Black and white blues

by Nick Dellow

You seem to me to see all jazz in strict black and white terms.

Jazz is a wonderful music that speaks for itself – close your eyes while you listen and you will see and hear that it is shaded from black to white and all the tones in between. It's roots are black, of course, and throughout its history black culture has played a fundamental, vital, central role in its development, but to dismiss or at least marginalise the role of other cultures – "white" cultures if you want to be simplistic about it (though one might refine this by saying Italian, Jewish, Spanish, etc.) – is nonsensical and historically inaccurate.

Why do you think jazz started in New Orleans? Obviously (well, obvious to some), because the place was a cultural melting pot, with black and white cultures (Italians in particular) working together to create a new form of popular music. What a shame that some of its latter-day decedents who have been handed down this rich musical heritage have decided to obfuscate its true history in order to create a pastiche that fits modern politically correct sensibilities.



Posted on Feb 28, 2006, 9:11 AM

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