Substantial, specific criticism is not the same as knee-jerk dismissal.
Don devoted his life to playing uncompromising and person music in
the face of considerable hostility and hardship. Whether you like his
music or not, he's an influential figure in the evolution of the
music and deserves respect as such. It's ridiculous to say that the
guy responsible for teaching Dave Holland (who is in many respects a
modern-day Don Ellis figure) how to play complicated time signatures
"wasn't into meter," even in jest.
I mean, whatever you might think of, oh I don't know -- John Cage,
let's say -- it would be idiotic to say that "he was barely into
composing."
Cheers,
- Darcy
-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Brooklyn, NY
On 03 May 2007, at 2:31 PM, dhbailey wrote:
Darcy James Argue wrote:
Don't be asinine. The classic Ornette Coleman quartet wasn't "into
meter"? Somebody should have told Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden,
and Ed Blackwell -- these are some of the greatest rhythm section
players of all time. And while Don Cherry was not the person Dean
was thinking of, he was a brilliant musician who did actually
*did* do a lot of mixed-meter stuff in the 1970's. Dave Holland --
whose current band seems to play in every meter imaginable except
4/4 -- says he learned to play mixed meters from Don Cherry, and
Dave still teaches that system when he does student workshops. (I
learned it from Dave at the Banff Jazz Workshop, and it is a
*great* system.)
I would have hoped that Ornette Coleman getting a well-deserved
Pulitzer this year would finally put an end to ignorant, knee-jerk
dismissals of him and his associates. I'm greatly disheartened to
see that's not yet the case.
What, we're not allowed to criticize someone we don't like?
I've always been disheartened by knee-jerk approvals of garbage.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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