It seems that music has lost something in this modern age. Granted, that is coming from an old soul like me. Experts say introverts are typically old souls, so I guess they got that right with me. It seems like music had a certain charm, a certain cool factor that was present in the 1940s and 1950s and even 1960s. What type of music am I talking about that was present in those eras?
Jazz.
There was a time when jazz music was cool. It was mainstream. Now, it is sequestered to Sunday brunches, nightclubs, and college ensembles. It used to be on the top of the charts. Now, I guess life has gotten too loud and too hectic, and so has the music of our day. I'm not speaking ill of modern music. I'm simply being nostalgic about music that was popular when my parents weren't even born. Yep, I'm an old soul.
Jazz music can take you places no other music can. It relaxes you, it strengthens you, it guides you. John Coltrane's sometimes sweet, sometimes fiery tenor sax licks can make your day better. Guaranteed. An Art Blakey drum roll into a horn solo can take you to a far away, better place. And, in my book, it's still cool.
If a great singer is really what gets your spirits up, I got two words for you. Ella. Fitzgerald. "Stella by Starlight," written by Victor Young and featured in the 1944 film "The Uninvited" as an instrumental, is my favorite jazz vocal standard. In 1946, lyrics for the tune were written by Ned Washington. Even though the song was sung by greats like Frank Sinatra and others, I love Ella's version.
Modern jazz cats like pianist Robert Glasper, bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, and drummer Chris Dave have revived a genre that, surprisingly, needed reviving. We still have a long way to go to expose jazz music to a wider audience, though. I think that is primarily in the hands of music educators, not just jazz artists. Kids that are interested in music need to be exposed to the roots of the music they hear today on the radio and elsewhere. But that is an article for another time.
Maybe you're not an old soul like me, and I'm not suggesting you ought to be. But I'm afraid that we're losing one of America's great inventions and exports -- Jazz music. It's in our hands to preserve it like a national artifact. I love artists like Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, and Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews) and how they are keeping jazz alive through great music. I have no doubt that great music will stand the test of time because it is just that -- great music. No matter what societal trends may come about, we'll always have jazz. No one can take that away.
