years in the future from when it was published. Peering backwards into discussion of then-prominent players, issues, and controversies is useful in assessing the current state of jazz. How does jazz today compare to jazz at the time at which these thinkers were writing?
Now, like then, to raise the question of the state of jazz in the first place suggests that jazz’s health is poor. If broad cultural relevance is our measurement, then now, like then, this is true. Jazz is as marginal and irrelevant as it was in 2002, and as it was for the several decades prior.
Avant-garde jazz, by definition, has always been an even smaller and less culturally relevant segment of jazz, and that is still true today. However–and this is the best part–in the 20-plus years since this book’s publication, avant jazz has flourished. This is certainly true in Chicago, which has seen a dramatic increase in the number of talented musicians playing far out music. Many of them are putting out music on labels that sprung up in the last 2 decades, like Aerophonic, Astral Spirits, International Anthem, and Three Lobed, to name a few.
Avant jazz was in a true slump circa 2002 when this was published. There are very few contemporary “out” players discussed at the time, most of whom are players from the original free jazz generation (for example, Henry Threadgill, Peter Brotzman, etc.). Others that are discussed are boundary pushing, but not that far out (Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell etc.) The list of contemporary players from both generations were rather short.
Incidentally, the book was published just as free jazz began to revive itself in Chicago. Lucky for me, it is also the year I moved back to the City, just in time for the Vandermark 5’s residency at the Empty Bottle. It was a genuinely exciting time to be discovering free jazz and a genuinely exciting time of growth for the Chicago scene. Peter Margasak and others in this collection speak excitedly about those early shoots coming up at the time. I was lucky to catch shows during the last throes of Fred Anderson’s Velvet Lounge (the 2nd location) and Von Freeman’s jam sessions at the now defunct New Apartment Lounge. The latter two venues were bridges between the older generation and the new one that was taking up residence at DIY and unconventional venues: the basement of Myopic bookstore, the repurposed church space known as “The 3030,” someone’s loft in Lakeview (I have no idea whose, or how I got there, but it’s where I first heard Frank Rosaly) among others.
Players in the AACM orbit, of course, were a constant presence between these generations. The up and coming Chicago free jazz players are scarcely mentioned by the critics in this book.
Beyond Chicago’s local free jazz scene, other strains of avant jazz have entered a (slightly) broader consciousness. The book’s contributors did not anticipate (and who would’ve?!) that afro-futurism, however vaguely defined, would become downright trendy, helping to spur a fevered interest in Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, and Don Cherry, and fueling a spiritual jazz revival?! It’s incredible that this vintage genre has found appeal among music heads, even non-jazz aficionados!
Even so, this popularity does not necessarily signal good health for jazz. For the revival of interest in Ra, Coltrane, Cherry, and others is just that–a revived interest in jazz’s past. But what of jazz’s future 20 years from now? I think that Stuart Nicholson’s reflection on Will Friedwald’s piece on jazz-rock is still accurate: “The point, surely, is that it was jazz that was relevant to its time, in a way so much jazz since then has not been, belonging to previous eras of the music. Today we are picking up the cost of all this, as the music heads inexorably toward high-art marginality” (63)
August 1, 2022
Interesting format - various music/jazz critics each take a topic, somehow related to the book title, and then the others respond and re-respond. This is very thought-provoking, with myriad points of view, pronouncements, and questioning.
An added bonus is the wide variety of artists this group of critics talk about in reference to the different topics.
An added bonus is the wide variety of artists this group of critics talk about in reference to the different topics.
October 18, 2011
Gathering ten critics to respond to each others' ideas through email on topics which really have no single answer sounds like a recipe for tedium... and at times it was. This book is essentially a conversation between well-versed jazz enthusiasts. At times, I just wasn't familiar with the pieces and players they were referring too and the reference was lost on me. I did enjoy the back and forth between critics, generally someone would make an interesting point. In the end I felt this was like listening in on a conversation, a conversation which would be much more enjoyable if I could participate over beers after a great show.
To apply my buy it, get it used, rent it scale, I would rent it from the local library.
To apply my buy it, get it used, rent it scale, I would rent it from the local library.
March 3, 2025
Very eye-opening. It covers many important themes constantly debated over in the jazz community.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews